Does NBIT support manufacturing OT and plant-floor systems?

Yes, with clear boundaries. We support PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, and industrial networks alongside your business IT, coordinate with your automation and equipment vendors, and manage the connection points between the plant floor and business systems. One team owns both sides so nothing falls through the gap between an office MSP and a controls integrator.

Can you secure equipment that cannot be patched?

Yes. Most OT vulnerabilities have no vendor patch available, so forcing updates is rarely the answer. We protect that equipment in place with segmentation, an industrial DMZ, tightly controlled access, and monitoring, so an unpatchable machine is isolated and watched rather than left exposed on a flat network.

Will IT work interrupt our production schedule?

No. We schedule changes around your production windows and use OT-safe methods rather than office-IT tools pointed at equipment that cannot tolerate them. Anything that could affect the line is coordinated with your team in advance, so maintenance happens on your terms, not in the middle of a shift.

Do you understand what downtime costs a plant?

Yes, and it drives how we work. We triage by operational impact, not ticket order, so a production-down issue is handled ahead of routine requests, with engineers on shift around the clock. We also help you quantify what an hour of downtime actually costs, because that number should shape every other IT decision.

What does onboarding look like for a manufacturing client?

It starts with discovery: we document your network, systems, ERP and MES dependencies, remote access, and the assets most critical to production. From there we prioritize by risk to the line and roll out changes in phases, coordinated around your schedule, so onboarding strengthens the environment without disrupting it.

Can NBIT work alongside our internal IT team and automation vendors?

Yes. Our co-managed model is built for exactly that: we extend your internal team with manufacturing-aware depth, tooling, and after-hours coverage rather than replacing them. We also coordinate directly with your ERP, MES, and equipment vendors so remote access and support are controlled instead of a free-for-all.

U.S. manufacturing IT specialists since 2006

IT that keeps the line moving.

Manufacturers need IT support that protects uptime, separates OT and IT risk, supports ERP and MES infrastructure, and helps internal teams handle cybersecurity and compliance without disrupting production.

Book a discovery call or call (888) 816-6248

U.S. manufacturing IT specialists since 2006
IT/OT-aware support
Co-managed and fully managed options

What makes NBIT different in manufacturing

NBIT supports the systems around production, not just office technology. We work with your internal IT team, plant managers, automation vendors, and business leadership to reduce downtime risk across industrial networks, remote access, ERP and MES dependencies, cybersecurity, and compliance requirements.

The problem

What puts manufacturing operations at risk.

Downtime stops production, not just office work

When the network goes down in an office, people are annoyed. When it goes down in a plant, the line stops, the shift stalls, shipments slip, and the cost runs into thousands of dollars an hour against real customer commitments.

General MSPs miss plant-floor realities

Most providers support dental offices and law firms. They have never dealt with industrial protocols, control systems, barcode scanners, engineering workstations, or the way a two-hour outage cascades through a shift schedule.

OT and IT need clear boundaries

PLCs, SCADA, robots, and HMIs were built to run in isolation. Now they share networks with cloud systems and remote access, and without real segmentation and controlled access, a problem on one side reaches the other.

Compliance affects contracts and growth

For defense, aerospace, automotive, and food suppliers, requirements like CMMC 2.0, NIST 800-171, ITAR, ISO 27001, and FDA-linked controls are not optional. They decide which contracts you qualify for and whether you pass the next audit.

Legacy equipment still needs protection

A 2003 press brake or a Windows XP control PC cannot be patched or replaced on demand. It has to be protected where it sits, through segmentation, access control, and compensating controls, not forced updates that break production.

Why manufacturing risk is different

most-attacked industry for ransomware, multiple years running: #1 most-attacked industry for ransomware, multiple years running
average reported cost of a manufacturing breach: $4.7M average reported cost of a manufacturing breach
typical recovery time after a ransomware incident: 22days typical recovery time after a ransomware incident
of OT vulnerabilities have no vendor patch available: 70% of OT vulnerabilities have no vendor patch available

Sources: IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index and IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report; industry ransomware-recovery and OT-vulnerability reporting.

What's included

What NBIT runs for manufacturing teams.

OT / IT segmentation

Network architecture built on the Purdue Model and IEC 62443: an industrial DMZ, defined boundaries between business and plant-floor networks, and controlled, logged remote access. If a laptop gets phished, the blast radius stops at the office instead of reaching a PLC.

