A 50-employee machine shop in Los Angeles needs infrastructure designed for uptime, ERP stability, and secure access to CAD files, not just basic office connectivity. A practical baseline includes a segmented network (office vs production), a business-grade firewall, managed switching/Wi-Fi, MFA, endpoint/server protection, and restore-tested backups. Many shops aim to restore ERP within 4–12 hours and validate restore capability via monthly/quarterly testing.
The 6-Layer Infrastructure Blueprint (Machine Shop Edition)
Connectivity and Remote Access
- Secure remote access with MFA
- No exposed RDP
- Vendor access restricted and logged
- Network Segmentation (Office vs Production vs Servers)
A simple model:
- Office network
- Production network
- Server zone (ERP, file servers, backups)
- Guest Wi-Fi isolated
- Core Security Stack
Minimum baseline:
- Managed firewall with logging/alerts
- EDR on endpoints + servers
- Email security controls
- Standard patching process
- Identity and Access Controls
- MFA for all users
- Separate admin accounts
- Least privilege (no local admin by default)
- Clean offboarding process
- Data Layer (ERP + CAD)
- Tight access control to CAD shares
- Storage capacity monitoring
- Versioning/change control where practical
- Backups and Disaster Recovery (Tested)
Practical cadence:
- Monthly restore spot checks
- Quarterly full restore tests
- Annual DR simulation for critical systems
What a “Good” 50-Employee Setup Usually Includes
VLAN segmentation + documented network map
- Managed firewall with alerting
- EDR on endpoints + servers
- MFA enforced for users and admins
- Immutable/offsite backups with restore logs
Illustrative Scenario: Segmentation Without Disrupting Shop-Floor Operations
A 50-employee CNC shop in Los Angeles had a flat network where office devices, production systems, and servers all lived in the same space. Intermittent outages and security concerns were increasing, but production couldn’t afford disruption.
After a structured program:
- Office, production, and server traffic were separated using practical segmentation
- Firewall rules were tightened and remote/vendor access was controlled
- MFA was enforced for email and admin actions
- Backup testing cadence was implemented (monthly spot checks + quarterly restores)
Result: fewer outages, lower ransomware blast radius, and improved insurance readiness.
Trust Signals
- Shop-floor-safe segmentation approach
- ERP/CAD stability experience
- Restore testing and DR documentation
- Clear escalation process during incidents
Get a Shop-Floor Infrastructure Risk Map (Office vs Production)
Most manufacturing downtime comes from predictable weaknesses: flat networks, aging gear, and recovery plans that were never tested. A simple map makes the risk obvious and fixable.
Book a 30-minute call with Fothion today and we’ll:
- map your network zones (office, production, servers, guest) and identify weak links
- highlight the top 3 single points of failure likely to cause outages
- recommend a phased upgrade path that improves uptime without disrupting production
Book here: https://fothion.com/schedule-a-phone-call/