Manufacturing IT Support Services

Managed IT Services for Manufacturing

• Proactive IT network monitoring with 24/7 response times
• Gap assessment and compliance support for CMMC, NIST, and ISO 2700
• Advanced cybersecurity services
• Comprehensive data backup and disaster recovery plan
• Growth management and advisory services on efficient IT spend

Proactive IT Network Monitoring and 24/7 Response for Manufacturers

Many managed service providers (MSPs) will only respond when an IT issue affects productivity — but the best way to minimize downtime is to solve problems before they happen.

Ntiva helps manufacturing companies stay up and running by leveraging:

Systematic manufacturing software and hardware updates

Our team keeps detailed documentation of all your software and hardware, so we know exactly when something is reaching the end of its lifecycle or if a license needs to be renewed. This lets us schedule updates and replacements for when it’s most convenient for your business. It also ensures all your IT is operating at peak performance.

Proactive network analysis

By analyzing your IT network, we can find trends that indicate when you might experience network complications (e.g., the scheduled production could max out server bandwidth). This gives us the opportunity to avoid or minimize the impact of those complications.

24/7 network monitoring to keep up with 24/7 manufacturing operations

Ntiva uses automation and manpower to monitor all aspects of your IT network around the clock, including routers, firewalls, and switches. If there’s an issue, we take immediate action to resolve it — often solving the problem before your team has even had time to report it.

If someone on your manufacturing IT team runs into a problem that’s not caught by our monitoring but still affects their ability to do their job (e.g., their login credentials aren’t working), they can reach out to our 24/7 help desk. Ntiva’s help desk is run by experienced U.S.-based technicians, so your team will be able to troubleshoot any issue right away. Calls are answered in less than one minute, on average, and 75% of issues get resolved on the first call.

Gap Assessment and Manufacturing Compliance Support for CMMC, NIST, and ISO 2700

Not all MSPs have the experience and resources to truly support manufacturing companies seeking CMMC, NIST, or ISO compliance. Many IT companies will be willing to help you set up specific pieces of IT to meet compliance requirements, but readily admit that they’re not experts.

This means you have to figure out how to become compliant on your own.

You’ll also be on your own if you get audited — and many regulations require a third-party audit of your security systems.

Ntiva can help you with all aspects of aligning your IT needs with compliance requirements for CMMC, NIST, ISO 2700, HIPAA and others. We’re also accredited to support Organizations Seeking Certification (OSC) in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

Ntiva compliance services for manufacturers include:

• Gap assessments
• Advanced security features (more on this below)
• Certified IT consulting services
• Ongoing strategic reviews
• And more...

Advanced Cybersecurity for Manufacturers

Successful cyberattacks can halt production for hours — or days — which can be devastating to any company, but particularly manufacturing companies.

Not all MSPs offer the advanced cybersecurity services you need to protect against cyber attacks.

For example, most MSPs offer definition-based antivirus software, which only blocks activity that matches the definitions you enter into the software (all other activity is let through). The downside of this type of antivirus software is that it’s impossible to know about all forms of cyberattacks because hackers are constantly creating new types of attacks.

At Ntiva, we offer a full suite of advanced IT security solutions — including endpoint detection and response (EDR) which replaces the need for simple antivirus software. EDR uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to recognize known types of malware —and to detect new types of threats. If any suspicious activity is detected, our 24/7 security operations center (SOC) is immediately notified.

Other Ntiva security features for manufacturers include:

• Vulnerability scanning and risk assessments.
• Phishing prevention training.
• vCISO and consulting services.
• Intrusion detection and response (IDR).
• Network security support.
• And much more…

Comprehensive Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan for Manufacturers

Without a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery (BDR) plan, you could lose tons of data (e.g., SKU numbers, blueprints) which could halt production. Even if you regularly back up your data, if you don’t have a detailed recovery and business continuity plan, it could take days or weeks before you’ve recovered enough data to resume production.

With over 20 years of experience working with companies of all sizes in the manufacturing industry, Ntiva experts can help you design a custom BDR plan to get you up and running quickly after most any disaster.

Your BDR plan will outline what data needs to be backed up and how often, who’s responsible for each piece of the plan, where employees will find the information they need to do their jobs, and much more.

Ntiva experts will help you find the most cost effective storage solution for your manufacturing business needs — whether that’s migrating to a cloud solution, optimizing your physical servers, or taking advantage of Ntiva’s hosted storage solutions. Our team also handles the ongoing maintenance and data backup outlined in your BDR plan, so your team doesn’t have to.

In the event of a disaster, our team will respond immediately—day or night—to get you up and running as soon as possible. Ntiva technicians typically arrive onsite within hours no matter where you're located in the United States.

Proactive Growth Management and Efficient IT Spend

Using outdated IT infrastructure can impact your bottom line by (1) increasing the chances of downtime caused by manufacturing system failures, (2) reducing production and supply chain efficiency, and (3) requiring more time and resources be spent on maintenance.

However, it can be very challenging to research new applications and infrastructure and choose the best one for your manufacturing processes (while staying within your budget). Plus, it can be time-consuming and costly to integrate modern manufacturing systems into your current workflow.

Ntiva gives manufacturing firms access to IT experts who can help:

• Optimize your current IT systems for higher efficiency.
• Know when it’s time to upgrade.
• Find the best manufacturing IT solutions (e.g., ERP, robotics) for your process and budget.
• Cut excess IT spend.

Our team also provides support for the design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of new technology solutions.

Ntiva helped a nonprofit organization replace their outdated information technology systems with newer, simpler technology which allowed them to cut IT spend by 50% and streamline operations.

Read the full case study here.