How to Protect your Manufacturing Assets with an Intruder Alarm

In today’s manufacturing environment, companies are juggling an ever-growing list of priorities and challenges. They must contend with a shortage of skilled workers, mounting regulatory pressures and increased cyber threats.

As a result, manufacturers are operating their plants more efficiently than ever before.

In addition to these measures, they must also ensure that their equipment is safeguarded from unwanted intruders or malicious insiders who may put production at risk.

With the right security solutions in place, manufacturers can protect essential assets such as machinery, computer networks and supply chain data. And by integrating intrusion detection systems with other security technologies such as video surveillance or access control, manufacturers can safeguard physical locations as well as important digital assets.

Read on to learn more about how you can protect your manufacturing assets with an intruder alarm.

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What are the most important manufacturing assets?

When it comes to safeguarding manufacturing assets, the choice of equipment is significant. Companies that produce food or chemicals, for example, may rely heavily on specialised production lines that require strict sanitation protocols. Likewise, manufacturers that rely on robotics may require specific machines to produce the right product. While those who produce products with computerised controls may need to safeguard computer networks or specialised software programs. In general, most manufacturing businesses rely on the following assets: Physical Assets - Machinery and equipment, as well as tools used in manufacturing facilities. Chemical Assets - Chemicals and other substances used to create finished goods. Food Assets - Raw materials, ingredients, and finished food products. Financial Assets - Intellectual property, customer and supplier data, access to capital markets and financial transactions.

Why is protecting manufacturing assets so critical?

As the above examples illustrate, the protection of manufacturing assets is critical for a number of reasons. First, physical assets such as machinery should be safeguarded to avoid costly maintenance issues and reputational damage. Compromised computer networks, on the other hand, can allow hackers to access confidential data, or damage production by disrupting critical systems. In addition to these potential consequences, an incident can also lead to a considerable drop in production and significant losses for the manufacturer. Moreover, the protection of assets is critical for regulatory reasons. For example, food manufacturers that store raw materials and finished products in the same facility must comply with strict MRHA regulations that govern the storage of food. Likewise, pharmaceutical plants must comply with strict compliance standards to ensure the quality and safety of their products. Failure to meet these requirements can have serious consequences, such as product recalls or plant closures.

Physical Asset Protection Strategies

The theft of valuable equipment is a common challenge for manufacturers. Fortunately, there are several ways to protect physical assets. Access control systems, for example, can be used to control access to sensitive areas such as equipment rooms and chemical storage areas. Likewise, video surveillance systems can be used to monitor these areas in real time. When choosing a physical asset protection strategy, manufacturers should consider a number of factors, including the value of their equipment, the level of risk in their facility and the number of employees who have access to these areas. In general, there are three levels of protection that manufacturers can apply to equipment: Baseline Protection - This level of protection involves the use of locks and other physical barriers to prevent access to sensitive areas. Moderate Protection - This level of protection typically requires the use of locks and alarms to detect break-ins. Extensive Protection - This level of protection involves the use of a combination of alarms, locks and barriers to prevent access to sensitive areas.

Digital Asset Protection Strategies

The protection of digital assets is critical for manufacturers of all types, particularly those that rely on production lines that include computerised controls. There are several ways to protect digital assets in manufacturing facilities, including the use of firewalls and intrusion detection systems. Firewalls can be used to protect computer networks and data, while intrusion detection systems can be used to detect malicious activity on networks. When selecting a digital asset protection strategy, manufacturers should consider a number of factors, including the level of risk in their facility, the presence of valuable data, and how this data is used. As with physical protection, there are three levels of protection that manufacturers can apply to protect their digital assets: Baseline Protection - This level of protection involves the use of firewalls and other technologies to protect computer networks and sensitive data. Moderate Protection - This level of protection typically includes the use of firewalls, as well as intrusion detection systems that detect malicious activity. Extensive Protection - This level of protection involves the use of a combination of firewalls, intrusion detection systems and other technologies to protect sensitive data.

Conclusion

Manufacturing assets are critical to most modern businesses. As such, manufacturers must take steps to protect their equipment and facilities from both internal and external threats. Fortunately, there are several ways to safeguard equipment and data, including the use of intrusion detection systems. When integrated with other security technologies, these systems can be used to protect physical assets as well as valuable digital assets.

If you would like to know more, please get in touch.