Manufacturing
Smart factories and connected production lines exponentially increase the attack surface. IT/OT convergence is the new reality and the new vulnerability.
of CISOs are now responsible for both IT and OT, most without OT-specific expertise on their team
Cybersecurity in manufacturing: what it involves
Cybersecurity in manufacturing is about protecting production lines, smart factories and industrial control systems as IT and OT continue to converge. Manufacturing is listed in NIS2 Annex II, implemented in the Netherlands through the Cyberbeveiligingswet (Cbw), and the ISA/IEC 62443 series is the common standard for securing industrial automation. IT/OT convergence expands the attack surface, and many CISOs are now responsible for both domains without OT-specific expertise on their team. The main threats are ransomware on production OT, where downtime means direct loss, theft of intellectual property, vulnerable IIoT on production lines and supply chain attacks via suppliers. Manufacturers therefore mainly hire OT/ICS security engineers, IT/OT convergence architects, GRC consultants for NIS2 Annex II and TPRM specialists for industrial supply chains.
Key Threats
Ransomware on production OT (downtime = loss)
Intellectual property theft
Vulnerable IIoT on production lines
Supply chain attacks via suppliers
MVPeople delivers
OT/ICS Security Engineers (manufacturing)
IT/OT convergence architects
GRC consultants for NIS2 Annex II
TPRM specialists for industrial supply chains
48u
Average time-to-shortlist
97%
Clients return
7.000+
Professionals in network
100%
Cybersecurity focus
Frequently asked questions
Many manufacturing companies fall under NIS2, because manufacturing is listed in Annex II of the directive. In the Netherlands NIS2 is implemented through the Cyberbeveiligingswet (Cbw), which has applied since 15 August 2026 and covers more than 8,000 organisations. Organisations need to check for themselves whether they are in scope and register with the NCSC. For the OT environment, the ISA/IEC 62443 series aligns well with the requirements.
A factory mainly needs OT/ICS security engineers who can secure production lines and IIoT without stopping production. IT/OT convergence architects are also important to connect office IT and the production environment securely. GRC consultants translate NIS2 Annex II into concrete measures, and TPRM specialists manage the risk of suppliers who have access to systems.
MVPeople Group responds to every request within 4 hours and, for interim assignments, often presents a first profile within 4 hours, with introduction CVs within 24 hours. Candidates come from a network of more than 7,000 pre-screened cybersecurity professionals, including OT/ICS security engineers and IT/OT architects. That helps during an acute incident or a tight schedule for a NIS2 programme.
Interim fits projects with a clear end, such as an IEC 62443 risk assessment, a segmentation project or a NIS2 gap analysis. Permanent hiring fits structural operation and monitoring of the production environment. Secondment through MVProfessionals is a good middle option for longer implementations, with the option to hire the professional permanently later. Permanent hiring through MVPermanent typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Last updated by Mathijs Visser, Co-founder and Lead Consultant MVPeople Group.
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