All SBOMs are not created equal: What's required for them to be effective

This article analyzes how Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) contribute to software supply chain security, detailing challenges such as lack of standardization and interoperability, dependency visibility across build/runtime phases, and the importance of generating SBOMs continuously within CI/CD. It summarizes NSA guidance on SBOM management tool capabilities, contrasts tooling strengths across compliance and vulnerability detection, and argues for moving beyond simple inventories to actionable SBOMs enriched by deeper analysis that supports risk prioritization and remediation.