Why VPNs Are Not a Viable Solution for Multi-Site Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing networks are becoming more distributed and more digital as expanding operations through organic growth, acquisitions, or need to specialize facilities often results in multi-site locations. With multi-site manufacturing locations, connecting networks across sites becomes a requirement, and the challenge of bridging networks together is similar whether they are side-by-side, or on different continents. A common approach to connecting networks together is to implement a VPN, an encrypted tunnel that would connect the two local networks over the public internet.

Manufacturing environments have not only adopted network connected industrial systems, they now have no choice but to have connected devices. Industrial control systems that were once operated by knobs, switches, and buttons are now able to be remotely controlled, with inbound/outbound data flow, and OEM remote support contracts.

The VPN is no longer a sufficient remote access solution when connecting multiple sites together with critical control systems. The once golden standard now leaves you vulnerable to:

All-or-nothing access
Lateral traversal within networks
Shared accounts for vendors
Malware/ransomware moving across different networks

We explore how you can strengthen remote access across multiple company sites to the manufacturing floor to better service your industrial systems without creating sacrifices in cybersecurity, without a clunky VPN.

Work more efficiently across multiple company sites with secure remote access
Troubleshooting outages or performing routine maintenance in seconds, not when a remote team lands on-site
Implementing Multi-factor authentication and single sign-on to every user that needs access with already existing emails - even if they aren’t on your internal team

Works seamlessly with your current infrastructure