This is an original article by Elliot Forsyth, Vice President of Business Operations at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, part of the MEP National Network^TM.

Any business owner knows that information is a vital part of running a company. As manufacturing increasingly becomes more digitized, cybersecurity must become a standard component of doing business. If sensitive information—such as employee records, customer transactions or proprietary data—is comprised, it can have a devastating effect.

That’s why more and more manufacturers are taking steps to protect their information via good information security practices.

In a world where information security threats are constantly looming, it is important for companies – and required for manufacturers with Department of Defense contracts – to ensure they are protected and compliant. With the December 31, 2017 deadline for U.S Department of Defense’s cybersecurity compliance behind us, government contractors are required to demonstrate compliance in order to keep their contracts and gain new ones in 2018.

“Manufacturers have a variety of tools available to help pursue comprehensive organizational security, starting with cybersecurity. The first step is to determine one’s existing cybersecurity protections and tools and identify easy gaps to fill. Taking protective steps can decrease the time and resources spent on a security breach.”  - John Remsey, Senior Technical Specialist (IMEC)