Is Your Technology Partner Focused on the Security of Your Business?
Ransomware attacks are at an all-time high, and small businesses are right in the crosshairs of global hackers. Your IT services partner should be poised to protect your business.
The technical advances in manufacturing over the past few decades are staggering — from the mainstream addition of robots on assembly lines to the uber-connected devices that are used in modern manufacturing facilities. Each time technology leaps forward, there are new challenges to be overcome from debugging new software solutions to improving the security of your plant. As connected technology becomes more ubiquitous, plant managers and IT staff are finding yet another struggle: attempting to maintain a secure perimeter around the digital components of their business.
Shane Kimbrel, owner of an IT support company in Dallas, TX shares his insights into the growth of cybersecurity-related issues in US manufacturing.
The rapid-fire pace of change in the cybersecurity landscape makes it vital for manufacturers to work with proactive IT service providers to stay ahead of the potential security risks to their business.
Cyber Threats to Manufacturers
The threat landscape is varied and complex, with everything from phishing emails coming into an office to a connected device delivering a malware payload causing cybersecurity concerns for manufacturing facilities. What can be frustrating to IT teams is that not only do manufacturers face all of the standard business cybersecurity threats, there is also the potential of flaws being introduced during the manufacturing process without the knowledge of the plant staff. Competitors have been known to compete based on “borrowed” intellectual property, but the digital storage of this type of information makes it easier than ever for intrusions to occur. Plus, downtime is extremely expensive for manufacturing organizations, often running in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour based on the business. Each hour that a competitor or hacker is able to take down your business, the better the chances that it will negatively impact your revenue both now and in the future.
50% of Surveyed Companies Incurred a Data Breach
Cybersecurity professionals like to tell companies that it’s not “if” they have a security incident, but rather “when”. While it may sound fatalistic, the statistics surrounding small to mid-size businesses back up the theory that it’s only a matter of time before your business experiences a data breach or other cybersecurity event. The 2019 Manufacturing and Distribution Report shows that fully half of the thousands of survey respondents had fallen victim to at least one data breach in the previous 12 months. Many of these breaches seemed to be caused by artificial intelligence, robotics or other IoT devices — components that are considered increasingly vulnerable to attack if they are not being regularly upgraded and software patches applied.
Importance of Cybersecurity Focus
Manufacturers rely on technology infrastructure to ensure smooth operations for your business. Without this layer of automation and digital communication, productivity grinds to a halt — causing significant losses for your business. The best way to avoid this type of slowdown is to ensure that your technology partner is fully equipped with the staff and knowledge needed to maintain a high degree of security awareness. While it is good to have awareness of the cybersecurity challenges on your internal IT team, it’s rare to find enough talent in the tight job market to fulfill all of the security roles needed to protect your organization. This is why many manufacturers are turning to IT managed services providers to play the role of security professionals.
Businesses throughout the Dallas and Fort Worth area turn to the professionals at Data Magic Computer Services to provide trusted cybersecurity expertise for their business. As the #1 rated IT support services team in the area, our IT wizards focus on creating a seamless experience for your business that includes our high-availability environments, exceptional risk management procedures and ongoing training for business staff. Contact us today at 469-213-6508 to see the difference that truly proactive technology support can make for your business. You can always schedule your free initial consultation online by filling out our quick form or chatting with our friendly service personnel, too. Every moment that your technology is running slowly or stopped equates to lost productivity — which costs your business money. We help create always-on platforms and software solutions that will support the speed of today’s manufacturing businesses.
Uday Tank is a serial entrepreneur and content marketing leader who serves the international community at Rankwisely. He enjoys writing, including marketing, productivity, business, health, diversity, and management.