There are numerous opportunities to instill organizational excellence, both within the walls of the warehouse and in outside relationships throughout the supply chain, says John Giangrande, senior account executive with Fortna.

Raul Corella, vice president of worldwide supply chain operations, stresses the importance of collaboration with key suppliers, understanding best practices and maintaining strict performance metrics - all with an eye toward continuous improvement.

It's great to have accurate supply-chain data within a given department. But companies must be able to communicate and collaborate across discrete business functions, as well as with outside suppliers. Sanjay Ravi, worldwide managing director of high tech & electronics industry at Microsoft, shows how it can be done.

Even in a tough economy, companies are willing to spend money on new systems if a strong return on investment can be demonstrated, says Steve Simmerman, vice president of business development with Next View Software.

Entertainment is going digital, and the implications for content providers, supply-chain managers and consumers are huge. Tom Moran, senior director of media and entertainment market with Savvis, offers a peek at the future of movies, music, games, books and other products that can be delivered in digital form.

Lean is a popular concept with many manufacturers, but it hasn't been widely applied in a coherent fashion that leads to bottom-line benefits. Tony Gorski, chief executive officer of DemandPoint, has some ideas on how companies can rethink their approach to the subject.

Spencer Mott, chief information security officer with Electronic Arts, talks about industry efforts to stay one step ahead of criminals, who have taken a new approaching to theft in the age of the internet and social networking.