Argue all you want about the reasons behind gridlock at U.S. West Coast ports, but one conclusion is inescapable: it proves the need for effective supply-chain risk management.

The future of supply-chain management doesn't rest within a crystal ball or psychic's parlor. It can be found each fall, at a dinner and panel hosted by the San Francisco Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

Face it: There's no such thing as a supply-chain information-technology system that's completely invulnerable to cyber attack.

Retail is still under attack and consequently the security effectiveness of retail organizations as a whole has continued to decline over the past year. However, almost 75 percent of retailers that experienced a data breach in the last year have improved their security effectiveness since the point of their breach, while a third of the breached retailers link back to compromises via third-party vendors.