Tag: transparency

Miniature figure on a computer motherboard
cybersecurity, Digital Supply Chain, Supply Chain

Securing the Digital Supply Chain: A Candid Conversation with Jon Geater

Introduction:

In this fascinating episode of our podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Jon Geater, Chief Product and Technology Officer at RKVST. Jon has an extensive background in cybersecurity, having worked in the aerospace industry before co-founding RKVST, a platform focused on enhancing supply chain security and transparency. We discussed the challenges and opportunities in securing digital supply chains, the role of attestations, and the importance of balancing transparency and confidentiality. You won’t want to miss this thought-provoking conversation!

Key Insights and Quotes:

  1. The Importance of Secure Digital Supply Chains:

Jon emphasized the significance of securing digital supply chains – a secure digital supply chain is one that doesn’t get in the way of the business but enables it. He noted that the physical supply chain is being digitally transformed, and the digital supply chain is being cyber-physical transformed. These insights highlight the interconnected nature of supply chains and the vital role of cybersecurity in this ever-evolving landscape.

  1. Attestations: A Powerful Tool for Supply Chain Integrity:

Jon introduced the concept of attestations, which he defines as small, cryptographically signed and tamper-proof statements about the world. He believes attestations can play a crucial role in securing supply chains, as they provide verifiable evidence of the supply chain’s integrity. By leveraging attestations, businesses can improve transparency and trust while minimizing potential security risks.

  1. Balancing Transparency and Confidentiality:

Jon discussed the importance of finding a balance between transparency and confidentiality in the supply chain. He explained that while transparency is crucial for building trust, it can also create security risks if sensitive information is disclosed. Conversely, confidentiality is necessary for protecting proprietary information, but excessive secrecy can hinder trust. Jon’s insights emphasize the need for businesses to strike the right balance to maintain both security and trust in their supply chains.

  1. First Steps Towards a Secure Digital Supply Chain:

When asked where businesses should start on their journey towards a secure digital supply chain, Jon suggested visiting RKVST’s website (rkvst.com) and the Supply Chain Integrity, Transparency, And Trust group’s website (scitt.org). These resources offer valuable information and case studies to help businesses understand and implement best practices for securing their digital supply chains.

  1. A Call to Action:

Jon posed a thought-provoking question regarding motivation for businesses to improve their supply chain security: “What will be the motivator?” He encouraged businesses to think critically about their current approach and consider taking more control over their supply chain risks. By adopting a more digitally native mindset, businesses can better protect themselves from potential security breaches and ensure their operations continue smoothly.

Conclusion:

My conversation with Jon provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities surrounding digital supply chain security. His expertise in cybersecurity and supply chain attestations offers businesses a fresh perspective on how to secure their operations while maintaining trust and transparency.

Don’t miss this insightful episode – listen to the full conversation with Jon Geater and explore the resources mentioned at rkvst.com and scitt.org. Connect with Jon on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with his work in securing digital supply chains.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider following the podcast and sharing it with others who may be interested. And as always, if you find the podcast of value, and you’d like to help me continue to make episodes like this one, you can go to the podcast’s Support page and become a Digital Supply Chain podcast Supporter for less than the cost of a cup of coffee!

And if you’re interested in having your brand associated with the leading Supply Chain podcast, don’t hesitate to check out these sponsorship packages and how I can help your company gain exposure and establish yourself as a thought leader in the supply chain industry, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you!

SMS Text
Digital Supply Chain

Streamlining Supply Chain Issue Resolution with Riptide’s Three-Way Text Platform

In today’s episode of the Digital Supply Chain podcast I had the pleasure of speaking with Doug Marinaro, the CEO and co-founder of Riptide, a three-way text platform for issue resolution.

Doug shared the story of how Riptide came about, starting from the simple idea that a lot of problems could be solved before they become failures if the right people come together in a conversation. He and his co-founder, a small businessman in San Francisco, had previously been applying messaging to his auto repair and towing businesses, and saw dramatic improvements in his ability to satisfy customers. From there, they decided to expand this concept of messaging to be applied more broadly in the context of business and transactions.

