9 min read
Not Every Job on Your List Deserves an AI Bot. Here's How to Tell Which Do
Not every process deserves an AI bot. Here's how to tell which ones do and why the first one matters most. TL;DR: AI...
California, Oregon, & Washington
Managed IT and Cybersecurity for Manufacturing Operations
When a production line stops, every minute has a dollar figure attached to it. Your IT infrastructure should be built with that reality in mind, not discovered during an outage.
California: 408-533-8890 | Oregon: 503-766-5985 |
Washington: 206-312-6540
#1
Most targeted industry for ransomware, 4 years running
IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2024
12 days
Average production downtime from a ransomware attack
Dragos Year in Review 2023
61%
Industrial organizations experienced an OT/IT security incident
Fortinet OT Security Report 2023
$1.9M
Ransomware demand targeting manufacturers
Sophos State of Ransomware 2024
We Work With
Manufacturers | Industrial Operations | Distribution Companies | Defense Supply Chain | Process Manufacturing
The Challenge
OT Was Never Designed to Be Secure. Now It Needs to Be.
The manufacturing sector has become one of the most targeted industries for ransomware. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report has tracked manufacturing moving steadily up the list of targeted verticals, not because attackers have gotten smarter, but because the opportunity has gotten larger.
The reason is structural. As industrial equipment has become network-connected, the boundary between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) has dissolved. A vulnerability in the corporate network can now reach equipment on the production floor. A phishing email in accounts payable can cascade into a production outage.
Problems we commonly see in manufacturing environments:
× Legacy equipment with network connections and no security controls, because it has always worked that way
× IT and OT running on separate, undocumented networks that no one has formally mapped in years
× ERP systems with board permissions and minimal access logging
× No documented incident response plan that accounts for production disruption scenarios
× Supply chain partners and enterprise customers starting to send vendor security questionnaires you're not ready to answer
Engagement Options
Three Ways to Work With Heroic
Built for manufacturers at different levels of internal IT capability, from operations with no dedicated IT staff to those with a team that needs strategic depth.
-
Fully Managed - The Hero
We manage your complete IT environment: helpdesk, infrastructure, network management, security, and compliance documentation. One monthly rate, full accountability. Best for operations without dedicated internal IT staff.
IT + OT Monitoring | Production Networks | Security | Helpdesk | Compliance
-
Co-Managed - Sidekick
Your team handles day-to-day operations; we provide advanced security monitoring, OT/IT boundary controls, supply chain compliance documentation, and the strategic depth they cannot reasonably maintain on their own.
OT Security | Supply Chain Docs | Network Monitoring | Compliance Support
-
Strategic Consulting - Guide
Project-based and retainer engagements: OT/IT network architecture, segmentation planning, security assessments, vendor questionnaire support, and CMMC readiness. No ongoing managed services required.
Network Architecture | OT/IT Segmentation |CMMC Readiness | Risk Assessments
Emerging Priority
Supply Chain Risk and Technology: The Conversation Your Partners Are Already Having
Supply chain cybersecurity scrutiny is increasing at every tier of the manufacturing ecosystem. Enterprise customers are sending vendor security questionnaires. Prime contractors in defense and aerospace are extending CMMC requirements to subcontractors. And the insurance market is tightening on manufacturers that cannot document their security posture.
Heroic helps manufacturers get ahead of it. That means building the actual documentation, architecture, and controls. Not to check a compliance box. So when a questionnaire lands in your inbox, or an auditor asks to see your incident response plan, you have real answers.
"Enterprise customers don't just want to hear that you're compliant; they want proof. The manufacturers that will win the next tier of contracts are documenting their security posture now."
