Hackers, Ransoms, Malware, Oh My

“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.” --- Steve Wozniak aka "Woz", who cofounded Apple Computer in 1976 with Steve Jobs

Good Sunday afternoon all and welcome to this edition, No. 97, of "With That Said" (WTS), an almost-weekly newsletter powered by your friends here at Supply Chain Now . October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While cybersecurity is an every day, all year topic, this month offers us all an opportunity to call "time-out", pause and reflect on what our personal and organizational strategies are when it comes to optimizing our cybersecurity and updating our risk mitigation plan. Plan-Do-Check-Act has no finish line. And that certainly applies to our cyber approaches.

Let's take a look at a few numbers & some cyber food for thought:

--- By 2025, cybercrime is expected to cost the entire planet some $10.5 TRILLION on an annual basis. That would make it more lucrative than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.

--- According to CyberArk : "93% of organizations had two or more identity-related breaches in the past year. Machine identities are the #1 cause of identity growth and are considered by respondents to be the riskiest identity type. 50% of organizations expect identities to grow 3x in the next 12 months (average: 2.4x)." Read more here .

--- Via "Outshift" from our friends at 思科 , comes a list of 15 supply chain cyber attacks, including: "The MOVEit Transfer tool, renowned for securely transferring sensitive files, was targeted in a supply chain attack affecting over 620 organizations, including major entities like BBC and British Airways. Linked to the ransomware group Cl0p, this attack underscores the urgency of promptly patching vulnerabilities and securing web-facing applications to mitigate supply chain risks effectively." View the entire list .

--- According to World Economic Forum : "There is a global shortage of nearly 4 million cyber professionals...71% of organizations have unfilled cybersecurity positions." Read more here .

--- Join us for a special LIVE webinar session this coming Thursday, October 10th: "Defending Your Business from Ransomware and Cyber Threats". Scott W. Luton will be joined by Ara Arslanian with OMNIA Partners and Bill Hardin with Charles River Associates for a dynamic discussion hosted by Supply Chain Now. They’ll explore proven, real-world strategies for safeguarding your business against the most dangerous threats, including ransomware, data extortion, business email compromise, and insider threats. From navigating dark web negotiations to defending against malware outbreaks, this session offers critical insights to help you secure your most valuable data assets. Equip your organization with the knowledge and tools to mitigate risks and ensure long-term resilience in an increasingly hostile cyber environment. Learn more & register here .

--- Want to stay up-to-date on the cybersecurity front? We recommend that you follow two of our favs: Bob Carver for all sorts of cyber news & expertise, and Kevin L. Jackson, CISSP?,CCSP? for broader content & expertise across the world of digital transformation. Make sure to find & subscribe to Kevin's Digital Transformers, LLC wherever you get your podcasts.

And here are a few other items for you to peruse:

--- The ILA & USMX have a tentative agreement to resolve the labor strike. But keep your eye more on the automation divide between the two sides, rather than the compensation issue. In our view, leveraging common sense automation across American ports is critical now & even more into the future, when it comes to optimizing performance & competitive advantage. Stay tuned as . But for more on the tentative deal, check this out from our friends at CNBC .

--- Interesting results from a 2,000 company survey conducted by 波士顿谘询公司 , focused on climate change & sustainability. A few key findings: "Companies measuring all three scopes [Scope 1, 2 & 3] comprehensively are 1.6 times more likely to experience significant decarbonization benefits; companies fully reporting each scope are 1.5 times more likely to experience significant decarbonization benefits; companies setting validated targets for each scope are 1.9 times more likely to experience significant decarbonization benefits." Learn more here .

--- SCN's founder & CEO Scott Luton touched on a few items in his latest "Good News" message that he shares each Friday morning, including the relaunch of Supply Chain Now En Espa?ol , led by Sofia Rivas Herrera , and a variety of ways you can help with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Learn more here .

--- SPECIAL EVENT: We are proud to serve as a media partner for TFEST24, which is coming up soon: November 11th through the 13th, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Maria Villablanca & the Future Insights Network team have assembled an incredible, in-person event that should be on your radar. TFEST24 is your go-to event for: Senior supply chain leaders driving innovation across the entire ecosystem; Procurement, manufacturing, and logistics professionals seeking to optimize operations; And anyone passionate about shaping the future of a more resilient and efficient supply chain. Use code "TFEST25" for 25% off of registration: click here.

--- Want to learn more about Supply Chain Now programming? Check it out: https://linktr.ee/Supplychainnow

JOIN US: TFEST24 is the global gathering of 1000+ senior supply chain leaders & professionals in Berlin on 11-13th November. The event features 100+ speakers and over 60+ hours of keynotes, panels, 1-2-1 networking, roundtable discussions, workshops & more. Use code "TFEST25" for 25% off registration: https://bit.ly/4gUCmAO

BRAVO: Our SCN team applauds this creative marketing approach by Todd Craig and Deposco for their "Supply Chain Nightmares" campaign. One of the nightmares focuses on a company's WMS going down on Black Friday, causing: "Fiery panic races through everyone's veins like a forest fire, rapidly devouring every sale and opportunity in its path." ?? View the full series here: https://bit.ly/3NdM8QM

?RELANZAR!: Te invitamos a unirte a Sofia Rivas y a la serie recién relanzada "Supply Chain Now en Espa?ol", disponible dondequiera que obtengas tus podcasts. Mira el último episodio aquí, con Felipe Hernández Anzola de DATUP: https://apple.co/4dvSvcY

Check out these resources, tools & perspectives from across the SCN ecosystem:

--- Will you be at #MWC24? Be sure to connect with Kevin L. Jackson, CISSP?,CCSP? , host of Digital Transformers, LLC , who will be there in Las Vegas interviewing executives from T-Mobile For Business and celebrating AI-powered innovation in the business & public sector. Connect with Kevin & many others at Exhibition Hall Booth 500 .

