Executive summary:
The manufacturing industry is heavily reliant on computer systems and technology to operate efficiently. However, outages and downtime can have significant consequences, including lost productivity, revenue, and material.This document will examine how activating Intel vPro® using Managed Application Platform (MAP) can help manufacturing companies recover quickly from outages and downtime, gain greater control over remote facilities, streamline management, and reduce costly downtime by enabling secure, efficient device management across the entire production environment.
Maintaining smooth production and secure operations in today’s digital manufacturing environment is no easy task. Managing a mix of unattended devices, “headless” systems in difficult to access or hazardous areas, remote facilities, and in new digital tools and machinery built on the Internet of Things (IoT) can be overwhelming—especially when every second of downtime impacts your bottom line.
And according to industry watchers:
“The cost of downtime in the manufacturing industry is approximately $260,000 per hour. Manufacturers experience approximately 800 hours (about 1 month) of downtime every year due to maintenance, tool breaks, adjustments, etc. Because so much of the business relies on technology running smoothly, the repercussions can be costly when you are unable to catch it ahead of time.” 1
And even today with high-availability servers that are designed to minimize downtime and ensure continuous operation, redundant storage and redundant networks that look to ensure that data can be sent and received if one network goes down; minimizing downtime at every operation is the number one goal for IT administrators in order to reduce overheads in manufacturing, according to manufacturing vertical vendor Cybernet.
It also observes that manufacturers sometimes overlook or underestimate the costs that downtime will cost their business unwittingly:
“Oftentimes, many think they aren’t able to eliminate downtime in some cases where they actually can and, even more commonly, vastly underestimate how much profit they’re actually losing.”
This, it says, results in IT Admins trusting in solutions that are perceived to be adequate but often prove ineffective when the proverbial matter hits the fan.
And with the outage example of the CrowdStrike incident, that was not covered by many insurance companies, many manufacturing companies are now scrambling for not just adequate solutions for remote management and recovery for PC inventory but also robust platforms that add extra levels of security and manageability for manufactures. Fully activated Intel vPro® in conjunction with the Managed Application Platform (MAP) from the 297 Cloud Company is one such solution that is fast gaining traction with IT admins in the manufacturing sector.
Benefits of Intel vPro® for Manufacturers
Intel vPro® empowers manufacturers with powerful remote management capabilities, enhanced security, and reduced operational costs. This in turn, helps address the core challenges faced in modern production environments:
- Advanced Remote Management
Intel vPro® allows IT admins to remotely manage, troubleshoot, and repair devices even when they are powered off or have crashed . This capability reduces the need for on-site visits, minimizing disruptions and service costs while keeping production running smoothly.
- Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
With automated management and remote support, Intel vPro® minimizes manual interventions, significantly reducing operational costs. This lets IT admins maintain a leaner IT team while ensuring the digital infrastructure operates efficiently.
- Enhanced Security
Intel vPro® provides hardware-enhanced security to protect from and to detect as quickly as possible malware and other threats that could lead to costly production outages. Intel® Hardware Shield increases security at all levels: below the operating system, at the operating system level and at application level. It also helps to ensure critical functions stay operational. And in case devices should get infected, the advanced remote management capabilities of Intel vPro® can be used to speed up the recovery phase.
Why MAP is Ideal for Activating Intel vPro® in Manufacturing
MAP accelerates the activation of Intel vPro®, enabling manufacturers to harness Intel vPro®’s powerful features quickly and seamlessly. While activating Intel vPro® across devices can typically take up to 180 days (about 6 months), MAP reduces this timeframe to just 1-2 days. This rapid activation provides quick access to Intel vPro’s ® remote management and security benefits, leading to substantial cost savings and operational efficiency.
For more information on how MAP can help activate Intel vPro® for your manufacturing business, click here.
