Friday's global IT outage caused by a faulty software update from Crowdstrike wreaked havoc across multiple industries and highlighted vulnerabilities in supply chains that rely heavily on technology. Experts advise businesses to diversify their software and suppliers, enhance cybersecurity measures and develop strong contingency plans to better prepare for future IT outages.

Electronic component distributor Avnet has launched the Tria Technologies brand to unify Avnet's global compute design and manufacturing functions. Tria will focus on designing and making standard embedded compute products and customer designs for specific projects, helping manufacturers offload risk and outsource complex manufacturing tasks.

A new report from Zero100 says AI will have a revolutionary impact on the supply chain industry, and leaders must quickly embrace the technology or face potentially catastrophic consequences if they don't. Industry adoption of AI is uneven, with a third of executives saying they have a strategic vision for AI, 90% saying they are experimenting with AI and about a third saying they are making heavy investments in the next three years, according to the report.

Developers of humanoid robots such as Tesla's Optimus, Agility Robotics' Digit and Apptronik's Apollo should invest in pilot studies to demonstrate their utility in commercial settings, set performance benchmarks, ensure safety and efficiency and refine key functionalities like locomotion and navigation before large-scale deployment, according to Silicon Foundry. Although the market for humanoid robots is expected to reach $7.9 billion by 2025, the complexity of humanoid robots poses challenges for scaling production.

A tech alliance between the US and Mexico aims to streamline supply chain operations, procurement, nearshoring and other areas between the two neighboring nations. "By uniting top tech companies from both nations, we are creating a powerhouse of knowledge and resources that can tackle the unique challenges of cross-border trade," says Enrique Perret, who serves as chairperson of Bridge49: The Nearshoring Tech Alliance.

Using machine learning in the packaging process pays off in multiple ways, starting with the efficiencies gained by rightsizing, writes Brian McCarson of Packsize International, who also discusses the ways AI and machine learning can result in practices that are kinder to the environment. Machine learning also facilitates real-time decision-making and can be easy for users to integrate, McCarson writes.

Business-to-business marketers can drive leads by blending brand building with demand creation, aligning more effectively with sales to develop trust and longlasting customer relationships, writes Pipeline360's Tony Uphoff. Ignoring brand-building can result in "an 'unbranded' lead: The buyer recalls accessing valuable content -- but lacks awareness of your brand's value proposition," Uphoff explains.

Higher interest rates have not derailed the economy as a whole, but individuals who need to borrow money are in a more precarious position, with costs at the highest levels in decades. The total amount of interest Americans paid on mortgages and other kinds of debt jumped sharply last year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Significant changes in tax policy may be on the horizon, writes Rema Serafi, vice chair of tax at KPMG. Serafi urges CFOs to be proactive in tax planning and to prepare for a potential trifecta of tax issues, including potential ramifications from the presidential election, the global minimum tax and expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

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