Manufacturers must fight back against the cyber-criminal onslaught
It’s clearly an understatement to say that UK manufacturers are under immense pressure right now. The constraints of COVID-19, the uncertainty of Brexit and it’s impact on supply chains and customers, and the threat of a recession looming all need to be addressed. But to add insult to injury, manufacturing has also topped the list as the sector most attacked by cyber criminals.
It is time to fight back.
It is time to fight back.
According to the Global Threat Intelligence Report, UK manufacturing has become the most attacked business sector (29% of all attacks). Cyber criminals have stepped up their game during the COVID-19 pandemic which further raises the threat to manufacturers from financially motivated phishing attacks and data breaches; global supply chains and unpatched vulnerabilities represent huge risks. In the blink of an eye, these can transform into disruption, downtime and lost revenue – and that puts even more pressure on businesses that are already struggling to move forward or grow.
How can manufacturers fight back against fast evolving cyber threats?
The answer lies in resilience and security by design. If that sounds like it might be complicated and expensive – rest assured, it really doesn’t need to be. The most effective and straightforward solution is to move to the cloud. This is so much more than a change from on-premise servers to hosted ones because straightaway it ensures far more robust security than is usually found in most on-premise networks, much better back-ups with quicker recovery times, plus a move from capital to operational expenditure which is better for cashflow.
Consider these 3 reasons:
- Cloud providers have significantly better security
This isn’t just a case of moving from good to a bit better. Cloud providers are the trusted custodians of mammoth volumes of data and systems – it’s the bedrock of their business. Which means they have to invest considerable amounts of cash and resources in order to protect all of their clients as well as their own business. Without world-class security they have no business. The best cloud providers also lead the way on security and invest in the systems that are evolving at a fast pace to keep step or stay ahead of the cyber criminals. - Ignoring the threat is dangerous
It’s not feasible for each individual manufacturer to have anywhere near the level of security offered by a leading cloud provider. So the question is therefore why would you continue to try to defend your own business from malicious threats when you can have seasoned experts in cyber-defence working around the clock to keep you secure?
Consider too the impact on your business if you were targeted now. Loss of data – perhaps including confidential financial information – could be catastrophic from both finance and reputational perspectives. Any attack that results in your production lines being paused costs money from minute one and can be extremely difficult to bounce back from. - Cost needs to be managed
One reason why so many manufacturing businesses choose to ignore the threat, and therefore take the risk, is a belief that moving to a more secure cloud environment would be costly. It isn’t. One of the biggest benefits (particularly in times like these when cashflow is under pressure and money is tight) is the opportunity to move to a ‘pay as you go’ hosted model that reflects exactly what you use. This reduces your capital expenditure and makes it easy to keep control on an ongoing basis.
The time has come for manufacturing companies to take action against the cyber threat. For the latest expert views on the changing world of manufacturing, keeping business data secure, and the impact of the cloud – contact Access. Our Supply Chain and Cloud technology experts can provide the support you need to keep your business safe.
