From IT problem to business problem: why cyber threats are hitting production directly

oliviahiljegren6
1 day ago
2 min read

Updated: 17 minutes ago

The cyberattack against Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in August was a wake-up call for the entire manufacturing industry. According to the independent organization Cyber Monitoring Centre, the attack cost the British economy £1.9 billion, the equivalent of almost 24 billion SEK and forced JLR to halt production for six weeks.

As a distributor, and you as an MSP, we both know this wasn’t just an isolated incident. It’s important to reach out to your customers and help them understand that this is a sign of a larger shift, where cyber threats have moved from being an IT problem to becoming a business problem.

When OT meets IT

As manufacturing companies connect their production systems, machines, and logistics flows, IT and OT (Operational Technology) are merging. This creates enormous opportunities, but also new risks that many companies are not aware of.

A breach in a production system today can:

Halt entire production lines in real time
Disrupt supply chains
Force costly recoveries and production downtime
Damage brand reputation and customer trust

That’s why cyber threats can no longer be handled solely by the IT department. Security must now be a strategic issue for the entire organization.

What does this mean for you and your customers?

For MSPs, this shift represents both new responsibility and new business opportunity.Customers operating in industry, production, and logistics need stronger cybersecurity and consistent IT policies across all levels. They need a cyber resilience strategy - the ability to withstand, respond to, and recover from attacks without business interruption.

As a distributor, we’ve seen that the most successful MSPs today:

Work closely with the customer’s business:They start by understanding which processes are most critical and build their security strategy accordingly. Many even introduce minimum protection requirements. If a customer refuses to implement certain basic safeguards, they decline the partnership.
Integrate IT and OT security:They see the bigger picture. Production systems and office networks are tightly connected, so security must cover both. Segmentation and specialized monitoring reduce the risk of attacks spreading.
Offer continuous monitoring and response:Traditional protections like firewalls and antivirus are no longer enough. 24/7 monitoring and rapid incident response are now standard, combined with robust backup and recovery solutions. The goal is to build resilience, not just defense.
Educate customer personnel:Humans remain the biggest risk factor. Regular training and phishing simulations strengthen security culture and reduce human error.

The next step for the industry

Gridheart is always here to support you, and we’d be happy to meet and discuss how you can better address your customers’ needs and drive the right security dialogue.