In today’s fast-paced manufacturing landscape, preventing unplanned outages or downtime is key.

Every minute of downtime can translate to significant financial losses, impacting not just productivity but also the overall health of a business. Let’s explore one of the most prevalent reasons for downtime and how to tackle this challenge head-on.

Are you Safe?

Downtime isn’t just a loss of production; it’s a cascade of expenses that can severely affect your bottom line and potentially expose your proprietary information to the world. One of the most prevalent causes of downtime is one often overlooked by manufacturers: IT platform neglect and cybersecurity breaches. Your business is built upon your IT foundation so if that goes down, everything else goes with it. Your IT platform and cybersecurity, like your ERP, are not "set and forget" systems: proper maintenance and monitoring are necessary to maintain uninterrupted operations. 

Direct Costs of IT Platform Issues and/or Cybersecurity Breaches:

  Restoration: Restoring compromised systems and data can be costly and time-consuming.

  Regulatory Costs: If regulatory infractions occur during an unplanned outage, businesses can be subject to legal fees and fines. 

  Infrastructure Repair: Damage or theft of IT asset infrastructure can occur during platform outages and cybersecurity breaches. These can be costly to regroup from.

Cybersecurity and Platform Neglect Cause:

 Loss of productivity

 Identity, financial, and corporate information theft and leaks

 Decreased morale and a distrust in applications, platform, and support

How Innovative Consulting Group Can Help

At Innovative Consulting Group, we specialize in optimizing manufacturing operations and mitigating downtime through tailored strategies. Here’s how we can assist you:

Do you have Technology or Cybersecurity Gaps? Conduct a Comprehensive Technology Systems Review

Improvement begins with a comprehensive analysis of your existing technology infrastructure, environment, applications, and security. Our expert team conducts detailed assessments to understand your infrastructure and pinpoint potential vulnerabilities and bottlenecks. Our objective is not just to minimize downtime but to develop a clear roadmap for enhancement that drives efficiency and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

Employee Training and Engagement

A well-equipped team is your greatest asset in the fight against downtime. We believe investing in employee training and engagement, including cybersecurity training, is essential for sustainable success. Our customized training programs are designed to empower your workforce with the skills and knowledge they need to recognize potential issues before they escalate. This not only reduces downtime but also enhances morale and job satisfaction, creating a more resilient workforce.

Consider Platform Hosting Solutions

Transitioning your IT platform and VISUAL ERP to a cloud hosted solution like ICG's CloudFour gets you robust disaster recovery solutions and high availability to keep outages almost nonexistent. This change fundamentally shifts how you manage risk and continuity, ensuring that your operations are secure, stable, and continuously supportive of your business objectives. 

Ongoing Support and Evaluation

We provide continuous monitoring and regular evaluations of your technology systems with IT Managed Services to ensure optimal performance. Our team conducts periodic reviews to assess the effectiveness of the strategies we’ve implemented, adjusting as necessary to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. This proactive approach ensures that your operations remain efficient and competitive in an ever-evolving market.