All the technology in the world won't protect you against the myriad of events that can severely disrupt a global supply chain.

The Compliance Map, a developer of software for supply-chain and environmental compliance, has created the Supply Chain Transparency Module.

ITS Financial Services has joined with McGriff, Seibels & Williams, and Roanoke Underwriting, to launch CargoShield.

There's one qualification - and I would go so far as to say that it's the defining qualification for today's supply chain leaders - that separates the highest performers from the herd. And that's courage.

Technology is an invaluable asset for sourcing teams, but it's not the end-all and be-all. In fact, for many organizations, evaluating vendors and deploying procurement technology can quickly become a major headache due to a lack of differentiation, long implementation time-lines and steep learning curves. Even when implementation goes smoothly, many procurement departments find themselves in a precarious position following deployment - they have a new, powerful technology at their disposal, but not enough people or internal resources to fully take advantage of its benefits and functionality.