Cyber Security Manufacturing Legacy Systems

For manufacturers, an unexpected outage can disrupt production schedules, delay customer deliveries and create significant financial pressure.

Traditionally, businesses have associated these risks with equipment breakdowns, supply chain shortages or operational failures. But an increasingly connected manufacturing environment introduces another major consideration: cyber security.

As manufacturers connect machinery, ERP systems, cloud applications and supplier platforms, a cyber incident can rapidly become a production problem.

Recent research from Make UK, the manufacturers’ organisation, reinforces why cyber resilience deserves board-level attention.

What Make UK’s 2026 Research Reveals

Make UK’s report, Cyber Security in Manufacturing (2026), highlights the operational implications of cyber incidents.

• 30% of surveyed manufacturers experienced incidents directly or through their supply chains, while 70% avoided incidents affecting operations.
• 46% of businesses reporting an impact experienced increased operational costs.
• 46% also experienced production downtime.
• 31% of manufacturers affected by supplier cyber incidents experienced delayed customer deliveries.

Source: Make UK, Cyber Security in Manufacturing, 2026, pages 3, 5, 6 and 8. These figures represent Make UK’s research, not Ficode customer outcomes.

These findings demonstrate how cyber risk extends beyond technical infrastructure.

Consider an engineering manufacturer operating CNC machinery, an ERP platform and a production scheduling application.

If its scheduling application becomes unavailable, the machinery might remain operational. However, employees could lose access to work orders, product specifications, inventory information and production priorities.

The resulting disruption can affect delivery commitments even without physical equipment failure.

Why Legacy Manufacturing Systems Need Attention

Many engineering businesses depend on technology accumulated over several decades.

Typical environments include:

• Legacy ERP and production management software
• Older manufacturing applications and databases
• Industrial equipment running proprietary control software
• Spreadsheets supporting operational processes
• Standalone systems with limited integration capabilities
• Remote maintenance connections used by equipment suppliers

Older technology is not automatically insecure. However, unsupported applications, weak authentication, poorly documented dependencies and unprotected connectivity can increase risk.

Replacing every existing system is rarely realistic or commercially justified.

A better approach is to understand the business importance, security status and operational dependencies of each application before deciding whether to maintain, protect, upgrade, integrate or replace it.

Five Technology Priorities for Manufacturing Cyber Resilience

1. Identify Critical Production Systems

Manufacturers should begin by identifying the applications and digital infrastructure that keep production running.

Ask which systems would prevent orders from progressing if they failed.

Document critical software, data dependencies, external providers, system owners and recovery requirements.

This creates a foundation for prioritising improvements based on operational consequences rather than technology age alone.

2. Modernise Legacy Applications Strategically

Legacy modernisation does not necessarily require a complete replacement programme.

Depending on the application, a manufacturer might improve infrastructure, upgrade components, introduce a controlled integration layer or gradually replace ageing functionality.

For example, a modern production dashboard could retrieve approved information from an existing ERP system without requiring immediate replacement of the ERP platform.

However, adding a modern interface does not eliminate vulnerabilities in the underlying software.

Security, supportability and recovery must remain central to the modernisation strategy.

3. Secure Connections Between Factory and Business Systems

Integrating ERP, CRM, warehouse applications and production systems can reduce manual data entry and improve visibility.

Every integration should incorporate appropriate authentication, authorisation, encryption, monitoring and logging.

Operational technology requires particular care because changes to industrial control environments can affect equipment availability and machinery safety.

Industrial systems should not be exposed directly to the internet merely to simplify integration.

4. Test Operational Recovery, Not Just Backups

A successful backup does not automatically mean a manufacturing operation can recover quickly.

Business leaders should understand how production schedules, inventory data, customer orders and manufacturing applications would be restored after disruption.

Make UK’s research found that 51% of surveyed manufacturers had internal incident response or recovery processes, while 45% had assigned senior leadership responsibility for cyber security.

Source: Make UK, 2026, page 12.

Manufacturers should establish clear responsibilities, test recovery procedures and consider approved manual alternatives for critical operational processes.

5. Include Security in AI and Automation Projects

AI-based forecasting, predictive maintenance, connected dashboards and automated workflows depend on reliable information and secure system access.

Before introducing new AI capabilities, businesses should determine what data the solution requires, who can access it, how decisions are validated and how operational processes continue if the technology becomes unavailable.

Appropriate human oversight is especially important where automated recommendations could affect production or safety.

Cyber Security Is Becoming a Commercial Requirement

Cyber resilience increasingly affects relationships between manufacturers and their customers.

According to Make UK’s 2026 research, 25% of surveyed manufacturers had been asked by customers to demonstrate cyber security compliance, while 23% had requested comparable assurance from their own suppliers.

Source: Make UK, 2026, page 7.

For manufacturing SMEs, appropriate cyber assurance can help demonstrate operational maturity and support customer confidence.

Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 can provide useful frameworks depending on business requirements and certification scope.

However, certification should complement practical technical controls, secure operational procedures and tested recovery plans.

A Practical 90-Day Technology Improvement Roadmap

Days 1–30: Assess

Identify critical applications, legacy technology, production integrations and supplier connections.

Review known vulnerabilities, recovery dependencies and existing ownership arrangements.

Days 31–60: Prioritise

Develop a risk-based improvement plan covering access controls, unsupported applications, secure integration, backups and recovery processes.

Separate urgent risks from longer-term modernisation opportunities.

Days 61–90: Implement and Validate

Introduce approved improvements in controlled stages, test recovery procedures and establish measurable objectives.

Develop a phased roadmap for application modernisation, cloud adoption, automation and data integration.

This is an illustrative framework. Actual implementation timelines depend on plant complexity, safety requirements and business priorities.

How Ficode Helps Manufacturing Businesses Modernise Securely

Ficode supports businesses through software engineering, legacy application modernisation, bespoke software development, cloud architecture, API integration, data and AI solutions.

Our focus is on understanding operational challenges and developing practical technology solutions that support reliability, visibility and growth.

We recognise that specialist industrial control-system security and machinery safety require appropriate operational technology and engineering expertise.

Final Thoughts

Modern manufacturing depends increasingly on connected technology.

Businesses should not have to choose between digital transformation and operational resilience.

By understanding critical system dependencies, addressing security weaknesses and modernising strategically, manufacturers can make technology improvements with greater confidence.

The most useful first step is identifying what keeps production running and what would happen if those systems became unavailable.

Is Your Manufacturing Technology Ready for the Next Stage of Growth?

Whether you are managing legacy applications, disconnected systems or exploring cloud, automation and AI, Ficode can help identify practical modernisation opportunities.

Discuss a Manufacturing Digital Operations Review with Ficode.

Visit Ficode Technologies

For practical manufacturing technology insights,

follow Ficode on LinkedIn.

Research Acknowledgement

This article contains original commentary and recommendations from Ficode Technologies Limited, informed in part by Make UK’s Cyber Security in Manufacturing (2026) report.

Research findings have been attributed to Make UK. No charts, photography or substantial portions of the original report have been reproduced.

Original research publisher:
Make UK.

Make UK has not sponsored, endorsed or approved this article. The technology recommendations and opinions are Ficode’s own.