Analyst Insight: Visibility in the supply chain has long been a challenge that supply-chain managers have struggled with, especially when it relates to assets in motion. Fortunately, we now live in a world of constant connectivity, and with that the emergence of applications that enable true real-time visibility to assets or inventory in motion through the support of the Internet of Things (IoT). - John Santagate, research manager, IDC

Analyst Insight: The sharing economy has been disrupting and transforming industries, with companies like Uber disrupting the taxi industry and Airbnb disrupting the hospitality industry. Now, even the very mature space of warehousing is in the process of disruption as warehouse-sharing platforms emerge that are providing benefits to both shippers and facility owners. - John Santagate, research manager, IDC

Analyst Insight: The 9th Annual BCI/Zurich Supply Chain Resilience Report categorically said last year that ineffective management of supply chains is leaving organizations open to severe disruptions and large financial negative impacts. The report also states that almost 75 percent of companies have experienced one disruptive event and that many more experienced multiple risk events in 2016. Why? The report concludes that organizations are still not ensuring adequate supply-chain visibility upstream and downstream. - Gregory Schlegel, executive-in-residence, Center for Supply Chain Research, Lehigh University

Analyst Insight: Today more than ever, logistics professionals are at the forefront of designing new transportation and distribution solutions to support ever-changing fulfillment requirements. In today's competitive B2B and B2C markets, logistics is feeling the pressure of responding to changing demand patterns, shorter lead times, and smaller orders. Responding to today's customer-driven demands requires much more agile solutions versus traditional logistics networks. - Valerie Bonebrake, senior vice president, Tompkins International