How Can Managed IT Support Maximize Uptime For Manufacturers?

If you’re like many small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, you may be looking for strategic guidance and technical support to harness your technology and position your business for the future.

Managed IT services could be the solution you’re looking for.

Given today's unpredictable business climate, you’re focused on running your manufacturing business and staying competitive. Still, many SMB manufacturers are losing sleep trying to juggle an already overloaded list of priorities.

From regulatory compliance concerns to trying to keep pace with rapid market shifts and technology advancements, manufacturing company business owners don’t have spare time to worry about putting out ongoing fires whenever IT issues pop up.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the many challenges manufacturers are facing today. We’ll also outline key ways managed IT services can help unburden SMB owners in the manufacturing sector like you.

After reading this article, you'll have a better understanding of how a managed IT services provider (MSP) can help you minimize business risks, enhance operational performance, secure your infrastructure, modernize your technology, and position your business for the future.  

What Are The Most Pressing Concerns Facing Small And Mid-Sized Manufacturers Today?

In today’s ever-shifting business landscape, SMBs in the manufacturing sector are being pulled in many different directions.

Some of the many challenges keeping manufacturing business owners up at night include:

• Rising costs: These include rising costs of raw materials and supplies, transportation costs, energy costs, insurance costs, labor costs, among others.
  
  
• Supply chain disruptions: Since their supply chain is the lifeblood of a manufacturer, disruptions to it can have lasting consequences, including financial and reputational harm.
  
  
• Cyber threats: A growing incidence of cyberattacks targeting the manufacturing sector has raised alarm among some businesses that are worried whether their current security measures are sufficient prevent threat actors from gaining unauthorized access to their proprietary business information and critical infrastructure.

Related Article: Why Are Manufacturers An Increasingly Attractive Target Of Hackers?

• Regulatory compliance: In an attempt to fight rising cyber threats, regulators at the federal and state level have implemented new security requirements or tightened the compliance standards for existing regulations and guidelines.
  
  
• Digitalization: Much of the increased competition in the manufacturing sector is being fueled by rapid technology advances and the dependence on technology around the world.

Having an outdated infrastructure with end-of-life (EOL) software and hardware could not only invite cybercriminals, but it can also hold businesses back from being able to grow their business and gain a competitive edge.

Related Article: Windows 10 End of Life (EOL): Do Your Devices Support Windows 11?

• Limited Resources: Small and medium-sized manufacturers may be having trouble obtaining additional capital to more effectively run and grow their businesses. At the same time, many are facing tightening budgetary constraints that are forcing them to hold off on technology upgrades or hiring additional IT staff.

These and other issues may lead to even more problems, such as unplanned operational downtime or increased cyber risk. 

How Can Managed IT Services Keep Manufacturers Running Safely & Securely?

Managed IT offers flexible, proactive IT maintenance and management to allow small and medium-sized manufacturing companies like yours to focus their attention on growing their business, rather than being bogged down with constant IT issues.

In today’s dynamic business landscape, even an hour of downtime can have significant ramifications. Managed IT support allows you to:

1. Optimize Operations

MSPs have broad manufacturing industry knowledge, with an understanding of industry-specific software such as ERP (enterprise resource planning), CAD (computer-aided design), PLM (product lifecycle management), and SCM (supply chain management).

Using a local managed IT service provider (MSP) can help ensure you maximize uptime, improve operational efficiency,.

Your MSP can provide:

• Advanced network monitoring to continually scan your IT systems to quickly spot vulnerabilities such as network misconfigurations, outdated software or hardware, insufficient RAM, or excessive processes running in the background.
  
  
• IT lifecycle management to develop a schedule and budget to update aging hardware and software.
  
  
• Business continuity and disaster recovery planning to allow you to prepare in the event of a disaster—be it a natural disaster, accidental data loss, or cyber incident—so you can minimize downtime and return to normal operations as quickly as possible.

