IT and OT security for manufacturers · Western Massachusetts
When your production
line stops, every minute
has a price tag.
Your IT should never
be the reason it stops.
NetWerks helps Western MA manufacturers protect their production environments, secure their business systems, and stay ahead of the cyber threats that specifically target operations like yours.
- Serving Western MA since 1988
- Veteran-owned business
- Live answer guaranteed
Manufacturing is the most targeted sector for ransomware attacks — and most manufacturers don't find out until production has already stopped
Attackers who target manufacturers do their homework first. They know your production schedules. They know your delivery commitments. They know that encrypting your systems during a critical run puts maximum pressure on you to pay — fast. And they know that most manufacturers have a significant gap between their office IT security and their production floor security. That gap is exactly where they get in.
Your production network and office network are the same network
A phishing email opened in accounting can reach your PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA systems in minutes on a flat network. IT and OT segmentation isn't a luxury for manufacturers — it's the single most impactful security control available. Many manufacturers have never addressed it.
Ransomware recovery takes weeks — not days
Recovering from ransomware in a manufacturing environment is dramatically more complex than office IT recovery. PLC configurations, HMI programs, and SCADA databases require specific backups that most manufacturers have never taken. Without them, recovery isn't measured in days — it's measured in weeks or months.
Defense contracts bring compliance obligations most firms aren't ready for
If your firm holds or pursues DoD contracts, CMMC compliance is not optional — and the clock is running. Small defense sub-contractors are often unaware of their full obligations under DFARS 252.204-7012 and CUI flowdown requirements. In addition, they are often unaware of the 72-hour breach reporting, their SPRS score submission requirements and potential False Claims Act liability.
Vendor remote access you've never audited
Equipment vendors may have established persistent remote access to your production systems. Shared credentials may exist that have never been rotated. Connections that were set up years ago and never reviewed, let alone fully documented. Unmonitored vendor access is one of the most common entry points for manufacturing cyberattacks — and one of the easiest to address.
We've supported Western MA manufacturers for over 35 years — and we understand both sides of your network
Most IT providers understand office technology. Fewer understand operational technology — the PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, and industrial control networks that run your production floor. NetWerks works at the intersection of both. We understand that your ERP system and your production line are connected — and that securing one without the other leaves the gap that attackers exploit.
We're a veteran-owned business. We answer the phone — a live technician, not a ticket queue. We've seen enough ransomware attacks on production environments in this region to know exactly what manufacturers in your size range need to stay protected, operational, and ahead of threats that are specifically designed to target operations like yours.
Getting the right IT and OT security in place is simpler than you think
Many manufacturers we talk to have been managing IT reactively for years — with no visibility into their production network and no plan for what happens if ransomware hits during a critical run. Getting to a protected, resilient posture doesn't require shutting down production. It starts with a 15-minute conversation.
Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call
No jargon, no sales pressure, no obligation. We ask about your operation, your current IT situation, and whether you have defense contract obligations that create compliance requirements. You tell us if we feel like the right fit.
We assess both sides of your network
If we're a mutual fit, we assess your full environment — office IT security, production network architecture, IT/OT segmentation gaps, ERP security, and CMMC compliance posture if applicable. From that we build a clear, flat-rate plan with no surprises.
Focus on production — we handle the rest
We take over your IT and OT security completely. Your team gets a local partner that picks up the phone, keeps both sides of your network protected, and ensures your production environment is never the reason a line stops.
We're selective about who we work with — and we think you should be selective too. This is a genuine two-way conversation to make sure we're the right fit for each other.
What's at stake when IT and OT security go wrong for a manufacturer
Production downtime has a direct, quantifiable cost. Ransomware recovery in a manufacturing environment takes weeks, not days. And for defense contractors, a compliance failure can cost a contract relationship that took years to build. These aren't hypotheticals — they've happened to manufacturers in this region.
Production line shutdown
A ransomware attack that encrypts your production systems doesn't just cost IT recovery time — it stops your line. Missed delivery commitments, idle labor, contract penalties, and customer relationship damage compound every hour the line is down. For manufacturers without OT-specific backups, recovery can take weeks or never happen at all.
Vendor-initiated breach
The 2013 Target breach — which cost over $200 million — originated through an HVAC vendor with unmonitored network access. Equipment vendors with persistent remote access to your production systems, shared credentials, and no access logging represent the same risk in your environment today. Most manufacturers have never audited their vendor access inventory.
