IT Solutions for Manufacturing
Cyber-Attacks Increasingly Target Manufacturing, Especially Supply Chains
Manufacturers face numerous information technology challenges. Maintaining uptime. Data management. New technology integration. And increasingly, cyber-attacks on supply chains. In fact, experts predict a four-fold increase in these attacks this year.
Finding the right IT solutions for manufacturing is an ongoing process.
An increasing area of concern is cybersecurity. During the first quarter of 2020, ransomware attacks on manufacturers increased 156%. Apart from shut-downs associated with COVID, the pandemic has also increased fraudulent activities by 400%. Nearly 50% of manufacturers have suffered a cyber incident highlighting the need for manufacturing IT services that prioritize security.
Information technology and operational technology systems have continued to converge. That convergence has led to increasing investments in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), often referred to as Industry 4.0. IIoT offers manufacturers increased productivity, reduced costs, and access to analytics.
Unfortunately, IIoT poses a cybersecurity threat owing to the substantially increased number of potentially insecure internet connections posed by these devices. IT and OT systems must segment adequately to add a layer of physical security. Otherwise, the vulnerabilities exposed can be subject to unauthorized access.
4 Challenges Facing Manufacturers
Intellectual Property Theft
Innovation and creativity help drive the manufacturing process. IP theft of that sensitive information could be crippling. Many manufacturers would be unable to survive it.
More often than not, cyber criminals target identity theft, credit cards, or other personal information. But IP theft remains a concern.
Phishing
One of the oldest threats to cybersecurity, phishing is industry neutral, but prevalent nonetheless. 85% of companies have been hit by a phishing attack. They’re often successful because 97% of users are unable to recognize a sophisticated phishing email.
Cyber awareness training can be a good deterrent. The more employees are aware of malware and how to spot it, the greater your cybersecurity posture.
IIoT Attacks
As mentioned, the Industry Internet of Things has been a major factor in revolutionizing the industry. Organizations often fail to pay adequate attention to securing IoT devices that connect to the internet and their networks. That creates a doorway for hackers.
As your firm continues to take advantage of IoT devices for improved operational efficiencies, you’ll need to expand your focus on endpoint security. The more internet connections you have, the more open you are to an attack. Plus, IoT often lacks fundamental security functions like encryption. We’ll help you identify and secure IoT devices.
Worst of all, if the hack ties into your operational technology, it can shut down your entire manufacturing process. According to Aberdeen Research, unplanned downtime can cost as much as $260,000 an hour.
Supply Chain Attacks
The Kaseya breach earlier this year illustrates the fragility of supply chain security. And supply chain-related attacks are expected to increase four-fold this year. Attacks typically target suppliers’ code (66%). Your firm needs to implement best practices to reduce your risks of a lateral attack. We’ll work with you to establish best practices designed to protect your firm.
Managed IT Offers a Cost-Effective IT Solution for Manufacturing
Reduce the Burden on Your IT Department
Managed IT services for manufacturing allow you to remain focused on your core projects to improve efficiencies and overall productivity. With fixed costs, you can also control your budgets.
Co-managed it allows you to put your dollars directly where you want them. Looking to improve your cybersecurity. Just buy that. Want to move one of your operations to the cloud? Partner for just cloud services.
With either approach, you’ll gain access to expertise while expanding your capabilities to get more things done.
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Get Robust Cybersecurity Services
Deloitte determined that manufacturers are more vulnerable to potential breaches. The study, Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI), revealed that 40% of manufacturing firms suffered an attack last year. Of those attacked, 38% suffered damages of more than $1 million. Threats were mostly posed from phishing, direct abuse of IT systems, errors and omissions, and mobile devices. Sadly, only 3% of companies have a disaster recovery plan in a documented and tested state. We can assess your network and devices to expose vulnerabilities to your cybersecurity. We can also help with policy creation for protection of your networks.
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Protect Against Ransomware
We gave you some statistics earlier. But, here are two more worth knowing. By 2021, a ransomware attack will take place every 11 seconds. Despite that frequency, 50% of IT professionals don’t believe their organization is ready to defend against such an attack. Whether you believe you’re company is protected or not, you can’t be too safe. That’s where managed IT services can help. We can boost your information security with endpoint anti-virus security, secure email gateway technologies, DNS web filtering, cyber awareness training, intrusion detection, and more.
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Improve Compliance
Manufacturing companies are subjected to increased regulatory standard each year. Medical device businesses, food and beverage companies, and automotive manufacturers are already subject to stringent standards. We can help automate compliance to measure, analyze, audit, capture, store and transmit data more securely.
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Back Up Data
Data is the heart and soul of your business. You have to keep it safe at all costs. Data backup is your smartest bet for retaining and restoring data. Cloud backup solutions provide a readily accessible solution. Your data is backed up off premises with strict security protocols. That backup will allow you to recover data for integration with existing applications and endpoint devices. We routinely offer cloud services that include data backup.
Get IT Support For Manufacturing
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Avoid Costly Production Downtime with our IT Solutions for Manufacturing
We understand how important it is for production uptime and the costly impact that downtime can have on your specific industry. Our IT Solutions for Manufacturing are tailored to your organization’s specific needs—ensuring that business technology keeps up with your production demand.
When you’re looking for IT support near you, give us a call.