Digital factory security: what common infrastructure changes

TL;DR: Manufacturers are using common infrastructure to unify people, systems, machines, and data in a digital factory, but IDC says 57% experienced a ransomware attack in the past year and 61% of security incidents caused disruptions lasting several days. Shared identity and access controls now shape both uptime and resilience, not just convenience.

NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Imprivata: Common infrastructure and digital factory security in manufacturing

By the numbers:

• 57%, e than half of manufacturers, 57%, experienced a ransomware attack in the past 12 months.
• 61% of manufacturing security incidents result in business disruptions lasting several days.

Questions worth separating out

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 shared credentials create risk on the factory floor?

A: Shared credentials weaken accountability and make it harder to detect misuse, especially in shift-based or contractor-heavy environments.

Q: When should manufacturers prioritize passwordless access?

A: Manufacturers should prioritize passwordless access when passwords, badge sharing, or repeated logins are creating friction and reducing accountability.

Practitioner guidance

• Inventory shared access paths across IT, OT, and floor systems Document every place where one identity can reach production, warehouse, or administrative systems.
• Replace reused floor credentials with attributable authentication Move shift-based and contractor-heavy access away from shared badges and shared passwords.
• Tie access reviews to production and maintenance cycles Review who can reach production-adjacent systems at the same cadence as maintenance windows, shift changes, and contractor offboarding.

What's in the full article

Imprivata's full analysis covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:

• The article's breakdown of how common infrastructure is applied across manufacturing workflows, facilities, and connected systems.
• The practical framing behind digital identity, passwordless access, and floor-level authentication in shift-based environments.
• The article's supporting references to NIST guidance for industrial control systems and manufacturing security.
• The vendor's discussion of productivity, resilience, and security benefits in a digital factory model.

👉 Read Imprivata's analysis of common infrastructure and digital factory security →

Digital factory security: what common infrastructure changes?

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