Doug went on to explain that Riptide is different from consumer messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram, as it allows businesses to have control over who’s in the conversation, where the information about the conversation goes, and the conversation workflow. This allows businesses to automate the conversation and also give the people responsible for the success of that service, the ability to control the conversation and the participants.

Riptide is currently being used in roadside service, delivery, field service, and home services. Doug shared an example of last mile delivery, as this is where Riptide’s solution applies the most. He highlighted that the intersection of instant gratification with complexity is where Riptide’s solution is most valuable, as customers have an expectation of getting an answer immediately and getting their delivery instantly, but the process of actually accomplishing that delivery can be complex and difficult to manage. Riptide’s solution allows businesses to have control over the customer journey, and to have the right participants in the conversation at the right moment, which ultimately leads to a positive end-to-end customer experience.

Doug also discussed Riptide’s expansion plans, and how the solution can be used globally. He mentioned that Riptide is currently only available in North America, but they are talking to customers all around the world who have heard about what they’re doing and the universality of this problem. The good news is that the telecom services that they work with are robust and global, which will allow them to rapidly expand into other countries.

Riptide is a web-based app, so there’s nothing that needs to be installed on your computers, and it allows for the consumer to use the messaging app that’s already on their phones. This makes it easy for businesses to integrate Riptide into their ecosystem, and to provide real-time visibility on every conversation that’s happening. This data is collected and can be mined, and Riptide generates dashboards on usage by different parties, on response rates, and on how long it takes a person to read a message. This data can also be used for dispute resolution and to apply machine learning models that will allow businesses to insert chatbots into the conversation.

Overall, Riptide would appear to be a valuable solution for businesses looking to have control over the customer journey and to ensure a positive end-to-end customer experience. Tune in to the episode to learn more and to hear Doug’s insights on how Riptide can help your business.

And of course, be sure to follow the Digital Supply Chain podcast in your podcast app of choice to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in Supply Chain.

Photo credit Sarah Marriage on Flickr

Kuka manufacturing robot
Internet of Things (IoT)

How the Internet of Things Can Make Your Manufacturing Business More Sustainable

The Internet of Things, often abbreviated as IoT, refers to the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items that are embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enable these objects to connect and exchange data.

The Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT, is a specific application of the Internet of Things that pertains to the manufacturing sector. In recent years, sustainability has become an important issue for manufacturers as consumers increasingly seek out products that have been made sustainably and with minimal impact on the environment.

Fortunately, the IIoT can help manufacturers reduce their environmental impact and become more sustainable. Here’s how:

  1. Collecting Data to Increase Visibility and Transparency Across the Value Chain
    The first step to becoming more sustainable is to have visibility and transparency across the entire value chain. This means understanding where your raw materials come from, how they are sourced, how they are used in your manufacturing process, what happens to your finished products after they are sold, etc. In order to gain this visibility and transparency, manufacturers must collect data at every stage of the value chain. This data can be collected manually or automatically through sensors and other digital technologies. Once this data is collected, it can be analyzed to identify areas where your company can become more efficient and reduce waste.
  1. Connecting Machines to Improve Efficiency
    One way that manufacturers can use the IIoT to become more sustainable is by connecting their machines together in order to improve efficiency. For example, if one machine is idling while another machine is overloaded, this presents an opportunity to optimize production by redistributing work among the machines. By connecting machines together and using data analytics to optimize production in this way, manufacturers can avoid wasting energy and resources.
  2. Using Renewable Energy Sources
    Another way that manufacturers can use the IIoT to become more sustainable is by using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power instead of traditional sources such as coal or natural gas. While renewable energy sources may have been more expensive in the past, advances in technology have led to a decrease in cost while simultaneously increasing efficiency. As a result, many manufacturers are making the switch to renewable energy sources in order to reduce their environmental impact.
  3. Implementing Predictive Maintenance Schedules
    Predictive maintenance is a type of maintenance that is performed before problems occur. This is in contrast to traditional preventive maintenance which is performed on a regular schedule whether or not problems exist. By using predictive maintenance schedules based on data collected by sensors, manufacturers can avoid unexpected downtime due to equipment failures. In addition, predictive maintenance can help extend the lifespan of equipment which leads to fewer replacement cycles and less waste over time.

