Managed IT Services for Manufacturing Companies—What an MSP Can Do For Your Factory

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August 16, 2021

Manufacturers Need Managed IT Services to Keep Down Costs and Respond to Fast-Breaking Tech Deployments. Here’s Why.

These last two years have been like no other in the manufacturing industry. Factories have endured shutdowns, disrupted supply chains, worker scarcity, and more. But even through this, Statista says manufacturing firms are on deck to increase their technology spend by more than three percent this year. And managed services for manufacturing companies has been one of the big winners, as many are realizing manufacturers need managed IT services to help weather the storms ahead.

A good managed services provider (MSP) can help even a small factory get enterprise level technologies that transform their productivity. Let’s talk about how those opportunities play out for the average manufacturing firm.

MSPs Can Save Manufacturers Money, and Make IT Expenses More Predictable

Do you have a smaller company—one that’s not part of a multi-national manufacturing chain? If the answer is yes, then setting up your own IT department can be an expensive hassle. There’s the HR load, the salaries, the benefits, and let’s not forget—all your software and monitoring is extra. Got big projects coming in? Then your expenses could spike there, too.

Small and medium-sized manufacturers need managed IT services to help them normalize their costs. And MSPs can give that assurance to them, because they bill set fees every month. You pay in increments according to your usage level, the amount of software you’re licensing, and the monitoring and service packages you choose. And in an era where more disruptions are likely, managed IT services for manufacturing companies can be a real lifesaver.

An MSP Can Help You Build a Future-Focused, Cloud-Friendly Factory

When you work with an MSP, you get not just tech guys to buy your software and fix your computers. You get the kind of IT strategy you might expect from and onsite CIO, and their future-forward approach to new technologies like IoT. Manufacturers need managed IT services to help them with the heavy strategic lifting when it comes to planning their networks. And a good MSP can help you think about the future technologies that can shape your business.

Managed IT services for manufacturing companies will always include helping answer your company’s key questions, especially when it comes to evaluating the practicality of using new cloud based services like Azure backups, Microsoft Windows 365 Cloud PC, and a whole host of other cloud-based software tools. An MSP should offer you a VCIO that can help you explore questions like:

  • What software should I be licensing to help keep my company ahead of the curve in productivity?
  • How can I configure my system so it works equally well for the workers on the floor, and my remote workers?
  • How can I use cloud based tools safely and securely? And what security software, like two-factor authentication, do I need?
  • How can I prepare my system for upgrades it might need in the future?
  • What would technologies like the Internet of Things look like for my facility?

Your VCIO can help you coordinate your spends and project manage your service. It gives you executive level support, without having to hire the executive.

Networking for Compliance is an MSP’s Job

Every type of data you handle has its own set of risks, rules, and in many cases, compliance burdens. Manufacturers need managed IT services to help them match their network configuration to accommodate their compliance load. Managed IT services for manufacturing companies should always include ways to measure, analyze, capture, and safely transmit your data, whether that’s as simple as your accounting spreadsheets, or as complex as the engineering tolerances for your latest build. And they can do that for one facility, or several, ensuring that your systems like your operating software, CRMS and ERPs are consistent from location to location.

Do you need to record the data coming off your floor machinery for safety compliance? Done. What about monitoring inventory on the shop floor, or tracking cold-chain delivery through RFIDs? An MSP can help you with that, too. A good MSP can ensure you have the right complement of software and hardware to make compliance automatic.

Many MSPs, like Integris, offer a full suite of security systems that include:

  • Phishing software that protects emails
  • Two-factor authentication software to protect employee logins
  • Continuous streaming to cloud based backups, so you’ll be cyber resilient in the event of data loss
  • Secure company phone and video conferencing systems
  • Continuous 24/7 monitoring of your system for outages or attacks
  • Onsite monitoring of your facility, security system networking and hardware

An MSP can help you fold these mission critical systems into your monthly bill at a cost that scales for your organization.

Technology that Scales Up or Down with Your Needs

One of the biggest challenges manufacturers face is the volatility in the current market. There’s downturns, and production rushes. Stops and starts. New technologies being installed over the old ones. New product lines, and the new production facilities needed to produce them. New demands for in person delivery and inventory management. The list goes on and on.

Manufacturers need managed IT services to help scale up and down when needed. Managed IT services for manufacturing companies should always include the ability to add on more monitoring and service, license more software, and provide networking strategy to help get you past your deadlines. A good MSP will help you get the job done, at a price you can afford.

Need Insider Tips on How to Choose an MSP for Your Manufacturing Company?

Integris has the right managed IT Services for manufacturers, and the tools you need to do your homework as a potential client. Take a look at our special IT Buyer’s Guide, which will walk you through everything you need to know before you bring on a new managed services provider. Check it out!

 

Susan Gosselin is a Senior Content Writer for Integris. A career communicator and business journalist, she's written extensively on IT topics and trends for IT service providers like Iconic IT and ProCoders Ukraine, as well as business publications such as Technologyadvice.com, Datamation.com, The Lane Report and many others. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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