Written by Market Intelligence firm IDC and sponsored by Black Duck, the purpose of this whitepaper is to lay out software development "supply chain" strategies, to nurture community culture, and to discuss techniques to improve code usage as software creation evolves toward greater complexity.

The software supply chain enables developers to leverage software from multiple sources - internal, external, and open source - and to coordinate them effectively. We present the benefits and challenges of a life-cycle approach that emphasizes visibility into and control of software assets. Improving software development and business adaptability to competitive pressures is ultimately enabled by effective software creation. The need to leverage code in dynamic competitive environments across the software supply chain pushes companies toward software management to leverage existing sources of supply and improve business adaptability.