So, you’ve got sensors, smart tools, maybe a camera or two on the floor. That’s great. But ask yourself this: Are they secure enough that you’d bet a contract on them? Because you probably are. Here are 6 rules we live by when helping clients lock down their IoT setups. 1. Default Credentials Are a Gift to Hackers Change every …
A No-BS Guide to Securing IoT on the Shop Floor – Part 2: “Segment or Suffer”
Let me tell you a quick story. A manufacturer we know had a barcode scanner that was Wi-Fi connected. Innocent enough, right? It ran on a little Linux-based OS and talked directly to their ERP. One day, that scanner started talking to China. Turns out it had been hijacked by a botnet. The scanner kept working—but it was siphoning data. …
A No-BS Guide to Securing IoT on the Shop Floor – Part 1: “The Insecure Revolution”
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Industry 4.0” tossed around like it’s some magic pill that turns your factory into Iron Man’s workshop. The reality? Most shop floors today are Frankenstein networks—old Windows 7 control systems duct-taped to brand-new sensors feeding data to a cloud portal nobody fully understands. Welcome to the Insecure Revolution. What’s Really Happening? Manufacturers are adding sensors, …
Remote Access Without Compromise – How to Keep Your Engineers Connected and Your Data Protected
Back in the day, “remote access” meant handing a guy a USB stick and praying he didn’t leave it at the diner. Today? Your teams need real-time access to CAD files, ERP dashboards, and maintenance logs from the office, the shop floor—or the side of I-25. But here’s the rub: the more doors you open, the more chances someone unwelcome …
From Chaos to Compliance: Navigating Your First CMMC Audit
Let me guess—you’ve got CMMC requirements breathing down your neck, and your current IT setup looks more like a patchwork quilt than a hardened system. You’re not alone. Most of the manufacturers we meet aren’t lazy—they’re just too busy shipping parts, managing vendors, and keeping machines online to babysit compliance frameworks. The Reality of CMMC If you’re handling DoD contracts …