The manufacturing market is quickly going digital, driven by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), automation, and advanced supply chain management technology. These technologies enable efficiency and innovation, but also bring more complexity and dependence on a stable and secure IT infrastructure than ever before.
This complicated environment has created a strain on resources as it is managed within an organisation by many manufacturers; it has also distracted the production objectives, and it has also put the operation in a lot of danger. At this point, the Managed IT Services (MITS) would be invaluable. By adopting MITS, manufacturing companies will benefit through specialised knowledge, increased operational availability and protection of their coveted intellectual property and be in a position to grow sustainably and gain a competitive advantage in an international market. No longer a luxury, but a basic policy of the new factory floor, is the shift towards proactive IT management, as opposed to reactive IT repair.
What Are Managed IT Services and Why Do Businesses Use Them?
Managed IT Services are based on delegating the task of supporting, monitoring, and operating an information technology infrastructure in a company to a third-party vendor, referred to as a Managed Service Provider (MSP). The MSP is based on a proactive and subscription model instead of the reactive break/fix model, where systems wait to fail. They remotely monitor networks, servers, devices and applications 24/7, which guarantees optimum uptime and efficiency.
In the case of manufacturing companies, having imperfect functioning of Operational Technology (OT) systems, such as SCADA and PLC interfaces and traditional IT, MSP guarantees flawless integration and high availability. There are three reasons that businesses in all sectors are using MI:S, to acquire access to specialised expertise they cannot afford or obtain internally, to save on operational costs by turning unpredictable capital costs into predictable monthly operating costs and most importantly, to reduce downtime, which can be disastrous in a production set-up.
Cyber Security
The merging of IT and OT (Information Technology and Operational Technology) has turned manufacturers into ideal victims of cyberattacks. One security breach can stop production, proprietary product designs, and intellectual property, and also interfere with the whole supply chain. The most significant benefit of MITS to the manufacturing industry could be argued to be Cyber Security.
Data Back up & Disaster Recovery
The process of manufacturing operations produces enormous volumes of valuable information, including product design, machine parameters, order details and financial data of customers. The hardware failure, human mistake, or a computer-based attack such as ransomware that destroys this data can be catastrophic, potentially resulting in months of production downtime. (DR) is one of the services that MSPs do not compromise on.
Cloud Service
Migration to the cloud provides manufacturers with the flexibility, scalability and access to strong analytical tools, yet a hybrid IT environment that incorporates on-premise servers and cloud resources is difficult to manage. This transition and optimisation is simplified by by an MSP.
MSPs assist manufacturers in choosing the appropriate cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) based on their particular requirements, be it the hosting of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems or the running of machine learning models on production data.
Network Management
The speed and health of a modern factory are directly related to its network efficiency. Everything is on the network: automated assembly lines, real-time inventory tracking, etc. Poor Network Management causes latency, machine-to-machine communication breakdowns, and bottlenecking in producing products.
Mobrilz offer full network monitoring and maintenance, which ensures high availability and optimum performance of both wired and wireless infrastructure. They actively maintain firewalls, routers, switches, and other key Wi-Fi access points supporting mobile devices and scanners on the floor.
Predictive Maintenance and Uptime
One of the strengths of the MSP to manufacturers is the fact that it enables them to use Predictive Maintenance on their IT assets. Data analytics can help MSPs to prevent hardware failures or overload conditions in their systems by constantly monitoring server health, network traffic, and application performance.
This will enable the IT interventions to be planned during planned downtime instead of creating an impromptu, expensive production stoppage. The direct advantage is the maximisation of Uptime, which directly results in greater output and profitability.
Access to Specialised Expertise
The range of modern manufacturing IT, including both the close integration of old machines with new software and the latest cloud-based data analysis, demands a wide and multi-coloured range of skills. In the case of most mid-sized manufacturers, it is not economically feasible to hire part-time, in-house security, cloud architecture, data science, and OT systems expertise.
MITS offers immediate Access to Expert specialisation on an on-demand basis. The team of an MSP consists of certified experts in different areas, including penetration testing or a particular ERP system. This pool of knowledge can be accessed immediately, and the manufacturer can be confidently equipped with the maximum possible assistance in solving any IT problem.
Focus on Core Competencies
Finally, the greatest long-term advantage of the Managed IT Services is the fact that the manufacturing organisation can concentrate on its Core Competencies. It allows the leadership and staff to invest their time, energy, and resources in product innovation, quality control, efficient production processes, and customer relations instead of troubleshooting servers or worrying about the latest zero-day security vulnerability.
Manufacturers benefit by outsourcing the IT management complexities to a partner they trust and have specialised in. They minimise operational risk, ensure compliance, maintain near-perfect uptime, and are better placed to embrace new technologies that will spearhead their growth. MITS makes IT predictable and solid as an engine of development instead of an expensive and unpredictable cost centre.