The IIoT offers many opportunities for manufacturers to become more sustainable businesses. By collecting data across the value chain, connecting machines together for improved efficiency, using renewable energy sources wherever possible, and implementing predictive maintenance schedules; manufacturers can reduce their environmental impact while simultaneously improving their bottom line. As consumers increasingly seek out sustainable products, there has never been a better time for manufacturers to take advantage of these opportunities presented by the IIoT .

energy

Apple puts its environmental initiatives front and centre at its spring event

 

LisaJacksonAppleRenewableEnergyApple held it’s annual spring event yesterday in Palo Alto to make iPhone, iPad, and iOS related announcements (amongst others).

However, this year for a change the first executive invited to address the audience was Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, former EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson.

Lisa was greeted by warm applause which became more enthusiastic when she announced that 93% of Apple’s facilities worldwide are now powered by renewable energy. This means Apple is now well on its way to achieving its stated aim of being fully renewably powered globally. And in 23 countries, including the United States and China, Apple is already 100% renewably powered.

In China Jackson explained, Apple has a 40MW solar farm which has a minimal impact on the local environment, and allows for the local Yak farmers to graze their animals and grow hay under the panels (seen above). This solar farm produces more electricity than Apple uses currently in all of China.

Apple’s data centres are also fully renewably powered, and it has a policy of siting new data centres only if the site has access to renewable power. This was one of the reasons behind Apple’s choosing Ireland and Denmark for its two newest data centres last year.

In fact, since hiring Jackson away from the EPA, Apple has made some extremely positive moves in reducing its footprint, and greatly increasing its transparency. This focus on transparency may go some of the way to explaining Apple’s decision last week to move a significant portion of its iCloud storage business away from notoriously opaque Amazon to Google (although, it is as likely to do with diversifying suppliers, moving to a supplier more in line with Apple’s views on data privacy, and possibly easing the transition to eventually self-hosting the data).

Jackson also talked about Apple’s investments in forestry, and how Apple are using paper sourced from sustainably farmed forests for 99% of its packaging now.

Apple is demonstrating tremendous leadership in the energy and sustainability space (as well as the privacy space, but that another story!). Kudos to them, and interestingly Amazon appears to be finally getting around to supplying some of its operations with renewable energy too – though, it still shuns any kind of auditing or reporting on its energy and emissions. Sigh, maybe someday after seeing Apple put their environmental initiatives front and centre, Amazon will also see the value of doing this.

Featured Posts, Technology / Software

Apple launches ResearchKit – secure, private, open source medical research

ResearchKit

Apple announced a new initiative at its Spring Forward event yesterday – ResearchKit.

What is ResearchKit? Apple’s SVP of Operations, Jeff Williams, described it as a framework for medical researchers to create and deploy mobile apps which collect and share medical data from phone users (with their permission), and share it with the researchers.

Why is this important? Previously it has proven difficult for research organisations to secure volunteers for research studies, and the data collected from such studies is often collected, at best, quarterly.

With this program, Apple hopes to help researchers more easily attract volunteers, and collect their information far more frequently (up to once a second), yielding far richer data.

The platform itself launches next month, but already there are 5 apps available, targeting Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and breast cancer. These apps have been developed by medical research organisations, in conjunction with Apple.

The success of this approach can be seen already in this tweet:

After six hours we have 7406 people enrolled in our Parkinson’s study. Largest one ever before was 1700 people. #ResearchKit

— John Wilbanks (@wilbanks) March 10, 2015

I downloaded mPower, the app for Parkinson’s to try it out, but for now, they are only signing up people who are based in the US.

As well as capturing data for the researchers, mPower also presents valuable information to the user, tracking gait and tremor, and seeing if they improve over time, when combined with increased exercise. So the app is a win both for the research organisations, and for the users too.

Apple Does Not See Your Data

Apple went to great pains to stress that the user is in complete control over who gets to see the data. And Apple themselves doesn’t ever get to see your data.

