Hi there,

If there’s anyone motivated to understand the importance of trust in supply chain tracking, it should be Amazon. The e-commerce behemoth has had more than a few headaches when it comes to counterfeits and fraud and spends upwards of US$400 million annually stamping out fraud and other nefarious behaviours.

Now, Amazon has won a patent for a blockchain system to enable verifiable tracking, allowing all parties involved to gain real-time visibility of items as they move through the supply chain.

Blockchain has been gaining traction in the freight and logistics industry in recent years and the news reinforces the potential for the technology to add veracity and provenance to the products we all consume.

New Zealand's high value export food brands should take note.

In other news:

Last mile delivery a challenge for SMB e-commerce sales
Accenture on cybersecurity: Over-priced and under-delivering
Microsoft replaces journalists with bots
Smart city ambitions tempered with Covid

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

BLOCKCHAIN

Amazon wins patent for blockchain supply tech

From supply chain tracking to counterfeit products, Amazon is getting serious about transparency…

E-com giant Amazon has just been granted a patent for a new blockchain-based supply chain tracking system by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Blockchain is a natural fit for supply chain management, decentralising key data and creating an ‘immutable’ ledger that is available for scrutiny.

[Read more]

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Supply chain key barrier to SMB e-com

E-com’s up, but can we get that last mile under control?…

IDC’s Louise Francis has a message for A/NZ small businesses: Think like big business when it comes to ecommerce and technology – and do an audit of your e-com systems.

“We’re in a cocoon at the moment and it’s a good opportunity to do that refinement now.”

[Read more]

Running successful online virtual events

CYBERSECURITY

It’s a fail: Cybersecurity investments aren’t paying off say companies

Costs rising at ‘unsustainable levels’, Accenture says…

Those big dollars you’re paying for cybersecurity? They’re just not paying off.

“Cybersecurity cost increases are reaching unsustainable levels and, despite the hefty price tags, security investments often fail to deliver.”

[Read more]

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

MS banking on AI, not journalists

Microsoft’s news offering is banking on a bold new automated future…

Tech multinational Microsoft is 'right-sizing' its journalist pool, and the new vacancies are likely to be filled by AI.

“These decisions are not the result of the current pandemic.”

[Read more]

SMART CITIES

Smart cities in lockdown

Social and environmental projects moving to slow lane…

Smart cities in the age of Covid might conjure up images of heat maps, heart rate monitoring drones and robot dogs ensuring adherence to physical distancing, but the reality is a little less headline grabbing.

“The race to digital for socioeconomic resiliency and survivability is much more exigent than ever before.”

[Read more]

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Latest articles by this vendor:

- Cincom powers organic growth for fruit and vegetable supplier
- Automation Benefits and Risks
- ERP Benefits echo through sonar manufacturer’s back office

[Read more about this vendor]

Upcoming events and postponements:

More events

iStart is proudly supported by these leading New Zealand software providers:

Latest Buyer's Guides

ERP Buyer's Guide | CRM Buyer's Guide | HR/HCM Buyer's Guide | BI Buyer's Guide

Privacy statement: We have sent this weekly newsletter to you at your e-mail address: [email address suppressed]. iStart will never share your e-mail address, but you may from time to time receive other event invitations or partner communications from us. You can opt out of these by managing your subscription preferences, where you can also update your e-mail address and other details.

Find out more about iStart | Advertise with iStart | Subscribe

Please support independent journalism!

Here at iStart we are passionate about independent fact-based journalism.

If you feel the same way, and like what we do, then we welcome your support through crowdfunding platform PressPatron.