Topic starter
24/06/2026 10:59 pm
TL;DR: Manufacturing's move to a digital factory depends on common infrastructure that links people, systems, machines, and data, while IDC figures cited by Imprivata show 57% of manufacturers faced a ransomware attack in the past year and 61% of incidents caused multi-day disruption. Shared identity and access controls now shape resilience as much as efficiency.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by Imprivata: “Top five benefits of common infrastructure for digital factory solutions in modern manufacturing”.
By the numbers:
- 57% of manufacturers experienced a ransomware attack in the past 12 months, according to IDC figures cited by Imprivata.
- 61% of manufacturing security incidents result in business disruptions lasting several days, according to IDC figures cited by Imprivata.
Key questions
Q: How should manufacturers govern access in a digital factory?
A: Manufacturers should govern digital factory access as a shared identity problem across people, systems, machines, and facilities.
Q: Why do connected manufacturing environments increase security and uptime risk?
A: Because IT, OT, and floor access become interdependent.
Q: What breaks when manufacturers rely on shared badges and shared credentials?
A: Accountability breaks first, followed by control over who can access what during a shift or maintenance window.
Practitioner guidance
- Separate floor access from shared credentials Replace badge sharing and generic shop-floor logins with individual, attributable access that follows the worker across shifts and systems.
- Align authentication to manufacturing work patterns Use multifactor and passwordless access where the same user must move between warehouse, production, and administrative systems.
- Apply least privilege to IT/OT integration Scope permissions tightly for users and systems that bridge enterprise applications and operational technology so shared infrastructure does not become shared exposure.
Bottom line: Common infrastructure can improve manufacturing productivity, but it also turns identity and access governance into a core part of operational resilience.
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25/06/2026 7:50 am
Common infrastructure turns access governance into an operational control, not a back-office discipline. In a digital factory, access decisions affect production continuity, floor safety, and incident recovery at the same time. That means identity governance is no longer a supporting function for manufacturing modernization. It is part of the control surface that determines whether shared infrastructure improves resilience or amplifies disruption.
A question worth separating out:
Q: How do IAM and OT security differ in a digital factory?
A: IAM governs who can reach systems and data, while OT security must also protect availability, safety, and the industrial process itself. In a digital factory, the two disciplines intersect, so access governance has to respect operational constraints rather than apply office-style controls unchanged.
👉 Read our full editorial: Common infrastructure and digital factory security in manufacturing