This is obviously a direct shot at Google, and its advertising platform’s need to see your data. Expect to hear this mantra repeated more and more by Apple in future launches.

This focus on privacy, along with Apple’s aggressive stance on fixing security holes, and defaulting to encryption on its devices, is becoming a clear differentiator between Apple and Android (and let’s face it, in mobile, this is a two horse race, for now).

ResearchKit Open Source

Finally, Williams concluded the launch by saying Apple wants ResearchKit on as many devices as possible. Consequently, Apple are going to make ResearchKit open source. It remains to see which open source license they will opt for.

But, open sourcing ResearckKit is a very important step, as it lends transparency to the privacy and security which Apple say is built-in, as well as validating Apple’s claim that they don’t see your data.

And it also opens ResearchKit up to other mobile platforms to use (Android, Windows, Blackberry), vastly increasing the potential pool of participants for medical research.

We have documented on GreenMonk numerous times how Big Data, and analysis tools are revolutionising health care.

Now we are seeing mobile getting in on the action too. And how.

Featured Posts, Technology / Software

Cloud computing meets supply chain transparency and risk

Supply chains? Yawn, right?

While supply chains may seem boring, they are of vital importance to organisations, and their proper management can make, or break companies.

Some recent examples of where poorly managed supply chains caused at best, serious reputational damage for companies include the Apple Computers child labour and workers suicide debacle; the Tesco horse meat scandal; and Nestlé’s palm oil problems.

What does this have to do with Cloud computing?

Well, last week, here in GreenMonk we published a ranking of cloud computing companies and their use of renewables. Greenqloud, Windows Azure, Google, SAP and Rackspace all come out of it quite well.

On the other hand, IBM and Oracle didn’t fare well in the study due to their poor commitment to renewables. But, at least they are reasonably transparent about it. Both organisations produce quite detailed corporate responsibility reports, and both report their emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. So if you are sourcing your cloud infrastructure from Oracle or IBM, you can at least find out quite easily where the dirty energy powering your cloud is coming from.

Amazon however, does neither. It doesn’t produce any corporate responsibility reports and it doesn’t publish its emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project. This is particularly egregious given that Amazon is, by far the largest player in this market.

Amazon’s customers are taking a leap of faith by choosing Amazon to host their cloud. They have no idea where Amazon is sourcing the power to run their servers. Amazon could easily be powering their server farms using coal mined by Massey Energy, for example. Massey Energy, as well as having an appalling environmental record, is the company responsible for the 2010 West Virginia mining disaster which killed 29 miners, or Amazon could be using oil extracted from Tar sands. Or there could be worse in Amazon’s supply chain. We just don’t know, because Amazon won’t tell us.

This has got to be worrisome for Amazon’s significant customer base which includes names like Unilever, Nokia and Adobe, amongst many others. Imagine what could happen if Greenpeace found out… oh wait.

Just a couple of weeks ago US enterprise software company Infor announced at Amazon’s Summit that it plans to build it’s CloudSuite offerings entirely on Amazon’s AWS. As I tweeted last week, this is a very courageous move on Infor’s part

All the more brave given that Infor will be using Amazon to host the infrastructure of Infor’s own customer base. “Danger, Will Robinson!”

This lack of supply chain transparency is not sustainable. Amazon’s customers won’t tolerate the potential risk to their reputations and if Amazon are unwilling to be more transparent, there are plenty of other cloud providers who are.

This post was originally published by Tom Raftery on GreenMonk.

Image credits failing_angel

Technology / Software

Ariba’s AribaLive conference reviewed

AribaLive 2013

I attended the AribaLive event in Berlin last week – this is the European conference for Ariba customers and partners to share stories, network and learn from one another.

Ariba is a company which provides electronic sales and procurement solutions for companies. There are over 1 million companies in 190 countries using Ariba. Customer companies mentioned or presenting included Clariant, Solvay, Disney, Deutsche Bank, Astra Zeneca, Fujitsu, Aviva and EADS. Naturally I was curious to hear how their customers fared from dematerialising parts of their buying and selling processes.

