The companion article in Process & Control magazine sets the broader context for why this matters. This piece is your operational checklist: the 10 things every manufacturer should know about real-time networks in 2026, with the data, decisions and definitions process and control leaders are asking about right now.

1. Real-time means deterministic, not just fast

Real-time in a manufacturing context does not mean low average latency. It means deterministic latency. Your network must guarantee a packet will arrive inside a known time window every time, not on average. A 5 ms link with occasional 200 ms jitter will break a closed-loop control system that a steady 10 ms link with no jitter would run cleanly.

For process and control engineers, this is the same principle as a deterministic fieldbus, applied to the wide-area network. It is also why best-effort internet, even fast best-effort internet, is the wrong substrate for industrial control traffic. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards under IEEE 802.1 are the formal framework vendors are now building toward.

2. Your plants are generating more data than your network was built to carry

IDC forecasts that connected IoT devices will generate 79.4 zettabytes of data globally in 2025, with the industrial and automotive category growing fastest at a 60% compound annual growth rate. Inside a single plant, that translates into individual machines producing gigabytes of telemetry every day, with a modern smart factory running hundreds of such systems.

AI workloads make the pressure worse. McKinsey’s State of AI 2025 reports that 88% of companies now use AI regularly in at least one function, up from 78% the year before. For manufacturers, that AI rides the same network as control traffic, telemetry, video analytics and security data. If your network was designed before that traffic existed, the bandwidth headroom you thought you had is already gone.

3. Hybrid and multi-cloud is the new default. Your network has to match.

The first wave of cloud adoption was about offloading everything possible to public providers. That has matured. Most manufacturers now run hybrid or multi-cloud, with workloads placed where they make operational and economic sense. Latency-sensitive control loops live at the edge. ERP and analytics sit in the cloud. Regulated data stays on-premises.

In Europe, GDPR and sovereignty initiatives like GAIA-X reinforce the case for keeping selected workloads inside national or regional boundaries. The implication for your network is direct. It has to span edge, on-premises and multiple clouds with consistent performance and a single security policy, not three different policy regimes glued together.

4. Edge AI has moved from pilot to production

The Siemens and NVIDIA partnership announced in 2025 is a useful marker. The two companies expanded their work to deliver AI-powered assistance for factory floor operations that runs on-premises, on industrial PCs built to withstand heat, dust and vibration while supporting AI-based robotics and predictive maintenance. Edge AI is no longer a slide. It is hardware on the floor.

“The future of smart manufacturing will be determined by who builds a secure, unified and resilient network fabric capable of enabling those innovations at scale.”

Richard Aspinall, SVP Enterprise Europe, GTT (Process & Control magazine, January 2026)

5. Legacy networks were not built for this level of interoperability

Most plant networks installed before 2020 were designed for a different traffic pattern: predictable flows between known endpoints inside the plant. Today the same network may need to carry video analytics, OPC UA traffic, ERP queries, security telemetry and cloud backup at once.

Three failure modes show up consistently. Incompatibility between OT and IT segments. Latency spikes under load. Bandwidth ceilings that throttle exactly the workloads your business is investing in. None of these are visible until the failure occurs in production.

6. Network performance is now a process metric

For the process and control community, this is the headline point. Network performance is no longer an IT metric in a separate dashboard. It is a process metric. If predictive maintenance data does not arrive in time, the maintenance window is missed. If a quality control video stream drops frames, the defect classifier under-reports. If a safety monitoring packet is delayed, your safety case is weakened.

Data integrity and output quality sit downstream of network determinism. Plants that treat the network as plant infrastructure, owned and reviewed alongside the PLCs, drives and DCS, see fewer of these surprises than plants that treat the network as IT overhead.

7. Security has to be designed in, not bolted on

Every new connected asset is a new attack surface. The current generation of attacks against manufacturing exploits the same convergence of IT and OT that enables smart manufacturing in the first place. Secure access service edge (SASE) architectures collapse networking and security into one policy fabric, which is the direction most large manufacturers are now moving.

