A new report shows that cyber resilience is now a critical priority for manufacturing companies as they undergo rapid digitalization.
The study, published by Kaspersky and VDC Strategy, indicates that 60% of manufacturers expect to achieve full digitalization within two years. Currently, only 9% of these organizations describe themselves as fully digital.
This rapid shift connects shop-floor equipment and production lines to centralized platforms. Specifically, these platforms include manufacturing execution systems and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Consequently, digital disruptions can directly affect physical operations, halting production lines or invalidating quality records.
Digitalization Drives Manufacturing Growth
Manufacturers are digitizing their operations to achieve measurable gains. According to the survey, 24% of respondents aim to improve production output or efficiency. Meanwhile, 15% of organizations focus on reducing operational expenses, and 14% seek new strategic opportunities.
Connected systems like industrial internet of things sensors and automated material handling enable these improvements. However, these same systems also determine whether production can run without interruption. Therefore, cybersecurity must be integrated directly into these operational technologies.
The Business Impact of Cyber Incidents
Cyber risks now present a direct threat to corporate revenue. The report states that nearly 60% of manufacturing organizations estimate that cyber incidents cause damages exceeding $1 million per event. Furthermore, the average duration of these operational disruptions is 15.3 hours.
Financial losses stem primarily from production halts and missed delivery commitments. In addition, these incidents can reduce overall equipment effectiveness and disrupt supply chains. Recovery requires re-establishing confidence in process parameters and quality records before resuming operations.
Achieving Cyber Resilience in Production
Modern security programs are integrating operational technology into corporate governance. This alignment helps organizations maintain cyber resilience by focusing on metrics that production leaders value. Specifically, these metrics include time to restore operations and backup confidence.
“As manufacturing environments become increasingly interconnected, cybersecurity shifts focus from merely adding protective layers to ensuring the availability, resilience, and integrity of production processes.”
Andrey Strelkov, Head of Industrial Cybersecurity Product Line at Kaspersky
He stated that the goal is to minimize operational impact and speed up recovery.
Operational Challenges and Shared Ownership
Despite these needs, challenges remain due to split ownership between departments. While 59% of IT departments manage security policies, these policies often overlook actual plant realities. Additionally, managing multiple security tools affects 44% of organizations, while 38% face patching issues.
To address these issues, companies must embed security into the daily routines of production and engineering teams. This integration helps maintain cyber resilience across the entire industrial network. Consequently, manufacturers can pursue digital transformation while protecting their operational continuity.
