Advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has given rise to explosion of data in every field of operations. Working with the enormous volume of data (or Big Data, as it is popularly known as) for extraction of useful information to support decision making is one of the sources of competitive advantage for organizations today. Enterprises are leveraging the power of analytics in formulating business strategy in every facet of their operations to mitigate business risk. Volatile global market scenario has compelled the organizations to redefine their Supply Chain Management (SCM). In this paper, we have delineated the relevance of Big Data and its importance in managing end-to-end supply chains for achieving business excellence. A Big Datacentric architecture for SCM has been proposed that exploits the current state of the art technology of data management, analytics and visualization. The security and privacy requirements of the Big Data system have also been highlighted and several mechanisms have been discussed to implement these features in a real-world Big Data system deployment in the context of SCM. Some future scope of work has also been pointed out.

In recent years, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become one of the key enablers for achieving competitive advantage. An effective SCM can be proved critical for the success or failure of an organization and thus it becomes an important value driver for organizations. Increased customer demand and variety, intensified competition, increasing complexity and dynamicity of global operations, pressure on innovation of products and services, advances in technology particularly Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have added complexity in designing and managing supply chains. Over the years, the concepts and practices of SCM have undergone several changes that have been reflected in its ‘constantly evolving’ nature. From its initial cost efficiency focus to modern responsive and agile nature, SCM has witnessed a transformational change at the operational frontier. To sustain under volatile business environment, it has become imperative to operate with information-driven strategies wherein collaboration among the members is one of the key success factors. Effective coordination and collaboration enables the members of a supply chain to achieve its global objectives.

However, sharing of information plays an indispensable role in SCM integration. It improves customer services and financial performances by providing accurate and relevant on-time information and also enhances supply chain visibility. It sets and monitors key performance indicators to highlight variances and inefficiencies and mitigates the bullwhip effect which is essentially caused due to the distortion of demand information while moving from downstream to upstream (Lee et al., 1997; Lee and Whang, 2000; Vickery et al., 2003; Cheng et al., 2010 and Miah, 2015). How timely and accurately an organization can formulate an effective and futuristic strategy has become a critical issue in the context of modern SCM. Exploiting the rich capabilities of analytics, organizations can reap the benefits of Big Data-driven insights to work with optimal lead time and improve prediction of future to cope up with uncertainties. Researchers have found that in order to achieve seamless coordination or harmony among the members of a supply chain for taking right decision at right time, to deploy resources optimally and channelize all activities in right direction, to provide right product to the customers at right time, information acts as an ‘invisible thread’ among the members.

Supply Chain Management Journal, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Supply Chain Management (SCM), International Data Corporation (IDC), Proposed Architecture, Big Data Driven, Supply Chain Analytics.