INDUSTRY: MANUFACTURING
Shop floor systems, supply chain software, and connected equipment.
A manufacturer runs on two networks that have to talk to each other: the office that runs accounting and supply chain, and the floor that runs production. We support both ends and the systems that connect them.
A manufacturer is two businesses sharing one set of buildings. The office side runs accounting, supply chain, customer relationship, and document management. The shop floor runs production scheduling, machine controls, quality systems, and connected equipment. They both have to be available, and the data flowing between them has to keep moving. An hour of office downtime is annoying. An hour of production downtime is a number written on a whiteboard. Our manufacturing IT engagements align with the cybersecurity controls the NIST Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification framework defines for the defense industrial base and similar manufacturers.
The office runs the kinds of systems most managed services providers know well. The floor runs equipment that may have been installed in 1998, may run on an unsupported operating system, and may have a vendor relationship that does not look like anything the office side has.
Production downtime cost is not measured the way office downtime is. An hour of floor downtime costs whatever the line was about to produce in that hour. The IT priorities have to reflect that.
Connected machines, quality stations, and shop floor terminals are all on the network. Whether the original installer thought of them that way or not, they need to be configured securely so a workstation compromise does not cascade onto the floor.
Vendor relationships on the production side are different. The line provider handles the line, but the network underneath, the integration to the office systems, and the data export all live with us.
Four areas of work tailored to the way the industry actually operates. Sized to your firm, not to a generic playbook.
Workstations, servers, accounting and customer relationship systems, supply chain software, document management. On the manufacturing side, the office is supported the same way any professional services firm would be, with the security stack to match.
Production network designed separately from the office network so a workstation compromise cannot cascade onto the floor. Connected machines, quality stations, and shop floor terminals brought under documented configuration.
The data that flows between accounting, supply chain, production scheduling, and machine systems supported as a real concern. When an integration breaks, work stops on both sides; we treat that as a high-priority issue.
Many shops run more than first shift. The helpdesk and monitoring need to support a production line at 11pm the same way they support the office at 11am. After-hours coverage is part of the engagement when the business runs that way.
A few things that shape how we run the engagement specifically for this kind of firm.
Office network and production network designed separately, with the firewall enforcing what crosses between them. Most managed services providers treat the whole environment as one flat network; that is wrong here.
Critical issues on the production side get worked the way the floor would expect: now, with whatever resources it takes. We will not wait until tomorrow to look at something that is costing real revenue per hour.
Quality stations, shop floor terminals, and connected machines brought under documented configuration. Patched, monitored, segmented, and known. Most manufacturers have machines on the network that nobody has touched in years.
Production line vendors, equipment manufacturers, integration specialists, and the office software vendors all coordinated through us as a single point of contact. You should not be brokering a three-way call to figure out why an integration broke.
For manufacturing environments, we support the network around the equipment, the integration into the office systems, and any documentation the equipment needs to operate safely on the network. The line provider continues to support the equipment itself; we coordinate the relationship and the data flowing between sides.
Common situation. Production systems have long lifecycles, and replacing the underlying operating system is often impossible without replacing the whole production line. We mitigate the risk through network segmentation, restricted access, and additional monitoring rather than forcing an unrealistic upgrade.
Yes. Helpdesk and monitoring extend to the shifts the business actually runs, not just nine to five. After-hours coverage is part of the engagement when the production schedule warrants it.
Yes. The integration between accounting, supply chain, production scheduling, and floor systems is part of the work. When something breaks in the chain, we treat it as a single problem to solve rather than punting between vendors.
Tell us about your office headcount, your shop floor footprint, and the systems on each side that have to talk to each other. We will scope a manufacturing IT engagement that covers the office work without ignoring the production environment behind it.
Or call us:
(704) 333-0404
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