CMMC non-compliance
Defense contractors who fail to meet CMMC requirements face contract loss, SPRS score consequences, and potential False Claims Act liability if they certify compliance they cannot demonstrate. The 72-hour DFARS breach reporting requirement is a hard contractual deadline — missing it is itself a violation independent of the underlying incident.
Intellectual property theft
Manufacturing intellectual property — production processes, product specifications, customer pricing, and proprietary designs — is a high-value target for industrial espionage. Threat actors who compromise manufacturing networks often remain undetected for months, exfiltrating data long before ransomware is deployed or a breach is discovered.
Built for the way manufacturers actually operate
Our manufacturing IT program is designed around the specific risks, architecture, and compliance requirements of small to mid-size manufacturers in Western Massachusetts — including the reality that your production floor and your office network present two completely different security challenges that most IT providers only address one of.
IT/OT security that covers both sides of your network — not just the side with the office computers.
Most managed IT providers scope their services to office systems — workstations, servers, email, and cloud applications. Your production network — PLCs, HMIs, SCADA systems, industrial switches, and connected production equipment — is typically outside their scope entirely. That means the most operationally critical part of your environment has no security monitoring, no patch management, and no incident response coverage.
Guardian Pro extends security monitoring and management to both your IT and OT environments — with IT/OT network segmentation, production system backup including PLC configurations and HMI programs, vendor access management, and CMMC compliance support for defense contractors. One partner for both sides of your network, with deep understanding of the difference between them.
Guardian
For manufacturers with standard IT needs and commercial production environments
- Remote support — business hours
- Managed IT — monitoring + maintenance
- Network + endpoint security
- Email security + spam filtering
- Data backup + recovery
- Staff security awareness training
- ERP and business system support
- Vendor management
- Production network assessment
- IT/OT segmentation guidance
- Documented change protocol
- Virtual CIO advisory
Guardian Pro
For manufacturers with OT environments, defense contracts, or CMMC compliance obligations
- Remote + on-site support within 50 miles of Springfield
- Priority response — production downtime cannot wait
- IT/OT network segmentation — implemented and monitored
- Production system security monitoring
- PLC configuration + HMI program backup
- SCADA and industrial control system assessment
- Vendor remote access management + audit logging
- Building management system segmentation
- ERP security — MFA, RBAC, service account governance
- OT-specific incident response planning
- CMMC readiness assessment and gap analysis
- DFARS 252.204-7012 compliance support
- SPRS score documentation support
- CUI enclave architecture and implementation
- Cyber insurance audit support
- Documented change protocol
Already have an IT person or small team? We work alongside them — not instead of them.
Many mid-size manufacturers have an in-house IT person or small team who handles day-to-day help desk requests, user deployments, and routine support. That's exactly what they should be doing. What they are typically not equipped for — and shouldn't be expected to handle alone — is complex multi-segment network architecture, IT/OT security design, CMMC compliance implementation, and the kind of end-to-end security engineering that a production environment requires.
NetWerks co-managed support fills that gap without displacing your existing team. Your IT person keeps ownership of what they do best. We handle the complex, specialized work that is genuinely above the scope of most SMB in-house IT roles — and we bring something your team cannot acquire independently: access to enterprise-grade security tooling that would be cost-prohibitive on a single-site license. SIEM, advanced EDR, compliance management platforms, and threat intelligence feeds — properly configured, actively monitored, and with your in-house team included as users in their own tenant environment so they have full visibility into what we're doing and why.
For single IT manager shops — we are your vacation back-fill, your large project roll-out partner, and the specialized resource that means you are never the only person who knows how your environment works. The one-person IT department in a mid-size manufacturing operation is one of the most demanding roles in any business. Our founder has served in that capacity in a 100-seat aerospace manufacturing environment — and built NetWerks' co-managed program specifically to make that role sustainable rather than a daily exercise in survival.
Does a manufacturer our size really need Guardian Pro?
Guardian Pro runs approximately $500 per user per month. Consider what one hour of unplanned production downtime costs your operation — idle labor, missed commitments, contract penalties, and customer relationship damage. For most manufacturers in the 10-50 employee range, one hour of downtime exceeds the monthly cost of Guardian Pro for your entire team. Consider what ransomware recovery costs when your production systems go down and your PLC configurations were never backed up. Consider what a CMMC compliance failure costs when it affects a contract relationship that represents a significant portion of your revenue.
Guardian Pro isn't an IT expense. It's the operational insurance that ensures your production line keeps running, your vendor connections are monitored, and your defense contract obligations are met. At $500 per user per month, the question isn't whether you can afford it. It's whether your operation can afford the alternative.
