Many manufacturing networks in India evolved organically over the years—one unmanaged switch added for a new production line, a Wi-Fi router dropped in for the warehouse, and a few “patch-and-go” fixes to keep downtime low. While these decisions made sense at the time, they introduced complexity and fragility into the plant environment, creating gaps in manufacturing network security and making modernization harder.
Flat networks, undocumented cabling, unmanaged devices, and limited security controls are still common. A Deloitte–DSCI study noted that 80% of Indian plants operate flat networks, a design that was never intended for Industry 4.0 connected factories, IT-OT convergence, or compliance-driven supply chains. This becomes increasingly risky as Indian manufacturers integrate smart systems, deal with US/EU customer audits, or pursue defense-linked certifications.
Why Manufacturing Networks Become Ad-Hoc (and Why It Becomes Risky)
The problem is rarely incompetence; it is a mix of operational realities and misaligned priorities:
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Plant expansion moves faster than IT network upgrades
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Multiple vendors install equipment without a consistent architecture
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No standardized IP addressing or network documentation
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OT environments prioritize uptime while IT teams prioritize control
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Cybersecurity is added late—often after an incident or audit request
The risk is not merely downtime. Flat networks amplify blast radius. A small ransomware infection, exposed remote access tool, or misconfigured switch can compromise production systems, steal sensitive designs, or trigger compliance failure—highlighting growing manufacturing network security challenges across Indian plants.
Step 1: Baseline Assessment — Know What You Really Have
Modernization should not begin with random upgrades or ad-hoc hardware replacement. It starts with visibility and assessment.
A structured baseline typically includes:
Physical audit
- Racks, cabling, and patch panels
- Fiber backbone paths
- Earthing and power conditions
Logical audit
- VLANs, routing, IP schemes
- NAT and firewall rule analysis
Device inventory
- Managed/unmanaged switches, APs, controllers, firewalls
OT asset mapping
- PLCs, SCADA, HMIs, historians, sensors, IIoT gateways
Performance baseline
- Peak bandwidth, latency-sensitive workloads, choke points
Security baseline
- Endpoint posture, remote access usage, segmentation gaps
This creates the blueprint for modernization without unnecessary disruption to production.
Step 2: Build a Clean Network Foundation
A manufacturing network should behave like a utility—predictable, resilient, and maintainable.
Key design elements include:
- Structured cabling refresh (Cat6/Cat6A, fiber backbone when required)
- Core–distribution–access hierarchy with redundancy
- Industrial-grade switching for harsh plant environments (dust, vibration, temperature)
- PoE planning for cameras, access control, sensors, and Wi-Fi
- Spare capacity planning for future lines or automation upgrades
Without this foundation, segmentation and compliance controls become difficult to implement.
Step 3: Segmentation — The Difference Between Connected and Secure
IT-OT convergence does not mean connecting everything. It means connecting systems safely. Segmentation plays a central role in manufacturing network security, reducing blast radius and accelerating troubleshooting. Studies show that MTTR improves by 40% in segmented networks—a direct impact on operational uptime.
Design considerations include:
• Separate the enterprise IT network from the OT network with firewalls
• OT cell/area architecture with machine-level isolation
• VLANs + ACLs + firewall policies for traffic control
• Industrial DMZ (IDMZ) for historians, jump servers, and patch servers
• Deny-by-default access for inter-zone communication
Legacy OT systems add urgency. Many PLCs and HMIs are unpatchable by design. With a 90% rise in ransomware attacks targeting manufacturing globally, segmentation is no longer optional. Regulatory triggers, including DPDP Act 2023 and MeitY advisories, are also reshaping compliance expectations for plants handling critical infrastructure or export-sensitive data.
Step 4: Secure Remote Access for OEMs and Support Teams
Plants rely on remote OEM support for CNC machines, PLCs, industrial software, and application troubleshooting. Historically, this was done via port forwarding or shared credentials—both high-risk approaches.
Modern alternatives include:
- VPN with MFA (Fortinet / Palo Alto)
- Controlled jump server inside IDMZ
- Time-bound remote session approvals
- Session logging and audit trails for compliance
- Vendor-wise segmentation (each vendor only sees their assets)
This safeguards uptime without exposing plant networks.
Step 5: Monitoring and Incident Readiness
Visibility drives reliability and security. Manufacturing networks cannot rely on “break-fix” firefighting.
Recommended monitoring stack:
- Network health (uptime, errors, congestion, port status)
- Firewall events integrated into SIEM/SOC workflows
- Alerts for rogue devices, new MAC addresses, policy violations
- Automated backups for switch and firewall configurations
Monitoring also supports compliance audits and faster recovery during incidents.
A Practical Upgrade Roadmap (90 Days to 12 Months)
A phased modernization approach minimizes operational disruption:
0–30 days
- Assessments, OT asset mapping, documentation
- Quick security fixes and remote access cleanup
30–90 days
- Segmentation design
- Core/distribution upgrades
- Industrial switching plan
3–6 months
- Firewall separation between IT and OT
- Secure remote access
- Monitoring + visibility stack
6–12 months
- Wi-Fi modernization
- Redundancy improvements
- Audit-readiness and compliance alignment
How Vays Infotech Can Help
Vays Infotech specializes in modernizing manufacturing networks with IT-OT convergence expertise:
- Network assessment + architecture redesign for manufacturing plants
- Cisco/Aruba enterprise switching and Wi-Fi modernization
- Fortinet/Palo Alto firewalls for IT-OT segmentation
- Industrial-grade switching and rugged plant infrastructure design
- Supermicro compute for OT DMZ (logging, jump servers, monitoring)
- Ongoing managed services: monitoring, troubleshooting, patching guidance, policy updates, and field support
