Cyber and data security is a major concern for businesses, particularly those in the manufacturing industry. This is because cyber security firm NTT Security found that manufacturing was the fourth most attacked industry in 2017.
Cyber and data security is a major concern for businesses, particularly those in the manufacturing industry. This is because cyber security firm NTT Security found that manufacturing was the fourth most attacked industry in 2017.
Meanwhile, insurance firm AIG carried out a survey that found 48% of manufacturers had been the victim of a cyber security incident. Half of those reported suffering from financial loss or disruption to their business as a result.
You know you need to avoid this happening to you.
Manufacturing data security breaches
Data breaches pose a unique threat to manufacturers. With most of these attacks focused on accessing intellectual property, we can’t overstate the importance of securing your data. Your plans and designs are your lifeblood – when they’re no longer secret, you’re no longer innovative.
A report by the EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, found that while 91% of manufacturers say they are investing, or intend to invest, in digital technologies, 35% think cyber vulnerability stops them doing so fully.
AIG says that in its experience, “manufacturers’ vulnerabilities can be linked to the age of their equipment and the networked nature of production facilities”. The company highlights how “a compromised thermostat could easily spoil food or pharmaceutical products if turned up by just a few degrees”.
This means you need to be even more vigilant than ever before. If you deal with any product that could be affected by a temperature change, you need to ensure you’re carrying out the necessary checks. With our Monitoring Module, you can create and conduct custom checklists. You’ll be able to log temperatures like any other check. If it’s is out of acceptable range, you automatically have to begin corrective actions. This ensures the problem is dealt with immediately.
How manufacturers can secure their data
Data security – like so many other aspects – is an element of risk management. That’s why it’s so important to keep evaluating your strategy and whether your policies and plans are still relevant.
One of the most effective ways of securing your data is to store it in the cloud. When you do, you need to ensure you’re keeping a close eye on the humans responsible for inputting and analysing it. This is because many recent data breaches have been the result of human error or maliciousness, rather than failings on the part of cloud providers.
Training will be crucial to giving your colleagues the skills necessary to make a success of the cloud. The EEF report found that 34% of manufacturers don’t educate their workforce in good cyber security practice. This leaves them vulnerable. You really don’t want this, so training becomes one of the most important elements of a data security strategy. And – as an extra bonus – when a company invests in employee training and development, it also typically sees a boost in engagement and loyalty.
Legacy systems vs cloud data security
Professional services firm Clutch surveyed a number of IT professionals and found that 64% of enterprises think a cloud infrastructure is more secure than legacy systems. But how is this relevant to your health and safety?
How do you secure your spreadsheets and traditional forms of data capture? With our cloud-based system, you won’t have to worry about data security. You can save all your data to our servers, keeping it secure and ensuring you have access to updates whenever they’re available. Do you always get updates to your spreadsheet systems?
David Linthicum, senior vice-president of Cloud Technology Partners, thinks “it’s easier for legacy systems to fall behind in terms of updates”. These systems won’t help your organisation protect itself.
You know that data security is one of manufacturing’s biggest concerns. That isn’t changing any time soon. What you need to focus on is how to keep your sensitive information secure.
Cloud-based servers can offer some of the tightest security for your data. When you’re migrating all your services over to the cloud, don’t forget about your health and safety systems.
If you’d like to learn more about how the cloud can revitalise your safety management, just call us on 0161 967 1616 or leave your details with us below.