What Heroic Delivers for This:
Vendor security questionnaire responses and documentation packages
OT/IT network segmentation architecture and implementation
CMMC-aligned security controls for defense supply chain participants
Cyber insurance documentation and evidence of security controls
Switching IT Providers Without Stopping Production
Manufacturers often have the most legitimate reason to fear IT transitions: the production environment cannot tolerate disruption during a changeover. Undocumented network configurations, legacy integrations only the outgoing provider understands, and equipment dependencies no one has mapped make switching feel like a risk not worth taking. That is exactly the problem the Clean Break solves.
The Clean Break™
For businesses that want a new IT provider but keep putting it off because the transition feels too disruptive. We handle the hard parts, so you don't have to.
| ν ETF credit up to $1,000 | ν No setup fees | ν After-hours cutover (around active matters) |
| ν 30-day hypercare support | ν Documentation recovery | ν Provider coordination handled by us |
Start with a conversation,
not a contract
From The Blog
Related Reading for Manufacturing Leaders
Nick Stevens writes about the technology decisions that shape where organizations end up in two to three years, not just today’s fixes.
12 min read
AI Without the Wreckage: A Practical Roadmap for Real Results
Nick Stevens: Jul 23, 2026
Most AI projects don't fail because of the technology. They fail because of what happened before anyone wrote a line of...
7 min read
Manual to Autonomous Solutions in Compliance Management for Businesses
Nick: Mar 3, 2026
Compliance used to be the department where innovation went to die. For decades, it was synonymous with "The Department...
Is Heroic The Right Fit?
Strong signals we're what you're looking for
You're a manufacturer, distributor, or industrial operation on the West Coast
Your production environment includes network-connected equipment that was not designed with cybersecurity in mind
A supply chain partner, enterprise customer, or defense contractor has sent you a vendor security questionnaire
Your IT and OT networks aren't formally documented or segmented
A ransomware event at a peer company has made leadership ask whether you're in a better position
You want IT managed around your production schedule, not the other way around
Get In Touch
Ready to talk about what reliable IT looks like inside a real production environment?
The manufacturers we work with usually reach out because something has changed: a near-miss event, a new customer requirement, or a provider relationship that has quietly underperformed for too long. The conversation is worth having.
FAQs
Common Questions from Manufacturing Organizations
-
How do you secure OT and IT networks without disrupting production?
We start by documenting and mapping both networks, which is often the most valuable step on its own. We then implement segmentation to limit lateral movement between IT and OT systems, using network architecture that doesn't require changes to production equipment configurations. Monitoring is deployed to surface anomalous activity on both sides of that boundary. The entire process is designed around your production schedule, not ours.
-
Can you help us respond to vendor security questionnaires from our customers?
Yes. We help manufacturers build the documentation, security posture evidence, and control frameworks that respond to vendor questionnaires from enterprise customers and prime contractors. We also identify and remediate the gaps that questionnaires typically expose before they become a problem in a customer review.
-
What does your incident response look like if ransomware hits the production environment?
Prevention is the priority. Our monitoring and segmentation are designed to contain a breach before it reaches production systems. If ransomware does affect operations, we have documented response procedures to isolate affected systems, restore from encrypted backups, and coordinate with your cyber insurance carrier. We also help you work through the notification obligations to customers and supply chain partners.
-
Do you have experience with ERP systems in manufacturing environments?
Yes. We work with cloud-based and on-premise ERP systems regularly and understand how they connect to production operations, purchasing, and logistics. We help manufacturers implement the access controls, permission structures, and monitoring that ERP security requires, and we work with your ERP vendor on integration and ongoing support.
-
How does the Clean Break work for a manufacturing environment with complex network infrastructure?The environments that look most daunting from the outside are the ones we have the most experience handling. We schedule the cutover around your production schedule to avoid affecting operations, handle documentation recovery for anything the outgoing provider maintained informally, and provide 30-day hypercare support. If your current contract has an ETF of $1,000 or less, we may credit that toward your first three months.
Let's Talk About What's Next
Whether you're dealing with day-to-day IT frustrations, a compliance deadline, or a provider that no longer fits where your organization is going, we're ready to help.