The practical test is simple. Does your security policy follow the workload across edge, on-premises and cloud, or does each environment have its own rulebook? The latter is where most breaches start.

8. Network modernization pays for itself through avoided downtime

Siemens’ True Cost of Downtime 2024 report puts the cost of unplanned downtime in automotive at $2.3 million per hour, and finds that downtime now consumes 11% of annual revenue for the world’s 500 largest companies, totaling $1.4 trillion globally, up from $864 billion five years earlier. Across manufacturing sectors more broadly, Aberdeen Research puts the average cost of unplanned downtime at roughly $260,000 per hour.

Bring that math to your CFO. A network refresh that prevents even one major outage a year typically pays for itself inside 12 months. This is not a connectivity upgrade. It is an uptime investment.

9. Managed service partnerships are the default operating model

Few manufacturers carry the in-house network engineering depth to design, deploy and operate a globally consistent, low-latency, security-integrated fabric across 10 to 50 sites. That is why managed service providers have become the default operating model rather than the outsourced alternative. The right partner builds your system requirements, security posture and scalability into the design from day one, not as add-ons after deployment.

10. The competitive gap will widen through 2026 and 2027

Manufacturers that modernize their networks first will compound the advantage. Their AI initiatives ship faster because the data moves. Their predictive maintenance works because the telemetry is reliable. Their plants are easier to audit because security policy is consistent. Manufacturers that wait will spend the same money 18 months later under more pressure, while losing share to competitors who got there first.

This is the underlying message of the Process & Control article. The infrastructure gap is not a technical risk. It is a competitive one.

Summary: the 10 points at a glance

Who this article is for, and when it isn’t the right fit

Who this is for:

• Process and control engineers and managers responsible for plant uptime and data integrity
• Manufacturing CIOs and IT directors scoping a multi-site network refresh
• Operations leaders evaluating the business case for an SD-WAN, SASE or Cloud Connect program
• Plant managers planning IoT, edge AI or predictive maintenance rollouts

When this isn’t the right fit:

• Single-site, single-country operations with low data-volume workloads. A managed broadband service may be sufficient.
• Greenfield builds where the architecture decisions are still in the design phase. Start with a network architecture review rather than a procurement.
• Non-industrial environments. The determinism arguments here are specific to process and control workloads.

Frequently asked questions

What is a real-time manufacturing network?

A real-time manufacturing network is a low-latency, high-bandwidth, deterministic network fabric that connects industrial control systems, edge devices and cloud workloads with the predictability industrial processes require. It guarantees packet delivery inside a known time window every time, not just on average.

Why is deterministic latency more important than low latency in industrial networks?

Closed-loop control systems break under jitter, not under steady latency. A 10 ms link with no jitter is more useful in a process and control context than a 5 ms link with 200 ms spikes. Determinism, the guarantee that delay stays inside a known window, is what protects process stability.

What is the role of edge AI in smart manufacturing?

Edge AI runs inference close to the machine rather than in a remote cloud. In 2026, edge AI is in production for predictive maintenance, quality inspection and robotics. Partnerships such as Siemens with NVIDIA have moved AI-powered factory floor assistance onto purpose-built industrial PCs.

How does GDPR and GAIA-X affect manufacturing network design in Europe?

GDPR and initiatives like GAIA-X push European manufacturers toward sovereignty-aware architectures, where selected workloads stay inside national or regional boundaries. This rules out a pure public-cloud-only design and reinforces the case for hybrid and multi-cloud fabrics.

What does SASE add to a manufacturing network?

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) collapses networking and security into one policy fabric that follows the workload across edge, on-premises and cloud. For manufacturers, that means consistent security policy across all sites, instead of separate rulesets for each environment.

What does a managed service provider do for a manufacturing network?

A managed service provider designs, deploys and operates the network on your behalf, including system requirements, security posture and scalability. For multi-site manufacturers, a managed service partner is now the default operating model rather than a fallback to in-house engineering.

How much data does a smart factory generate?

IDC forecasts 79.4 zettabytes of IoT data globally in 2025, with the industrial and automotive segment growing fastest at 60% CAGR. Inside a single plant, machines can each generate gigabytes of telemetry daily, and a smart factory may run hundreds of such systems concurrently.

