Reducing Production Downtime Through Proactive IT Management
Manufacturers Can’t Afford Downtime.
Manufacturing companies depend on reliable ERP systems, production line connectivity, and secure OT environments. A single network failure, ransomware attack, or untested update can halt production and cost thousands per hour.
Waident provides proactive monitoring of industrial networks, structured change management for production systems, and a strong security framework designed to keep manufacturing operations running efficiently, without disruptions.
With our expertise in managed IT services and cybersecurity for manufacturing, we help protect production uptime, strengthen security, and ensure your operations run without costly interruptions.
Ransomware Threats in Manufacturing Last Year
When ransomware hits a manufacturer, production stops.
According to the Sophos State of Ransomware Manufacturing and production in 2025:
- 39% of manufacturing and production organizations that had data encrypted also experienced data exfiltration — the second highest rate reported by any sector in this year’s survey.
- 51% of manufacturing and production organizations paid the ransom to get their data back.
- The average (median) ransom demand made to manufacturing and production organizations in 2025 was at $1.2 million.
- 47% of manufacturing and production respondents cited increased anxiety or stress about future attacks as an impact on their IT/cybersecurity team.
- Exploited vulnerabilities are the leading root cause of ransomware attacks on manufacturing and production organizations, responsible for 32% of incidents. Malicious emails ranked second, with their share declining from 29% in 2024 to 23% in 2025. Credential-based attacks continue to pose a significant risk, though reports dropped — from 25% in 2024 to 20% in 2025.
%
Manufacturers paid the ransom to get their data back
%
that had data encrypted also experienced data exfiltration
%
of all ransomware attacks were caused by exploited vulnerabilities
Concerned About Ransomware Exposure in Your Manufacturing Environment?
Managed IT Services Designed for Manufacturing Operations:
- High Touch Help Desk Support, designed for manufacturing
- Proactive Monitoring of ERP, MES, and Industrial Systems
- Strategic IT Guidance
- Cybersecurity
- Secure Backup & Disaster Recovery for Manufacturing Operations
- Manufacturing Application Interoperability, Development, and Performance
- IT Support Aligned with NIST, ISO, and Industry Security Standards
For manufacturing companies, cybersecurity must extend beyond traditional IT networks to include industrial systems, backups, and operational technology environments. Proactive monitoring, secure backup architecture, and tested disaster recovery plans are critical to preventing extended production shutdowns.
Manufacturing-Focused Managed IT Services
Help Desk Support
Manufacturing operations depend on reliable systems. Our responsive IT support team understands the urgency of production environments and provides rapid issue resolution to minimize disruptions to ERP, MES, and critical production systems.
Managed Technology
We manage and monitor your entire IT infrastructure, ensuring optimal performance and security. Our proactive approach identifies potential issues before they become critical, reducing downtime and maintaining productivity.
Manufacturing IT Roadmaps & Risk Guidance
Our experienced IT consultants work closely with your team to develop strategies that align with your business goals. We provide strategic guidance on IT investments, risk management, and technology innovation to keep you ahead of the competition.
Cybersecurity
Manufacturers are prime ransomware targets. We implement industry best practices and adhere to NIST standards to safeguard your critical data and IT systems. Our comprehensive cybersecurity services include intrusion detection, threat monitoring, and advanced security solutions to protect against evolving cyber threats.
Secure Backup & Disaster Recovery for Manufacturing
Production data, ERP systems, and critical applications must be recoverable quickly. We design and test disaster recovery plans to reduce recovery time and prevent extended production shutdowns.
Manufacturing Application Interoperability, Development, and Performance
Our team supports integration, optimization, and performance of ERP, MES, and other manufacturing applications to ensure seamless operations across your production environment.
Compliance with Manufacturing Regulations
Our managed services for manufacturing help your business comply with various regulatory requirements, including regulations such as ISO 27001, GDPR, NIST CFS, ISO, CMMC and Cyber liability, and state and federal standards.
Waident is SOC2 certified, the gold standard for security compliance.
Manufacturers Trust Waident for Managed IT Services and Cybersecurity
Manufacturing companies rely on resilient IT to protect production uptime and reduce operational risk. Here’s what our manufacturing clients say about working with Waident.
Waident’s team is very reliable and efficient — they always resolve issues quickly. Moreover, they’re quite proactive in terms of suggesting helpful ideas to improve the client’s processes. They’re also flexible and accessible.
