Manufacturers require a robust and reliable data center to accommodate the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software products that lie at the heart of their everyday business and production operations.

Manufacturing firms, despite their smokestack and blue-collar image, are increasingly finding themselves propelled onto the digital revolution's front line. These days, many manufacturing executives and managers are as familiar with business intelligence dashboards as they are with industrial valves. Manufacturers need the data center to provide a strong and secure base for information and knowledge storage and distribution.

With ERP modules playing an increasingly important role in their daily operations, system uptime is a major concern for most manufacturers. Companies that create consumer and business products also require strong security to protect proprietary processes and formulas from competitors and counterfeiters. Meanwhile, manufacturers that handle toxic materials, or that emit waste into the air, water or landfills, face regulatory mandates from local, state, and federal authorities that require them to maintain accurate and detailed records in a secure environment.

To interconnect a distributed network of offices, plants, and suppliers, manufacturers require access to strong, reliable, and flexible network services. Additionally, with more ERP software products shifting to a hosted model, a growing number of manufacturers are relying on secure, performance-oriented and redundant network services to link their employees, customers, and suppliers with the applications and data they need to make informed decisions. Furthermore, virtually every manufacturer requires data center operations to advance and flawlessly support business continuity and backup plans. While plants and production lines may be knocked out of commission by storms, fires, and other catastrophes, access to critical information must remain continuously available. Therefore, manufacturers depend on reliable power, cooling and other essential services.

While most manufacturers approach new technologies conservatively and cautiously, they also need to keep a close eye on the bottom line in a highly challenging economic environment. As a rapidly maturing technology, virtualization helps manufacturers keep a lid on spiraling IT costs without losing control over their data.

Solution
IO provides a highly reliable, industrial-grade data center service infrastructure that is engineered to deliver to the customer's service level objective. From modular data centers to private cloud computing to high-capacity network services, IO can accomodate the IT requirements of any size manufacturer, both here and abroad.

Learn more on how IO can help.