With so much at stake, we all hope that DSCSA will work. Unfortunately, the current standards and guidelines appear to “build in” potentially “fatal” design flaws. Providentially, the current initiative could clear the path for a system that could work.

Formerly referred to as ePedigree, Title II of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act—DSCSA—is a US federal law whose objectives include the prevention of counterfeit and diverted prescription drugs to improve quality and patient safety. In essence it is a legally mandated effort to create an industry-wide internet-of-things (IoT) platform. Its conception and implementation are well into their second decade. Industry participants are collaborating with government officials to set the standards and guidelines for how the system will work.

Companies, markets and consumers are generating more data than ever before. However this potentially useful information typically resides in disparate, incompatible, internal and external information systems. Companies which can gather, analyze and interpret their data gain a competitive advantage. Those who can't interpret or who completely outsource this function lose long-term competitive capability which will eventually manifest itself in the marketplace. As an example of how better strategic data analysis could yield significant benefits, consider the oil and gas industry.

Some in the oil and gas industry are currently on the verge of turning their data over to the titans of technology, including companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, because they aren't able to manage all of it on their own.

A day to celebrate, right?

Apparently yes, but maybe not in reality.

Business executives need to know whether Amazon is helpful or harmful to their brands sold on Amazon (authorized or unauthorized).