What does manufacturing downtime cost?

Siemens’ True Cost of Downtime 2024 report puts the average cost at $260,000 per hour across manufacturing sectors, rising to $2.3 million per hour in automotive. Unplanned downtime now consumes 11% of annual revenue for the world’s 500 largest companies, totaling $1.4 trillion globally.

Where GTT fits

GTT helps global manufacturers connect, secure and simplify the network fabric that smart manufacturing depends on. Managed SD-WAN, SASE and Cloud Connect services run on the GTT Tier 1 backbone, with 75% of customer traffic staying on the GTT network for performance, control and security. The GTT Envision platform gives you predictive analytics and AI-driven orchestration across edge, on-premises and cloud, so you can see and act on what your network is doing in real time.

Ready to simplify your global manufacturing network? Talk to a GTT expert today.

Related GTT reading

• How GTT supports global manufacturers with managed SD-WAN, SASE and Cloud Connect.
• Customer story: Röchling Automotive. Global connectivity across 40 sites.

As the silicon ceiling rises, the baseline for human contribution must evolve.

We are entering an era where the most valuable person in the room is no longer the one who can process the most data, but the one who can leverage the analysis to navigate the complexities of human thinking, emotion and behavior. In my work as a leader of a large part of the GTT sales organization in Europe, it is clear to me that human emotional quotient – EQ – is quickly becoming the critical skill our employees are leveraging to ensure effective communication, positive teamwork and successful conflict resolution.

The changing value of “hard” skills

For decades, professional value followed a familiar formula: credentials, tenure and technical expertise. While these capabilities remain important, their standalone value is being diluted.

AI now processes information, analyzes patterns and executes operational tasks at a speed and scale no human can rival. If a role’s value proposition is purely algorithmic, it is competing directly with a machine that does not tire, pause or doubt.

This is not a threat. It is an invitation.

To thrive, we must lean into what makes us human. Emotion, curiosity, judgment, courage and creativity are not “soft skills”; they are differentiators. We are built to evolve, and this next stage of evolution demands a renewed focus on capabilities that cannot be replicated in code.

Where the machine reaches its limit

AI is unrivaled in efficiency, but it remains limited in the nuances of human experience. There are critical territories where the human advantage endures.

Ethical judgment sits firmly in human hands. AI can follow rules, but it cannot balance values, context and consequence in morally complex situations.

Radical creativity remains human‑led. Machines optimize and iterate; humans imagine, challenge norms and connect ideas in unexpected ways.

And while AI can simulate empathy, it cannot feel it. Authentic connection, trust‑building and high‑stakes communication require emotional resonance that no model can truly possess.

These are not optional attributes. They are leadership essentials.

Human + Machine at GTT

At GTT, we do not see AI as a force that replaces people. We see it as a tool that elevates them.

We are embracing AI as a complementary capability, investing across the organization to ensure it is deployed thoughtfully, ethically and in service of better outcomes. Dedicated teams focus on integration, governance and value creation. Dedicated leaders, seeking to create working environments built on trust, openness and psychological safety.

I am particularly proud of GTT’s targeted investment in upskilling, encouragement of curiosity and critical thinking. Living our company values of customer ownership, collective impact and adaptive mindset depend on each of us building more knowledge, every day.

The bottom line

The AI revolution is exciting, and its impact on efficiency is undeniable. But efficiency is not the same as value.

True value is born from the human perspective. By investing in emotional intelligence, ethical leadership and creativity, and embedding these qualities into our culture, we ensure our people do more than keep pace with technology.

They lead.

The machine can handle the logic. The future belongs to those who bring the soul.

But enterprise communications continue to evolve, and voice is no longer a standalone system sitting beside the network. It’s becoming part of a broader digital communications environment shaped by cloud platforms, AI-driven operations, distributed workforces and integrated customer experiences.

That changes the role SIP trunking plays.

Today, SIP trunking is less about replacing legacy phone lines and more about creating the foundation for a future-ready communications strategy.