I wasn’t totally clear on some of the advantages the Ariba offers buyers and sellers until Ariba President Kevin Costello, in his keynote explained it with a good analogy to the likes of Facebook, Amazon and eBay. As Costello said, Facebook has completely changed how people connect/reconnect. Similarly, eBay and Amazon have totally transformed how people shop for goods. I knew exactly what he meant as I’ve recently bought a new camera. I started by checking camera review sites and Amazon reviews to find the best camera for my needs. I then went to both eBay and Amazon to identify the best deal, from the most reputable seller. Being able to see peer reviews not just of the camera, but of the sellers as well, meant I was very confident when I decided to buy my secondhand camera, that I would get a good product at a good price.

In the same way, Costello said, the Ariba Network brings huge transparency to enterprise buyers and sellers, allowing them to make purchasing, or sales decisions more efficiently and with fewer concerns. In fact, the consumerisation of business commerce was a term used throughout the event.

Several customer presentations followed with organisations like Spanish building company FCC mentioning that they both source €2 billion, and cut 80,000 electronic invoices with their Ariba system annually. They estimate they are saving 10% per annum by using Ariba.

Apart from the efficiencies of using electronic solutions, how else does one benefit (to the tune of 10%, for example) by using Ariba?

invoice

Well part of the answer was provided in the talk given by EADS Vice President of Accounts Payable, Bob McCartney. He talked about the cost of dealing with incoming invoices for EADS. According to McCartney, dealing with an invoice manually costs EADS €15, running it through OCR brings the price down to €4 per invoice, while the price of dealing with e-invoices is €2. That is massive – electronic invoicing is half the cost of OCR’d invoices and seven and a half times cheaper than manual invoices. Right there you see a huge business case for e-invoicing.

Other advantages of electronic invoicing outlined by McCartney were – a recurring 22% cost saving, increasing on-time payment of suppliers, improved visibility/forecasting of the company’s cash position, and improved relations with suppliers (more process transparency, as well as on-time payments).

Finally, Ariba’s Supplier Risk Management solution was interesting to learn about as well. This solution allows users to, for example, figure out in the event of a natural disaster in a distant part of the world, what the potential impact may on your organisations supply chain. Though a more interesting use case, given it can drill down several layers into your supply chain may be avoiding the use of conflict minerals in your products, for example.

Full disclosure – Ariba paid my travel and accommodation to attend this event.

 

(Cross-posted @ GreenMonk: the blog)

Trends & Concepts

SAP’s latest Sustainability Report is Awesome!

SAP's 2009 Sustainability Report using OAuth!

SAP released its 2009 Sustainability Report during the week and if last years Sustainability Report was good, this one is outta the park!

SAP released their first Sustainability Report in November 08 reporting on the 2007 year. It was a good initial effort (prepared in accordance with the GRI guidelines and achieving a “C” level certification) delivered in your typical PDF format. The main innovation the first year was that there was a separate site for readers to leave feedback.

Then in May 2009 SAP released their 2008 Sustainability Report. This report achieved a B+ GRI rating and was far more interactive than the previous report (or any Sustainability Report I had previously seen). It allowed readers to interact with the data and showcased the interactive Sustainability Map which categorised core business processes related to sustainability and mapped them into distinct categories. Again SAP solicited feedback from users.

Now the 2009 Sustainability Report takes this to the next level. It:

  • achieved an A+ GRI rating by reporting on more sustainability GRI indicators and by adding new metrics, including Renewable Energy, Business Health and Culture Index, and Employee Satisfaction
  • includes the new edition of the Sustainability Map
  • establishes short- and long-term goals for many of SAPs metrics beyond carbon footprint
  • contains more embedded interactive dashboards leveraging data sourced from SAP Carbon Impact and SAP Business Objects Sustainability Performance Management
  • enables readers to comment on SAPs performance and solutions in the context of the report (no longer on a separate site) and
  • SAP will now produce quarterly updates on their carbon performance

There’s also the Materiality Matrix and the Create Your Own sections where you can try out different scenarios to see how they would affect SAP’s goals.

What do I love about this report?