World Manufacturing Day Underscores the Critical Need for Secure Access Management

This World Manufacturing Day, the spotlight is on how manufacturers are embracing Industry 4.0—powered by IIoT, automation, and AI—while grappling with the security risks that accompany hyper-connected environments. Shared workstations, mobile devices, and third-party contractors are driving efficiency, but they also expand the attack surface for malicious actors. When uptime, safety, and intellectual property protection are mission-critical, a single compromised credential can ripple through supply chains and stall production, underscoring the need for robust identity and access security to bolster defenses.

With the expiration of CISA 2015 and the defunding of the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, government early-warning systems have disappeared overnight. Cyber adversaries are scaling up at unprecedented speed, using AI to make attacks faster, cheaper, and more precise. Critical industries like manufacturing are now top targets for ransomware, third-party data breaches, and supply chain disruptions. Experts are urging critical infrastructure industries to adopt new rules of authentication to keep up.

Resilient manufacturers are responding by enforcing least privilege, securing vendor and contractor access, and adopting Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) standards. Considering the EU’s NIS2 Directive and NIST’s updated cybersecurity framework for manufacturing, identity has become the new control point: passwordless authentication, session recording, and access monitoring are helping teams work faster while staying secure.

“As manufacturers embrace digital transformation, leaders must recognize that technology adoption goes beyond improving operations—it’s about gaining a competitive edge,” said Joel Burleson-Davis, Imprivata Chief Technology Officer, in a recent article published by AdvancedManufacturing.org. “Manufacturers that successfully navigate the security, compliance and workflow challenges of this evolving landscape will thrive in the digital age and fully capitalize on the benefits of digital transformation.”

Learn more about how digital identity can help manufacturing organizations balance security and compliance with workflow efficiency to better prepare for future threats.