SIP trunking as the communications layer for modern infrastructure

Modern enterprise communications depend on flexibility. Users expect to move between voice, video, messaging and collaboration tools without friction. IT leaders need communications environments that can integrate with global cloud platforms and support business scalability and continuity without multiplying complexity.

SIP trunking supports that as it operates as a flexible IP-based communications layer rather than a fixed hardware system. It connects legacy infrastructure, cloud telephony, unified communications and collaboration platforms into a more centralized environment. That’s especially important for enterprises operating across multiple regions and workforce models.

Supporting cloud communications and UCaaS environments

Many organizations are standardizing around cloud-based communications platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom and Google Voice. SIP trunking enables those platforms to connect reliably into enterprise voice environments while supporting global calling, number management and PSTN connectivity.

This delivers a more unified communications environment where collaboration tools, voice services and business workflows operate together instead of through disconnected systems.

That integration also helps organizations avoid creating new silos while modernizing old ones.

Supporting distributed and hybrid workforces

Hybrid work permanently changed expectations around communications. Employees are no longer working from a single location using a single device; teams constantly move between offices, home networks, mobile devices and cloud collaboration environments.

Traditional telephony systems were never designed for that level of fluidity. But SIP trunking can support more flexible communication models while still adhering to the realities of geographic regulations. You need a strategy that balances modern functionality with local oversight. GTT helps you structure your communications to keep your hybrid workforce connected and fully compliant.

That flexibility simplifies workforce support while improving scalability during growth or organizational restructuring.

What comes beyond SIP Trunking?

While SIP trunking remains foundational, the larger transformation is happening around it. Communications infrastructure is becoming more intelligent and more automated while being more tightly integrated with broader networking and security strategies.

Several trends are already shaping what comes next.

AI-driven communications and operational intelligence

As AI continues to be embedded in enterprise communications, expectations are changing quickly. Organizations are exploring how AI can improve call routing, automate repetitive support interactions, surface operational insights and reduce the burden on overstretched IT and service teams.

Some of those capabilities remain early-stage for many enterprises. Still, it’s clear that communications systems are becoming more context-aware and data-driven. Over time, organizations will increasingly expect voice environments to support:

• Intelligent call routing based on availability, geography or business priority
• Automated transcription and conversation analysis
• Performance analytics tied to customer experience outcomes
• Faster troubleshooting through AI-assisted operational insights
• Integration between communications data and broader business workflows

Those capabilities depend on modern IP-based infrastructure. Legacy telephony systems were not designed to support the level of integration and data visibility.

Global resiliency and failover become business requirements

Business continuity planning used to focus heavily on data centers and applications. Now communications infrastructure is part of that conversation too. A regional outage or local carrier failure can disrupt customer support and revenue-generating operations within minutes.

Modern SIP architectures offer far more advanced resiliency models than traditional telephony environments. Organizations can build redundant SIP trunk configurations across multiple regions and providers. Calls can fail over automatically to alternate sites, mobile devices or backup routing paths when primary services are unavailable.

In practice, that means:

• Inbound calls can reroute automatically during outages
• Critical support lines can remain operational during regional disruptions
• Disaster recovery planning becomes more dynamic and less dependent on physical infrastructure
• Communications continuity can extend across globally distributed operations

For globally distributed enterprises, customers expect uninterrupted access regardless of what is happening behind the scenes.

Communications convergence with networking and security

Another major shift is the growing convergence between networking, security and communications. Historically, these environments were often managed separately. That separation created operational silos, inconsistent visibility and fragmented troubleshooting processes.

Modern infrastructure strategies are moving toward more integrated operating models. Communications environments increasingly need to align with broader initiatives around SASE, SD-WAN, Zero Trust security and cloud networking. Organizations want centralized visibility, simpler policy management and fewer disconnected vendor relationships.

This is where broader platform strategies become important.

GTT’s Envision platform approach, for example, is designed around centralized visibility, orchestration and management across networking, security and cloud environments. SIP trunking fits naturally into that larger ecosystem because voice services increasingly operate as part of the overall digital experience rather than as standalone infrastructure.