--- ICYMI: this past week, Scott hosted Tjeerd De Jong and Evan Junker, MBA, PCM from SPARQ360 for a livestream conversation focused on "Sustainability Solutions That WORK: Looking Beyond the Oversimplified Answers". Tjeerd spoke about a proven, three-pronged, simultaneous strategy that focuses on: Sustainability, Supply Chain Optimization, Resilience. Evan shared some of the DOs and DON'Ts related to how business leaders can optimize & leverage their EcoVadis scores. Sign up for the on-demand replay of the livestream here and don't forget to check out the “2024 Supply Chain Trends and Attitudes” survey, which included perspective from over 300 supply chain leaders: check it out here .

--- Also from last week, Scott and the one & only Billy Ray Taylor hosted a livestream discussion centered on "From Pitfalls to Profit: Consulting Insights to Optimize Your Operations". We featured Landon Mumbower, MBA and Johnathan McRary from Bastian Solutions . We focused on how to optimize distribution center performance, including proven best practices for how to leverage 3rd party consultants in your distribution operations & greater supply chain organization. Sign up for the on-demand replay of the livestream here and learn more about the work that Bastian Solutions is doing in the material handling & warehouse automation space here .

--- For 25 years, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index has been published quarterly to inform its readers on freight shipping and spend volumes on national and regional levels, as well as some of the critical trends shaping the data. The Freight Payment Index for Q2 2024 was released a month or so ago, offering up actionable insights and valuable data from across the freight market, like this nugget: "For the first time since the second quarter of 2022, three of the five regions reported increases in quarterly shipment volumes, which might indicate that the freight market may be nearing its bottom." Download a free copy: https://bit.ly/scn-us-bank

--- Have you signed up for SCTECH 2024 yet? Hosted by Jorge A. Morales and our friends at ISCEA -International Supply Chain Education Alliance and taking place in October 2024, this year's theme is "Facing Supply Chain Challenges in the AI Age". We still have scholarships available for those in need, especially for Veterans, students & others. Learn more here OR check out the event site here: https://www.sctechshow.com/

--- From Kimberlee (Kim) Humphrey and our friends at The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) : We invite you to join us in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 28 - October 31, 2024, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the AME International Conference. Learn more about the Conference here . Veterans interested in the manufacturing industry: we have limited FREE registrations to offer you. This is an excellent opportunity for networking & professional development. Interested? Comment below & we'll reach out to you to make it happen.

--- Scott & the SCN team will be attending and speaking at Manifest: The Future of Supply Chain & Logistics in February 2025. In fact, one hundred and fifty of the most influential leaders across end-to-end supply chain and logistics, twenty percent of which are?CSCOs, COOs and CPOs from the largest shippers in the world, are all taking the stage at Manifest Vegas, being held at The Venetian, February 10th - February 12th, 2025. Register now to join us & save $200 on your All-Access Manifest Vegas attendee pass (that's $1000 off the on-site price)! Learn more about Manifest 2025 here .

TALENT WARS: As shared by Vin Vashishta : organizations spend an average of $444 per person on leadership development and training. No wonder why most tech leaders don’t believe they were effectively prepared for their first role OR supported and mentored to grow into it. Read more from Vin here: https://bit.ly/3XN4qwY

MONDAY AT NOON: Join us for a new episode of "The Buzz", as Scott & Billy Ray will dive into a variety of news & developments, especially related to manufacturing. We'll also be featuring special guest Jon Gold from the National Retail Federation , who will give us insights & analysis on the tentative ILA/USMX deal, as well as some of the themes retail supply chain leaders will be talking about at The Big Show in January. Join us: https://bit.ly/47X9V0X

TUESDAY AT NOON: The symbiotic relationship between people and technology is advancing the vision for a unified supply chain and pushing the limits of innovation and progress to new heights. Dirk Beveridge knows this better than anyone. As the Executive Producer of the "We Supply America Tour", which just wrapped filming on season 4, he spent the last several months on the road traveling across the United States to meet and learn from the purpose-driven visionaries leading distribution businesses. Join Scott, Dirk & Mark Gilham, FCCA from Enable as they discuss how supply chain relationships are evolving through tighter collaboration and the integration of the right technologies for the right jobs. Learn new strategies to mitigate supply chain turbulence and ensure you’re on the right trajectory to meet your 2024 business objectives: https://bit.ly/3Yde1ik

THURSDAY AT NOON: In a timely LIVE webinar session, Scott will be joined by Ara Arslanian with OMNIA Partners and Bill Hardin with Charles River Associates for an insightful conversation where they’ll explore proven, real-world strategies for safeguarding your business against a variety of dangerous cyber threats, including ransomware, data extortion, business email compromise, and insider threats. From navigating dark web negotiations to defending against malware outbreaks, this session offers critical insights to help you secure your most valuable data assets. Equip your organization with the knowledge and tools to mitigate risks & ensure long-term resilience in an increasingly hostile cyber environment: https://bit.ly/3By2voN

Finally, via YouTube, check out a few of our favorite episodes from across the SCN ecosystem this year. What were some of yours?

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