Digitization has significantly changed manufacturing over the past 25 years. The benefits include reducing inventory costs and machine downtime, and boosting throughput and forecasting accuracy.

But as digitization has grown in prevalence, so have the security challenges facing manufacturers. This includes ransomware, legacy systems that are hard to patch, and third-party risk, among other types of threats.

At the turn of the 21st century, production facilities were using software in various areas, but these systems were rarely integrated, and departments often operated in silos. Robotic assembly lines were already well established – primarily in the automotive industry – but were mostly standalone, with minimal connectivity to other systems. And any connectivity between the factory and external systems was limited to web portals for basic logistics, inventory, and maintenance.

Even in that era of limited connectivity, incidents like the Slammer Worm (2003) and Zotob Worm (2005) demonstrated the need to protect manufacturing networks.

Fast forward to 2025 and you find digitization at every stage of manufacturing. From initial product design using CAD software to GPS-tracked shipments from production floors all the way to the customer site.

In this sophisticated, highly connected environment, the security stakes are much higher, which is why many manufacturers have embraced security controls like secure access service edge (SASE). Not only can a SASE solution safeguard manufacturers against modern threats but it can also provide a competitive advantage.

Manufacturing Use Cases

To understand the real-world impact of using a SASE platform, let’s consider two manufacturers: one builds heavy machinery such as excavators, dump trucks, tractors, and loaders, and the other is a leading producer of chemical and biochemical analysis equipment. We aren’t using the actual company names.

Manufacturer #1, which we’ll call Ironclad Machines, produces equipment for mining, agriculture, and other industries, with factories and warehouses in multiple regions.

Facing increased price pressure and aggressive competitors, Ironclad’s leadership team initiated an audit to identify operational efficiencies. Their goals were to reduce machine idle time, improve on-time delivery rates, and discover cost savings opportunities.

The review revealed several issues impacting productivity including sluggish cloud access, VPN bottlenecks, poor connectivity between sites, and too many IT tickets for connectivity and security issues.

After implementing Harmony SASE from Check Point, Ironclad’s networking issues dissipated. The team now enjoys faster access to cloud resources and are no longer frustrated by clunky VPN connections. As a bonus, Ironclad was able to retire its expensive MPLS connecting production facilities and warehouses without suffering any performance impact.

These changes, in conjunction with enhancements to preventative maintenance and material flow, have helped reduce machine idle time below the industry benchmark and improved on-time delivery rate by 23%.

Manufacturer #2 – let’s call them Dalton Devices – sells handheld instruments and large machines used by bioprocessing, life sciences, and field forensics teams. Not only does the company have a complex supply chain, but many employees also work remotely, and numerous third-party contractors require access to corporate systems.

The security team was concerned that such an expansive potential attack surface could lead to breaches of the company’s research & development systems and other intellectual property. Highly publicized attacks in other industries prompted the team to enhance the security of the company’s supply chain, which includes materials suppliers, component manufacturers, software providers, and others.

After considering several options, Dalton Devices chose Harmony SASE to help safeguard their network and tighten up access to their sensitive systems. The company now enjoys multiple layers of protection:

  • Internet access mitigates the risk of web-borne malware and other threats that could ultimately result in a breach of their most critical applications and systems.
  • A Zero Trust security model limits supplier access to only specific areas of the network, thus segmenting the network and reducing the potential for lateral movement into sensitive systems.
  • Security posture checks validate employee devices before they are granted entry to the network with continual verification throughout the connection period.

Since implementing Harmony SASE, the security operations center has seen an estimated 30% drop in security alerts. The implementation also helped one of Dalton’s partners; after Harmony SASE blocked several unauthorized access attempts, the company notified its supplier that their users’ credentials had been compromised.

The Competitive Edge

As manufacturing becomes increasingly digitized and interconnected, security is no longer just an IT concern, it’s a critical business enabler. By implementing a modern security solution like Harmony SASE, manufacturers can not only protect their operations from evolving cyber threats but also drive efficiency, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge.

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