Industry Profile : Supply Chain Risk in the Cybersecurity Industry

For this paper, you will research and report upon the problem of Supply Chain Risk as it pertains to the cybersecurity industry. You will also investigate due diligence and other business processes / strategies which can be used to mitigate the impacts of supply chain risk for companies who produce and sell cybersecurity related products and services.

Research

1. Global Supply Chain Risks affecting the Cybersecurity Industry. Here are some suggested resources to get you started:

a. Cyber Security Risks in Industrial Supply Chainshttp://www.securityweek.com/cyber-security-risks-industrial-supply-chains

b. Cybersecurity in the Supply Chain

http://www.lmi.org/CMSPages/getfile.aspx?nodeguid=adf22863-fca9-44ae-a93a-c20e21bae1e6&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

c. Cybersecurity Risks in the Supply Chain

https://www.cert.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Cyber-security-risks-in-the-supply-chain.pdf

d. Independent contractors, outsourcing providers and supply chain vendors: The weakest link in cybersecurity?

http://www.wiggin.com/files/30783_cybersecurity-update-winter-2015.pdf (pp. 2-3)

2. Investigate due diligence as it applies to the purchase of components or services from vendors. Answer the question: how can due diligence processes help a company manage supply chain risks? Here are some suggested resources:

a. http://www.cips.org/Documents/Knowledge/Procurement-Topics-and-Skills/3-Risk-Mitigation/Diligent-Procurement/Due_diligence-Procurement_Topic.pdf

b. http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2014/03/21/going-beyond-due-diligence-to-monitor-vendor-cybersecurity/

c. Cybersecurity: Five lessons learned the hard way

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e0e6d83f-3783-457a-8ce5-cda2ed9f3dcd

3. Research best practices and recommended strategies and approaches for managing global supply chain risk

a. 10 Supply Chain Risk Management Best Practices

http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/10-supply-chain-risk-management-best-practices-a-5288/op-1

b. Cyber Supply Chain Security: A Crucial Step Toward U.S. Security, Prosperity, and Freedom in Cyberspace

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/03/cyber-supply-chain-security-a-crucial-step-toward-us-security-prosperity-and-freedom-in-cyberspace

c. Managing Risk in Global ICT Supply Chains

https://www.boozallen.com/content/dam/boozallen/media/file/managing-risk-in-global-ict-supply-chains-vp.pdf

d. Supply Chain Risk Management Awareness

http://www.afcea.org/committees/cyber/documents/Supplychain.pdf

Write

1. An introduction section which provides a brief overview of the problem of supply chain risk as it pertains to the cybersecurity industry.

2. A supply chain riskssection in which you identify and describe 5 or more specific sources of supply chain risk which impact cybersecurity related products and services.

3. A due diligence section in which you address the use of diligence processes (investigating suppliers before entering into contracts) as a supply chain risk management strategy. Include 5 or more cybersecurity related questions which should be asked of suppliers during the due diligence process.

4. A best practicessection in which you address 5 or more best practices for managing global supply chain risks in the cybersecurity industry. You must also provide an evaluation of the expected benefits from implementing each of these practices.

5. A summary and conclusions section in which you present an overall picture of the supply chain risk problem in the cybersecurity industry and best practices for managing supply chain risks.

Yourfive to eight pagepaper is to be prepared using basic APA formatting (including title page and reference list)and submitted as an MS Word attachment to the Industry Profile Part 2: Supply Chain Risk entry in your assignments folder. See the sample paper and paper template provided in Course Resources > APA Resources for formatting examples.Consult the grading rubric for specific content and formatting requirements for this assignment.