The world’s 500 largest companies lose $1.4 trillion each year to unplanned downtime, equivalent to about 11% of their revenue. For manufacturers, these losses ripple through production schedules, supply chains, and compliance requirements, resulting in expensive delays and penalties.
If you run a manufacturing company, you know how quickly these disruptions escalate. Executives see margins shrink, IT teams race to troubleshoot systems, and compliance officers prepare for audit fallout.
Choosing the best MSP for manufacturing is key to safeguarding operations and revenue.
This guide outlines five essential MSP capabilities and identifies warning signs to help you avoid costly mistakes when selecting a provider.
Key takeaways
- Require managed service providers (MSPs) to document SLAs, run quarterly disaster recovery tests, and optimize essential structures to reduce downtime.
- Insist on OT security services supported by case studies to protect regulated industries and secure supply chains.
- Demand 24/7 IT support and cloud computing expertise to streamline manufacturing operations and enable automation.
- Require cost-effective technology solutions that scale with the growth of manufacturing businesses.
- Insist on proactive monitoring and ROI metrics to prove efficiency and compliance gains.
Why Manufacturers Need a Specialized MSP
Modern factories must strike a balance between IT, OT, compliance, and security. A generic IT provider isn’t enough.
Complex IT and OT environments
Running a factory means coordinating ERP systems, MES platforms, and shop-floor OT simultaneously, and any mismatch can halt production. For instance, when a routine SAP ERP update disrupted MES data feeds, operators lost visibility into work orders for hours.
An experienced MSP relieves your IT manager from juggling patching, MES integrations, and OT security simultaneously.
Rising cyber threats in factories
Manufacturing remains one of the top targets for ransomware and ICS (Industrial Control Systems) attacks. Malware can infiltrate IT networks and then jump into OT systems, potentially locking controllers or halting equipment mid-shift.
According to Verizon, exploiting vulnerabilities as the initial access point tripled year-over-year, now accounting for 14% of breaches. An MSP that handles patching, endpoint monitoring, and OT-specific incident detection can reduce your attack surface before attackers exploit it.
Regulatory and compliance pressures
Compliance rules, such as CMMC, ISO 27001, FDA, and OSHA, extend far beyond paperwork. They determine if you can bid on contracts, keep certifications, and pass audits. Regulatory fines can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars per incident, and production downtime during an audit failure only adds to the cost.
A strong MSP will map your environment to frameworks like the NIST CSF, maintain documented controls, and regularly test response procedures. Request a compliance roadmap showing exactly how they support audits and ongoing monitoring.
5 Capabilities Every Manufacturing MSP Must Offer
The right MSP should offer more than break-fix IT support; it must regularly deliver capability-built solutions for the manufacturing industry.
OT/IT convergence expertise
Your provider should understand industrial protocols (e.g., Modbus, OPC-UA) and how to keep IT networks from interfering with OT reliability. For non-technical stakeholders, this means they can design network zones that isolate production systems so a single glitch doesn’t shut down the whole line.
ERP and MES support
Look for MSPs that can coordinate ERP updates, MES data flows, and project management timelines to minimize disruption during rollouts. Request client examples where they successfully coordinated ERP patches without disrupting MES or quality data collection. This demonstrates their ability to maintain uptime even during system updates.
Industrial cybersecurity focus
Security can’t be an afterthought; it must be engineered for industrial environments. That means 24/7 monitoring, regular vulnerability scans, and rehearsed incident response drills.
IBM reports that manufacturing has been the most targeted industry for ransomware for three consecutive years. That context matters: an MSP with a dedicated SOC, disciplined patching cadence, and OT-specific playbooks can keep threats from escalating into plant-wide shutdowns.
24/7 monitoring and disaster recovery
Choose a provider with SLAs that specify response times and mean time to resolution (MTTR). They should conduct routine backup tests and recovery simulations, ideally every quarter, to ensure that real-time data can be restored quickly in the event of equipment failure.
Documented manufacturing case studies
Request evidence of uptime improvements, downtime reductions, and compliance success rates from similar plants. Case studies should include trics, timelines, and ROI, allowing you to benchmark failure results before signing.
Red Flags: Signs an MSP Is Not a Fit for Manufacturers
No ever reduction supplier is built for the factory floor. Here’s how to spot the wrong fit before you sign.
Generic IT approach
If a proposal never mentions OT, ICS security, or production workflows, it’s a signal that the provider lacks experience in the manufacturing sector. They might manage servers and email systems well, but could still fall short in MES integration or shop-floor resilience.
Choose an IT partner with proven knowledge of network segmentation, PLC support, ERP systems, and compliance frameworks.
Compliance gaps can stall projects and inevitably lead to short-term damage. If MSP cannot demonstrate knowledge of CMMC, NIST CSF, or ISO 27001, you risk audit failures. Request their compliance certifications, supporting documentation, and a process for monitoring regulatory updates that affect manufacturers.
Slow or outsourced support
Downtime costs compound quickly; verify providers commit to on-site response times in writing. Watch for hidden pricing, including after-hours fees or vague billing increments, which can lead to unexpected costs during incidents. Clear contracts keep recovery predictable.
How Keystone Delivers MSP Value for Manufacturing
Keystone combines decades of manufacturing experience with proven processes to keep your operations running and secure.
Keystone brings over 25 years of experience supporting manufacturers, with ERP and MES specialists, as well as ICS security engineers, on staff. Their teams understand shop-floor priorities and can act quickly to stabilize systems or plan upgrades with minimal disruption.
Keystone reports measurable results: higher uptime percentages, fewer hours of unplanned downtime, and faster MTTR. These gains translate directly into more production time and fewer missed deliveries.
Cybercrime losses reached $16.6 billion in 2024, up 30% from 2023. Working with a security-focused MSP helps reduce the chance of becoming part of next year’s total.
Choose a Partner, Not Just a Provider
Choosing the best MSP for manufacturing means finding a partner who offers OT/IT expertise, ERP and MES support, industrial-grade cybersecurity, round-the-clock monitoring with clear SLAs, and measurable results. The right MSP helps prevent downtime, protect data, and keep you audit-ready.
See how Keystone’s MSP capabilities align with your manufacturing needs. Book a consultation today to strengthen uptime, security, and compliance without slowing production.
FAQs
What is the best MSP in the manufacturing industry?
The best MSP for manufacturing delivers scalable IT solutions, proven ERP/MES expertise, and industry-specific experience. Look for providers with case studies that demonstrate measurable results, such as higher uptime, faster troubleshooting, and seamless system onboarding.
A strong managed IT service provider (MSP) partnership should also align IT strategy with long-term goals, such as digital transformation and cloud migration.
How do you evaluate MSP SLAs?
Evaluate SLAs by seamless uptime guarantees, response times, and escalation paths. Strong agreements include backup verification, patching schedules, and quarterly disaster recovery simulations with documented results.
Ensure the SLA accounts for future IT needs, hybrid environments, and project cycles, allowing your team to focus on production while the MSP manages monitoring and remediation.
Why is cybersecurity critical for manufacturers?
Cyberattacks can halt production, corrupt ERP data, and cause compliance failures. Manufacturing is the top target for ransomware, and downtime can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour.
The best MSPs offer ICS segmentation, timely patching, monitored firewalls, and 24/7 SOC coverage with rehearsed playbooks to minimize disruptions and keep systems audit-ready.