Why timing matters

The reality is that many businesses still view voice modernization as something they can delay. But several forces are making that increasingly difficult.

While legacy telecommunications infrastructure continues to age out globally, cloud communications adoption is accelerating. Workforce expectations have gone beyond the point of no return. AI-enabled operational models are beginning to influence how organizations think about customer interaction and collaboration.

At the same time, IT teams are being asked to simplify environments while improving resilience and scalability.

Delaying modernization often means continuing to invest resources into systems that are becoming harder to support and increasingly disconnected from broader business priorities.

Organizations do not need to solve every communications challenge at once. However, they do need an infrastructure foundation capable of adapting to what comes next.

Building toward a future-ready communications strategy

Rather than a simple telephony upgrade, SIP trunking now acts as the bridge between legacy communications systems and a more flexible, cloud-aligned operating model.

The organizations making the most progress are treating voice modernization as part of a broader transformation strategy tied to networking, security, cloud adoption and digital experience. That approach creates room to evolve.

New collaboration platforms can be integrated more easily. Resiliency improves. Operational complexity decreases and communications infrastructure are better aligned with how modern enterprises actually operate.

And perhaps most importantly, IT teams spend less time maintaining rigid systems built for yesterday’s operating model.

Assess whether your communications environment is positioned to support the next phase of enterprise transformation or still constrained by infrastructure designed for a different era.

A regional office loses service when a local carrier issue takes down a physical circuit. Opening a new site gets delayed as teams wait weeks for provisioning. IT continues supporting aging PBX hardware long after the main tech stack has moved to the cloud. As telecom contracts multiply, costs drift upward without anyone noticing the operational drag.

For many enterprises, voice infrastructure is still built around assumptions that no longer hold up (i.e. fixed office locations, predictable expansion cycles and centralized workforces).

Business operations changed. Communications systems often did not.

Distributed teams now work across both geographic regions and cloud platforms. While customers expect uninterrupted access, IT leaders are pressured to simplify environments and support growth without adding more complexity.

That shift is one reason SIP trunking has become such an important modernization step. SIP trunking moves enterprise voice communications away from traditional phone lines and onto an IP-based model designed for scalability and cloud integration. It removes many of the physical limitations that make legacy telephony expensive and difficult to manage across modern environments.

For organizations modernizing networks or preparing for broader cloud transformation, SIP trunking is increasingly foundational.

What SIP trunking actually is

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol. In practical terms, SIP trunking replaces traditional analog or PRI phone lines with virtual voice connections delivered over an IP network.

Instead of routing calls through dedicated physical circuits from local telecom providers, SIP trunks carry voice traffic across internet or private data connections. The connection between the business phone system and the public switched telephone network becomes digital, centralized and far easier to manage.

However, the technical explanation matters less than the operational outcome. SIP trunking turns voice into a scalable service rather than a collection of fixed hardware dependencies. Capacity can expand without installing new physical lines and locations can be added without redesigning the environment wholesale. Voice becomes easier to integrate into broader networking and cloud strategies.

In other words, modernization no longer requires a full rip-and-replace.

Many enterprises use SIP trunking to bridge existing infrastructure with newer cloud communications platforms. That flexibility allows organizations to modernize in phases while extending the life of prior investments.

Why enterprise leaders are prioritizing SIP trunking

Plenty of emerging technologies promise transformation while creating new operational headaches. In contrast, SIP trunking addresses several persistent communications challenges at once.

1. Scale without infrastructure bottlenecks. Traditional telephony scales slowly because physical infrastructure scales slowly. Expanding into a new office or region often requires additional circuits, local carrier coordination, onsite hardware installation and lengthy provisioning timelines. SIP trunking removes much of that friction. Capacity can be added or adjusted far more quickly through software and centralized provisioning. IT teams gain the flexibility to support growth, acquisitions or seasonal demand spikes without redesigning the underlying voice environment each time the business changes.

