Why Your Manufacturing Company Needs a Managed Service Provider (MSP)
If you run a manufacturing company, you know that a product is more than just the sum of its parts. It takes careful design, planning, execution, and results for a good product to work. It’s a balancing act of getting everything right, then keeping it that way.
And it isn’t easy. Keeping operations running smoothly means managing inventory, staying ahead of mechanical failures, and supporting systems that keep your manufacturing line running 24/7.
That’s a lot even for a large manufacturing company to handle. So, who can you go for help managing all that technology and overhead? Managed service providers (MSPs).
Here’s how:
Understanding Your Devices
To say your manufacturing company relies on a lot of moving parts is a gross understatement. From IoT devices, sensors, computers, servers, robotics, cloud infrastructure, to AI integration, it’s a lot for any company to manage. Each one of these devices can fail or provide openings for cybercriminals. MSPS, like The 20 MSP, provide much-needed oversight through endpoint management.
- Visibility: With remote monitoring, MSPs can keep track of every device in your manufacturing company in a single location.
- Authorization: An MSP can set up policies to keep unauthorized devices from connecting to your network. This is extremely important as employees may connect devices to your network without your knowledge, creating gaps in your security – called shadow IT.
- Remote configuration: An MSP can remotely configure new hardware and software without having to travel onsite. That means increased flexibility for remote or hybrid work solutions.
- Proactive problem solving: Having complete oversight means knowing when devices need attention. This could mean catching a failing device, expanding data storage, or spotting suspicious behavior that may signal a security breach.
- Security: With detailed monitoring data, MSPs can make sure systems and software receive important security updates and deploy stronger protective measures when needed.
Specialized Support
Your manufacturing company relies on specialized software like Maint CMMS, IQMS Manufacturing, Fishbowl, ECi M1, Infor VISUAL ERP, TrueERP, ASCTrac, and more. While these platforms offer vendor support, they may not fully understand your unique environment.
Partnering with an MSP who knows your systems inside and out means minimal disruptions, updated software, and having a reliable liaison who can communicate effectively with vendor support.
Updating Legacy Systems
Industry research shows that 74% of manufacturing companies still rely on disconnected data from legacy systems and spreadsheets complete tasks. This reliance holds back operational performance and insights.
Legacy systems (whether hardware or software) remain in use despite declining performance or discontinued vendor support. While legacy systems may still function, they often slow down efficiency and introduce serious security gaps.
With endpoint management and remote monitoring, MSPs can help your manufacturing company plan a concrete upgrade path for devices and software. That means replacing these systems before they become a problem and boosting productivity.
IT Process Automation
The demand for industrial automation is expected to reach $307.7 billion by 2030, up from $165.1 billion in 2023. If you aren’t already working on integrating automation, now’s the time to start.
MSPs are uniquely positioned to help manufacturing companies implement AI-powered automation. Here are a few benefits you can expect:
- Automated software updates: MSPs can schedule patches and updates to occur on a routine basis outside of peak hours to minimize disruption while guaranteeing the latest updates are consistently applied.
- Security monitoring: Continuous monitoring and automated alerts can help MSPs detect suspicious activity and potential breaches.
- Dynamic Pricing: Product pricing can be adjusted in real time based on actual customer and market data, helping your manufacturing company stay competitive.
- Automated workflow tasks: Routine IT tasks, such as creating new user accounts, managing access permissions, and configuring hardware, can be automated to free up your staff.
Improved Cybersecurity
According to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, manufacturing is the most targeted industry for cyberattacks. This ongoing trend underscores just how important it is to secure your manufacturing company. And we’re not just talking about a single backup system or antivirus software.
Effective security takes multiple layers of protection, including multifactor authentication, network encryption, all the way to zero trust security models.
MSPs help manufacturing companies implement critical security solutions while making sure current software stays up-to-date to avoid vulnerabilities. By working alongside you and your team, an MSP can design and manage a security strategy that fits your business.
Analytics and Compliance
MSPs can consolidate and organize manufacturing company data collected through endpoint management and remote monitoring software into helpful insights. This provides manufacturing companies with a clear picture of their performance while also providing a documented paper trail that supports compliance audits and internal reviews.
MSPs, like The 20 MSP, can also track evolving regulations, alerting your team of potential changes and implementing necessary updates. With consistent data tracking and reporting, managing compliance becomes far simpler to manage.
Assembling Your Perfect IT Solution
Running a manufacturing company means juggling an immense number of moving parts. By partnering with an MSP, you can offload some of that administrative pressure while gaining better oversight on how your company is functioning.
At The 20 MSP, we’ve worked with numerous manufacturing companies: metal fabricators, automobile and aircraft manufacturers, textile processors, electronic and computer manufacturers, and paper production plants. If you’re in the manufacturing industry, chances are we’ve worked with a business similar to yours.
Interested in partnering up? Check out our manufacturing page and let’s get connected.
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About The 20 MSP
As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves thousands of businesses nationwide, including single and multi-location organizations, delivering white-glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients’ success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth.