Waident Technology Solutions is experienced and professional. Their team is friendly and easy to work with. They respond to questions in a timely manner. In times of service interruptions, service restoration is a top priority in their workflow.
Waident’s efforts have boosted the client’s sales, revenue, and uptime. They have delivered the project on time and within budget. They are also highly responsive to the client’s needs. Their patience, result-orienteness, and stoic approach are hallmarks of their work.
Why Resilient IT Infrastructure Is Critical for Manufacturing
Manufacturing companies operate in a high-stakes environment where every minute of downtime impacts production schedules and revenue. From network failures and ransomware attacks to ERP or MES disruptions, IT issues can halt production lines, delay shipments, and expose sensitive operational data.
Strong IT support and cybersecurity are no longer optional. The resilience of your systems is essential to maintaining operational continuity.
Unplanned outages, aging infrastructure, and unprotected industrial networks increase financial risk and operational instability. A proactive managed IT strategy helps reduce downtime, protect production systems, secure backups, and strengthen disaster recovery capabilities.
Manufacturers that invest in resilient IT infrastructure are better positioned to protect production uptime, critical data, and scale operations with confidence.
Why Manufacturing Companies Partner with Waident
Manufacturing companies require IT infrastructure that supports continuous production, protects industrial networks, and scales with operational growth. Waident delivers more than reactive IT support — we provide strategic oversight designed to increase uptime, reduce operational risk, and strengthen cybersecurity across your manufacturing environment.
- Minimize Downtime, Maximize Productivity: Keep production lines running with proactive monitoring, rapid issue resolution, and structured change management designed for manufacturing environments.
- Stronger Cybersecurity, Fewer Risks: Protect industrial networks, endpoints, and production systems from ransomware, phishing, and emerging threats with layered, NIST-aligned security controls.
- Seamless Technology Management: We handle ERP, MES, IoT, hardware cycles, and software updates so you can focus on production.
- On-Site & Remote IT Support: Access experienced IT professionals both remotely and on-site across Wisconsin and Illinois, ensuring immediate support when production issues arise.
- Regulatory Compliance Made Simple: We help align your IT infrastructure with security frameworks such as NIST and ISO 27001, reducing compliance risk and strengthening cybersecurity posture.
- Reliable Cloud Backups & Disaster Recovery: Ensure business continuity with secure, tested backup and disaster recovery strategies designed to restore ERP systems and critical production data quickly.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Managed IT Services for Manufacturing
How does managed IT reduce downtime in manufacturing?
Managed IT reduces downtime by proactively monitoring systems and tightly controlling changes/updates—especially when equipment vendors make “small” adjustments that can ripple into other systems (like ERP access or printing).
Do you support ERP, MES, PLC, and SCADA systems?
Yes, manufacturing environments depend on connected systems, and we support and stabilize ERP/MES and production-connected technology while coordinating vendor changes so one fix doesn’t accidentally break something else.
How can manufacturers protect against ransomware and cyberattacks?
Ransomware prevention in manufacturing comes down to closing the easy doors: isolate legacy equipment, secure and monitor vendor remote access, eliminate shared logins, and relentlessly keep firmware/software updated across IT and operational technology. Here is a blog article with 9 steps manufacturers can take to protect themselves from a ransomware attack.
Does legacy manufacturing hardware increase cybersecurity and operational risk?
Legacy manufacturing hardware often runs unsupported software, increasing cybersecurity exposure and the risk of unplanned downtime. When upgrades aren’t feasible, network isolation and layered security controls help reduce that risk.
What happens if our systems fail outside regular business hours?
Our standard business hours are 7 AM – 7 PM, but we have on-call specialists who are ready to assist you when you need it.
What makes IT support for manufacturers different from standard managed IT?
Manufacturing IT support must secure and integrate both traditional IT systems and operational technology (OT) environments like PLCs, HMIs, and MES platforms. Unlike standard managed IT, it requires stricter uptime controls, network segmentation, and change management to protect production lines.
Meet Our Key Technology Partners
Our partnerships allow us to implement best-in-class cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, backup solutions, and endpoint protection tailored to production environments.
Protect Your Production Uptime with a Proactive IT Strategy
Schedule a structured evaluation of your infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities before they disrupt operations.
Our Thinking On Manufacturing Cybersecurity
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