An Effective Supply Chain Starts With Security

For more advanced, sophisticated supply chains, it’s about continually going back over it to increase flexibility and improve in important areas

Quotes by Steve Durbin, ISF CEO

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption to supply chains around the globe, impacting business operations and consumer behavior alike. Enterprises were forced to adapt, and the increased attention shone a light on the critical nature of efficient supply chains. In order to keep operations running smoothly through the pandemic, manufacturers needed end-to-end visibility across multiple suppliers.

For enterprises like AMD, one thing about securing the supply chain will not change: The process will never end. Supply chain security requires constant monitoring, says Steve Durbin, chief executive of the Information Security Forum, because both the threats and the technology designed to combat them move too fast to allow security protocols to stagnate. “It’s not something that you can do once and walk away, hoping it’s going to last forever,” he says. “Understanding what you set up today will not be the same tomorrow and beyond is hugely important.”

Instead, experts like Durbin view supply chain security as an ongoing process that must engage stakeholders across the enterprise. “For more advanced, sophisticated supply chains, it’s about continually going back over it to increase flexibility and improve in important areas,” he says. “Security is all about continuous improvement.”

These security efforts don’t just impact the manufacturers and the businesses that depend on them. As we saw during the pandemic, supply chain issues can impact consumers, and society as a whole, when essential items can’t be produced and companies can’t function. A secure supply chain works behind the scenes to ensure that doesn’t happen.

In order to create that continuity, stakeholders up and down the supply chain must all share the same priorities, Durbin says.

Malhotra agrees. At AMD, he says, executing on its priorities starts with a culture of continuous security improvements that permeates the organization, not just the supply chain or security executives. “It’s a collaborative effort,” he says. “From policies to IP protection to logistics to cybersecurity to design, each and every stakeholder comes together to create a holistic approach.”

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