2. Greater operational consistency. Global enterprises frequently inherit fragmented telecom environments through growth and acquisition. Different regions rely on different carriers. Billing models vary and support processes differ from office to office. As visibility becomes inconsistent, troubleshooting often turns into a coordination exercise between multiple vendors. SIP trunking supports a more centralized operating model via a single global carrier partner. Voice policies and provisioning can be managed more consistently across regions instead of treating every office like a separate telecommunications environment. For IT teams already trying to simplify sprawling infrastructure estates, that operational consistency matters.

3. Better alignment with cloud communications. Voice systems no longer operate in isolation. Employees expect calling, messaging, video meetings and collaboration tools to work seamlessly across devices and locations. Businesses are increasingly standardizing around unified communications platforms. SIP trunking provides the connectivity layer that supports those environments. It integrates with cloud telephony and unified communications platforms while allowing organizations to maintain control over network performance and global voice services. GTT supports integrations across platforms including Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, Cisco Webex Calling, Zoom Phone and Google SIP Link.

The business benefits of SIP trunking

1. Global reach without regional telecom sprawl. Large enterprises often end up managing a patchwork of regional telecom providers over time. Different countries bring different carrier contracts and support requirements. Eventually, the environment becomes difficult to govern and even harder to optimize. With SIP trunking organizations can establish local numbers in multiple regions without maintaining physical infrastructure in every market. Calls can be routed more intelligently across locations, preserving a consistent user experience for employees and customers. That consolidation also improves visibility. IT leaders gain a clearer view into service quality and usage patterns across the business instead of piecing together reports from disconnected providers. For globally distributed enterprises, that simplification alone can justify the transition.

2. Lower operational costs. Legacy telephony environments accumulate expenses that businesses gradually accept as unavoidable: dedicated circuits, aging PBX hardware, long-distance charges, maintenance contracts and overlapping telecom vendors. SIP trunking helps reduce those costs by consolidating voice and data traffic onto shared IP infrastructure. Businesses often replace multiple regional telecom agreements with a more centralized operating model and a more predictable expense structure. Hardware requirements shrink. Maintenance overhead decreases. Scaling no longer requires the same level of physical investment. The savings are important, yes, but the larger advantage is strategic. Resources spent maintaining outdated voice systems can instead support modernization initiatives tied to cloud adoption or digital experience improvements.

3. Stronger cloud and hybrid workforce support. Hybrid work exposed many of the weaknesses in traditional telephony. Systems designed around fixed office locations struggled to support distributed teams and mobile-first communication patterns. SIP trunking fits far more naturally into modern operating environments. Calls can be routed across offices, remote users and cloud collaboration platforms without relying on location-specific infrastructure. Employees gain a more consistent communications experience wherever they are working. That flexibility also helps organizations adapt faster during periods of growth or restructuring.

4. Greater resilience and continuity. Legacy phone systems often appear stable right up until a local outage exposes their limitations. A simple damaged circuit or unexpected power disruption can leave an office unreachable since the infrastructure was built around fixed physical dependencies. SIP trunking introduces resilient failover options. Calls can be rerouted dynamically to backup connections or mobile devices when primary services fail. Advanced SIP architectures can support geographic redundancy and disaster recovery routing strategies that help preserve customer access and internal coordination during outages. That flexibility is increasingly critical for organizations operating across multiple regions where downtime quickly becomes both a customer experience issue and a revenue issue.

Why legacy voice systems are falling behind

The challenge with legacy telephony is not simply that the technology is “old.” It’s more that traditional voice infrastructure was designed for a business environment that no longer exists.

Scaling physical phone systems across distributed operations is slow and expensive. Supporting hybrid workforces introduces additional complexity. Integrating legacy environments with modern cloud communications platforms often requires layers of workarounds and specialized support.

Meanwhile, many countries are actively retiring older telecommunications infrastructure. ISDN and POTS services are being phased out across major markets including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States. Enterprises that continue relying on legacy circuits will eventually face both operational limitations and diminishing carrier support.

Still, expectations around communications continue to rise. Employees expect seamless collaboration across devices and platforms. As customers expect uninterrupted availability, IT organizations must also simplify operations while improving agility.