Industrial monitoring & segmentation

ERP and MES support

Day-to-day support for the infrastructure your Epicor, Infor, SAP, or Plex environment depends on: the servers, integrations, connectivity, and access that keep the system responsive at peak, not just the application itself.

Cybersecurity stack

Endpoint detection and response, identity protection, email security, monitoring, and tested backups, plus incident response that treats a stopped line differently from a locked inbox.

Manufacturing cybersecurity

Compliance readiness

CMMC 2.0, NIST 800-171, ITAR, ISO 27001, and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 handled as operational readiness, not a binder you dust off before an audit: documented controls, evidence maintained year-round, and support when the assessor shows up.

Security & compliance

Production-priority help desk

24/7 monitoring and a help desk that triages by what an outage actually costs. A production-down issue jumps ahead of a routine request, with real engineers on shift overnight and on weekends.

Multi-site support

Strategic IT planning

Fractional CIO guidance, a technology roadmap, budgeting, and lifecycle planning, available fully managed or as a co-managed partner that extends the internal team you already have.

Co-managed IT

Who this is for

Who this is built for.

Manufacturers with one or more plants, warehouses, or production sites
Teams running ERP, MES, scanners, engineering systems, or industrial Wi-Fi
Companies balancing legacy equipment with cloud and remote-access needs
Regulated manufacturers facing customer, audit, or contract-driven security requirements
Internal IT teams that need a co-managed partner with manufacturing context

How we work

How NBIT works in a manufacturing environment.

Review the environment

We map the network layout, remote access, ERP and MES dependencies, critical assets, and the places where an outage would hurt most.
Identify what can break production

We surface the real exposure: segmentation gaps, unsupported systems, remote-access holes, weak or untested backups, and support bottlenecks that turn a small issue into a stopped line.
Prioritize by operational impact

The goal is not a generic cleanup. It is reducing downtime and business risk, so the work is ordered by what protects production first.
Build the roadmap

You get a clear plan: what gets fixed first, what can wait, and what needs coordination with your equipment vendors or operations team.

Common questions

Manufacturing IT questions, answered.

Does NBIT support manufacturing OT and plant-floor systems?: Yes, with clear boundaries. We support PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, and industrial networks alongside your business IT, coordinate with your automation and equipment vendors, and manage the connection points between the plant floor and business systems. One team owns both sides so nothing falls through the gap between an office MSP and a controls integrator.
Can you secure equipment that cannot be patched?: Yes. Most OT vulnerabilities have no vendor patch available, so forcing updates is rarely the answer. We protect that equipment in place with segmentation, an industrial DMZ, tightly controlled access, and monitoring, so an unpatchable machine is isolated and watched rather than left exposed on a flat network.
Will IT work interrupt our production schedule?: No. We schedule changes around your production windows and use OT-safe methods rather than office-IT tools pointed at equipment that cannot tolerate them. Anything that could affect the line is coordinated with your team in advance, so maintenance happens on your terms, not in the middle of a shift.
Do you understand what downtime costs a plant?: Yes, and it drives how we work. We triage by operational impact, not ticket order, so a production-down issue is handled ahead of routine requests, with engineers on shift around the clock. We also help you quantify what an hour of downtime actually costs, because that number should shape every other IT decision.
What does onboarding look like for a manufacturing client?: It starts with discovery: we document your network, systems, ERP and MES dependencies, remote access, and the assets most critical to production. From there we prioritize by risk to the line and roll out changes in phases, coordinated around your schedule, so onboarding strengthens the environment without disrupting it.
Can NBIT work alongside our internal IT team and automation vendors?: Yes. Our co-managed model is built for exactly that: we extend your internal team with manufacturing-aware depth, tooling, and after-hours coverage rather than replacing them. We also coordinate directly with your ERP, MES, and equipment vendors so remote access and support are controlled instead of a free-for-all.

Related resources

For manufacturing IT leaders.

Let's talk about your manufacturing operation.

Schedule a 30-minute discovery call and walk through the systems, risks, and support gaps that matter most in your environment. We'll help you identify where downtime risk is highest, where segmentation or support needs improvement, and what a practical next step looks like.