Pricing varies based on environment size, complexity, and specific requirements. Both Guardian and Guardian Pro require a minimum of 5 users. Your discovery call includes a no-obligation assessment and a clear proposal tailored to your operation.
Both Guardian and Guardian Pro support plans include a documented change protocol — feature releases and non-urgent maintenance are scheduled to minimize production disruption. Critical security patches are applied per compliance requirements following NetWerks internal validation testing — your environment is never a test bed.
Not sure which plan is right for your operation? We offer a complimentary IT and OT security assessment as part of your discovery conversation. We'll tell you exactly where you stand — no obligation, no pressure.
Do you hold or pursue Department of Defense contracts?
If your firm works with the DoD — directly or as a subcontractor to a prime contractor — CMMC compliance is a contractual requirement that is increasingly being enforced. Many defense contractors in Western Massachusetts are operating under DFARS obligations they were not fully aware of. Here is what you need to know.
DFARS 252.204-7012
This clause — present in most DoD contracts and increasingly in subcontract agreements — requires implementation of NIST SP 800-171 security controls, a 72-hour cyber incident reporting obligation to the DoD, and SPRS score submission. If your contract includes this clause and you have not addressed these requirements, you have an active compliance gap.
CUI handling requirements
Controlled Unclassified Information handled under DoD contracts cannot be stored or processed in standard commercial platforms — including standard Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. A properly scoped CUI enclave limits your compliance burden to the systems that actually touch defense contract data — rather than requiring your entire environment to meet CMMC standards.
CMMC Level 2 assessment
CMMC Level 2 — required for contracts involving CUI — requires a third-party assessment by a C3PAO. Preparing for that assessment requires a gap analysis against all 110 NIST SP 800-171 controls, remediation of identified gaps, and documentation of your security program. A CMMC Registered Practitioner Organization can guide you through that process before the formal assessment.
The clock is running
CMMC requirements are being embedded in contract renewals with increasing frequency. A contract that does not currently require CMMC certification may require it at next renewal. Addressing your compliance posture before a renewal deadline is dramatically less disruptive — and less expensive — than discovering the gap during a contract negotiation.
What your operation looks like when IT and OT security finally work together
Our manufacturing clients don't worry about production downtime from IT failures, ransomware attacks on their control systems, or unmonitored vendor connections anymore. Here's what the right partnership actually looks like.
Production and office networks are properly separated
A phishing email in accounting cannot reach your production floor. Medical devices, building controls, and waiting room displays are on isolated segments. The gap that attackers exploit most is closed — and monitored continuously.
Ransomware recovery is measured in hours — not weeks
PLC configurations backed up. HMI programs documented. SCADA databases protected. Tested, isolated backups of both IT and OT systems. If the worst happens, your production environment comes back up in hours — not after weeks of vendor coordination and manual reconstruction.
Vendor access is controlled and audited
Every vendor with access to your systems is inventoried. Sessions are time-limited and logged. Audit controls alert you if a bulk client data export happens before an unexpected departure. The unmonitored connections that represent your highest remote access risk are visible and managed.
ERP security matches the data it protects
Multi-factor authentication on all accounts. Role-based access controls for day-to-day users. Service accounts scoped to minimum necessary permissions. The system containing your customer data, production schedules, pricing, and financial records is protected at a level that matches its value.
Defense contract obligations are met and documented
Your CMMC posture is assessed, your gaps are remediated, and your SPRS score reflects your actual security program. When a contract renewal or a prime contractor compliance review comes, you have the documentation to respond with confidence — not anxiety.
You focus on production — not IT emergencies
No more wondering whether your production network is monitored, whether your vendor connections are secure, or whether a ransomware attack would shut your line down for weeks. We watch over both sides of your environment so you can focus on what you actually make.
Let's have an honest conversation about your operation
A 15-minute discovery call is all it takes. We'll ask about your operation, your current IT and OT security situation, and whether you have defense contract obligations that create compliance requirements. You tell us if we feel like the right fit — and we'll tell you the same.
We're not looking for any manufacturer that can write a check. We're looking for operations leaders who understand that production security and IT security are the same problem — and want a partner who can address both sides without pretending the production floor doesn't exist. If that sounds like you, we should talk.
- No obligation — ever
- No jargon — plain English only
- No pressure — a real two-way conversation
- CMMC and OT security tracks available
- Minimum 5 users — Guardian and Guardian Pro
- Serving within 50 miles of Springfield, MA
Springfield · Agawam · Westfield · Chicopee · Holyoke · Northampton · Ludlow · East Longmeadow · Longmeadow · West Springfield and surrounding Hampden County communities
