Where office IT meets the plant floor
Production depends on an ERP or MRP system, shop floor computers, label and barcode printers, CAD and CAM workstations, and machines whose controllers sometimes run operating systems that can no longer be updated. Shipping depends on the same network. An outage does not just slow email; it stops orders, production and shipments at once.
Manufacturing has been the most attacked industry in IBM's X-Force Threat Intelligence Index for several years running. Attackers know a stopped line creates pressure to pay a ransom quickly. The way in is usually ordinary: a phished password, an exposed remote access tool, or an unpatched server on the office side that can reach the plant.
- Plant and office networks separated, so an infected laptop cannot reach machine controllers
- Older controllers that cannot be patched isolated from email and the internet
- Equipment vendor remote access controlled, logged and turned off when not in use
- Tested backups of the ERP database and machine programs
- Spares and a recovery plan for the shop floor computers production depends on
Older machines and vendor access
Many plants run a CNC controller, a press or a test station attached to a computer whose operating system its maker stopped supporting years ago. Replacing the machine is not an option, and updating the computer may void the warranty or break the software. The safe answer is isolation: put it on its own network segment, block it from the internet and email, and allow only the connections it actually needs.
Equipment vendors often need remote access for support. Left open, that access is a door anyone can try. We set it up so it is switched on when the vendor needs it, logged while it is in use, and switched off afterwards. Our guide to IT for manufacturing covers plant network design in more detail.
Defense suppliers: CMMC and NIST SP 800-171
If you make parts for the Department of Defense or a prime contractor, the contract sets your security requirements. Companies that handle only federal contract information need the basic safeguards of CMMC Level 1. Companies that store, process or send controlled unclassified information (CUI) need the 110 requirements of NIST SP 800-171, which is what CMMC Level 2 checks. DFARS clause 252.204-7012 also requires reporting cyber incidents to the Department of Defense within 72 hours.
CMMC Phase 1 has been in new defense solicitations since November 10, 2025: contractors complete a self-assessment and post the score in the government's Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS). In July 2026 the Department paused the planned move to Phase 2, when third-party certification would have become a condition of award for most CUI contracts, while it reviews the program. The NIST requirements underneath did not change. Check the current status before you plan; our CMMC guide is kept up to date.
Readiness usually starts with finding where CUI actually lives, shrinking that footprint where possible, and then closing the gaps against the 110 requirements, with a system security plan and a plan of action that document the work.
Recovering fast when production stops
Downtime in a plant has a cost you can count by the hour: idle crews, missed shipments, overtime to catch up. That makes recovery speed the number to plan around. Decide how long the ERP can be down and how much data you can afford to lose, then design backups to match. See RTO and RPO explained.
Backups must be kept apart from the network they protect, so ransomware cannot encrypt them too, and they must be tested by actually restoring the ERP. Machine programs, tool libraries and configuration files deserve the same care as office data, since rebuilding them by hand can take weeks.
How GlobeVM supports a manufacturer
On top of our standard security, manufacturers get network separation between office and plant, controlled vendor access, monitoring around the clock, tested ERP backups, and help answering the security questionnaires larger customers send.
If you have an IT person who knows your machines, we work alongside them through co-managed IT, adding security monitoring, after-hours coverage and backup, so their knowledge of the floor is not a single point of failure. Updates and maintenance are scheduled around your shifts.