The Quest for Supply Chain Visibility: The Economical Path to Resilient Operations Through Multi-Enterprise Supply Chain Commerce Networks

This IDC Perspective explores how multi-enterprise supply chain commerce networks provide an economical, scalable foundation for achieving visibility across trading partners while preparing for agentic AI-ready supply chain processes. Traditional integration methods, such as EDI, are no longer sufficient for the real-time responsiveness and agility required in multi-tier supply chains. Multi-enterprise supply chain commerce networks address this gap by enabling shared infrastructure, lowering onboarding costs, and facilitating collaboration across distributed networks. This report guides CIOs and chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) through the strategic and operational considerations for selecting and implementing multi-enterprise supply chain commerce networks to deliver measurable business value."As organizations confront persistent disruption, rising complexity, and increasing sustainability and automation demands, multi-enterprise supply chain commerce networks offer a practical path to more resilient, data-driven supply chains," says John Bermudez, adjunct research advisor for IDC's IT Executive Programs (IEP).