2. Access Specialized IT Expertise

As a small manufacturer, you may not have the internal IT staff or budget to make sure you business is secure and positioned for the future.

Managed IT allows you to instantly gain access to an entire team of IT professionals with extensive IT experience, cybersecurity compliance, and industry best practices.

At Kelser, the support team for our managed IT customers includes:

• Dedicated team of engineers with specialized skills
• vCIO (virtual chief information officer) for strategic guidance and IT budgeting
• TAM (technical alignment manager)
• Project manager/customer delivery manager
• Unlimited helpdesk support
• Customer support services
• Logistics and inventory warehouse support

3. Safeguard Sensitive Data

Managed IT offers manufacturers access to a toolbox of robust security solutions to strengthen their security defenses to mitigate cyber risks such as data breaches, malware, ransomware attacks, and new and emerging cyber threats. Those protections include:

• Advanced data encryption to protect the data you store, process, or share
  
  
• Real-time network monitoring to detect abnormalities
  
  
• Strong access controls
  
  
• Employee cybersecurity awareness training
  
  
• Incident response plan (IRP)
  
  
• Multi-factor authentication
  
  
• Antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-phishing software
  
  
• Regular penetration tests and vulnerability scans to find and fix security flaws and reduce risks
  
  
• Secure data backups

4. Adopt Powerful IT Technologies

As a manufacturer, time is money. Managed IT helps manufacturers fix IT challenges to ensure your technology remains available, secure, and performing efficiently. This helps reduce risks and keeps your machines humming along smoothly.

It also enables you to implement cutting edge IT tools and systems to manage and maintain your infrastructure.

These advanced solutions help to quickly identify and remediate potential cyber threats, ensuring the ongoing health and safety of your devices and network.

These include:

• Managed networks
  
  
• Managed desktops
  
  
• Mobile device management
  
  
• Secure backup solutions
  
  
• Endpoint detection

5. Streamline Compliance

A managed IT provider can help manufacturers navigate the complex maze of regulatory compliance, providing a clear roadmap to streamline compliance and help you maintain it.

Your MSP should have experience helping other manufacturers become compliant with regulations, including NIST 800-171, Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

6. Reduce Costs

Managed IT can help small and mid-sized manufacturing companies lower costs in several ways. They include:

• Fractional IT allows you to get executive-level insight and guidance from a senior IT officer (a vCIO at Kelser), resulting in substantial savings from having to recruit, hire,  and retain in-house support staff with similar expertise.

Related Article: Gain A Competitive Edge: Strategic vCIO And TAM Support in Managed IT

• Managed IT also offers predictable, monthly billing so you can build it into your budget.
  
  
• MSPs can work with their many vendor and procurement partners to provide product  and service comparisons, allowing you to take advantage of discounts on hardware or software whenever possible.

Bottom Line: Position Yourself Today As A Manufacturer Of The Future

Just as there are many types of manufacturers, managed IT is not meant to be a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach.

Whether you plan to open a new factory or you need to replace aging hardware or software, a trusted MSP partner can offer flexible, customized solutions and service levels to fit the needs of small to mid-sized manufacturers like you.

In addition, managed IT allows you to scale your technology as your business needs change.

Ready to develop a strategic IT plan to help your manufacturing business grow and stay competitive with the rapidly evolving market?

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your security posture, get a handle on regulatory compliance requirements, refresh your legacy hardware and software, or get access to ongoing IT technical support, Kelser Corporation has provided these and many other IT solutions tailored to our clients over the past four decades.

Let your IT work for you, Not the other way around.

Considering moving to the cloud? Check out this article to discover 5 Steps To A Smooth Hybrid Cloud Migration With Minimal Downtime.

 Read this article to learn Why Are More Small And Medium-Sized Businesses Using Managed IT?

If you need help developing a comprehensive IT strategy, or you have other questions related to your technology, reach out to us.

We’ll schedule a 15-minute call to learn more about your business, your IT pain points, and see how we can help you solve your challenges, position your business for the future, and gain a competitive advantage.