Traditional voice environments were never designed for that level of flexibility.

SIP trunking as the first step toward modernization

For most enterprises, modern voice infrastructure increasingly connects into broader strategies around unified communications, cloud networking, AI-driven operations and integrated digital experiences. SIP trunking establishes the foundational flexibility required to support those next phases without staying locked into aging telecommunications models.

Organizations that modernize voice infrastructure now are putting themselves in a stronger position to support global growth and adapt faster to evolving communications technologies.

But what comes after SIP trunking itself?

In the next blog, we’ll explore how SIP trunking supports future-ready communications environments built around cloud platforms, intelligent automation, resiliency and AI-enabled collaboration.

Evaluate whether your current voice infrastructure is helping the business scale or slowing modernization efforts behind the scenes.

Ransomware incidents across the industry rose 61% year-on-year based on KELA data². When these attacks land, they freeze supply chains and cost real money. Jaguar Land Rover’s 2025 cyber incident forced weeks of global production shutdowns³. That event caused a massive industrial stoppage.

Most headlines miss the core issue. The threat landscape simply exists. The real vulnerability stems from the security architecture sitting underneath it. By rethinking your approach to manufacturing cybersecurity, you can protect your production lines and safeguard your bottom line.

The real vulnerability is structural

Most global manufacturers built their security posture piece by piece instead of designing it as a single governed system. You might have a firewall estate in one region and a remote access tool in another. Your teams define policies centrally but enforce them inconsistently. This creates a security program that operates as a collection of loosely connected parts.

This fragmentation has measurable consequences. Manufacturing accounts for 71% of ransomware incidents across all industrial sectors according to Dragos in Q2 2025⁴. An Illumio report from October 2025 shows 77% of organizations monitor east-west traffic, yet 40% of that traffic lacks sufficient context for confident investigation⁵. Attackers move laterally without detection nearly half the time. The monitoring exists, but the architecture cannot produce a coherent picture. You face an architecture gap rather than a technology gap.

Regulation compounds the issue

The tightening regulatory environment makes fragmented security architectures dangerous. Frameworks like NIS2 in Europe and CMMC in North America carry strict compliance requirements which bring mandatory reporting obligations and enforcement mechanisms.

If you operate across multiple countries, the compliance burden multiplies. You must apply different regulatory regimes to an estate that cannot report on itself consistently. The teams managing this compliance also keep the network running day to day so they are overextended.

Why point products fail

When facing a new threat, many leaders buy a new security product. They purchase a better firewall or a SASE manufacturing overlay for cloud traffic. These point products solve specific problems but ignore the structural gap.

The main challenge is consistently enforcing the same policies across every site. You must detect threats moving laterally between IT and OT environments and produce audit-ready NIS2 compliance manufacturing evidence without assembling it manually from six different consoles. Focus must shift from product selection to architecture.

Achieving cyber resilience manufacturing at scale

An effective approach means you embed security into the network. SASE, managed detection and response, DDoS mitigation, ZTNA and managed firewall services must operate as a single architecture. You manage this centrally through the GTT Envision platform. GTT Envision is a platform rather than a simple portal. It delivers security governance without adding operational complexity. It adapts to the realities of each site, from a modernized cloud-connected facility to a legacy OT environment with limited change windows, while maintaining centralized policy and compliance oversight.

GTT operates a Tier 1 global backbone with over 400 points of presence across six continents. This means we deliver security services on-net rather than routing them through third-party infrastructure. GTT takes accountability for the full lifecycle. We handle deployment, standardization, monitoring and response across your entire estate. GTT acts as a true partner and a comprehensive service provider.

Rethinking your security architecture

The threat statistics will not improve on their own. Reacting to each new headline with another point product wastes resources and cause team burnout. You need to look honestly at your architecture and ask if it fits the environment it protects.

For most global manufacturers, the answer is no. Assess your current setup and identify where fragmented tools leave gaps in your OT security manufacturing strategy. Read our detailed solution brief, Built-In Cyber Resilience to learn how industry leaders build true cyber resilience manufacturing.