Disconnected systems often aren't enough to justify real change. But risk can really get things moving.
Manufacturing teams have spent years adding new technologies to improve productivity, connect equipment, and support remote operations. The result is that many environments are now more complicated than ever.
Our recent survey of manufacturing decision-makers found that 60% cite disconnected tools and systems as one of their biggest operational challenges. More than a third also point to cybersecurity risks, workforce shortages, and operational inefficiencies.
None of this is surprising. Modern manufacturing environments are usually works-in-progress. New technologies sit alongside legacy systems. Different sites use different tools, while growth makes things even more complex.
But while fragmented systems can and do cause real headaches across manufacturing, it seems they're rarely what drives organizational change. Here, we'll take a look at what does.
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The research paints a clear picture. When asked about their biggest shopfloor challenges:
These challenges are obviously connected. When systems don't work together, getting a clear view of operations becomes harder. Teams spend more time switching between tools, chasing information, and relying on manual processes.
One respondent described the problem simply:
"Despite multiple tools there's still a lack of good visibility (dashboards)." (CISO IT Manager, Enterprise Automotive)
If that sounds familiar, you're not alone: Many manufacturers are painfully aware that fragmentation is slowing them down. The surprise is that this frustration alone rarely creates enough urgency to justify real change.
Here's the most interesting finding from the study: Although 60% of respondents say disconnected tools are a major challenge, only 7% say disconnected tools would trigger a change in their remote access approach.
Instead, manufacturers are more likely to act because of:
In other words, many organizations learn to live with inefficiency. They've built workarounds and devised manual processes. They've come to accept complexity as part of daily operations.
But risk is different. Risk attracts attention. Not only from leadership teams, but also from auditors, insurers, and regulators.
That finding aligns closely with what Felix Wirthmann, Director of Product Management at TeamViewer, sees in conversations with manufacturers. As he put it in a recent Q&A:
"Consolidation is a major driver, and regulation is another. NIS2 (the European Union's Network and Information Security Directive) is a real game changer because if you have a major incident and haven't followed the latest cybersecurity regulations, top management can be held personally liable."
"Cyber insurance," Felix says, "is also driving change. One recent customer was prompted in part by their cybersecurity insurer, which told them they had to improve their security posture."
Manufacturers have dealt with fragmented environments for years. What's changing is the level of scrutiny around security and governance. Regulations such as NIS2, along with growing audit obligations and stricter cyber-insurance requirements, are increasing expectations around access controls, risk management, and accountability.
As a result, manufacturers are finding it harder to justify disconnected systems, limited visibility, and inconsistent approaches to remote access. External pressures are becoming a stronger catalyst for modernization than operational inefficiencies alone.
The lesson here is simple. Operational pain creates awareness. But security and compliance are what really create urgency and drive action.
When we looked deeper into security-related challenges, another pattern emerged. Manufacturers aren't struggling most with day-to-day vendor access. What they're struggling with is proving that access is secure, controlled, and auditable.
The highest-friction areas reported were:
This matters because many manufacturing environments weren't designed with today's security expectations in mind.
Teams often need to manage newer security requirements, like NIS2, alongside systems that have been running for decades.
This means that what starts as an operational issue can quickly become a governance issue. Because the more fragmented an environment becomes, the harder it is to maintain consistency, visibility, and control.
Felix put it like this: "If you have 10 different systems, you have to patch 10 different systems, configure 10 different systems, and stay expert in all of them. That increases the risk of mistakes and backdoors."
Visibility emerged as another major theme throughout the research, with almost half of respondents identifying it as a priority. At the same time:
These findings suggest many organizations can see the problem but still struggle to act quickly when issues occur.
That challenge becomes even more important when external suppliers, contractors, and support teams need access to critical systems.
For Felix, visibility is where many manufacturers see the biggest long-term value; and a unified platform is often the most effective way of getting it, delivering "better logging, better visibility, and a clearer picture of which external users are accessing which assets."
If your organization is dealing with growing complexity, start with a few simple questions:
The answers often reveal opportunities to reduce complexity, improve visibility, and strengthen security at the same time.
Manufacturers are under pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency. Yet our research suggests those goals alone rarely drive change.
Instead, modernization often begins when security risks, compliance obligations, or insurance requirements make the status quo harder to defend.
That's what makes this moment different. Fragmented systems are still a challenge. But increasingly, manufacturers are viewing them through the lens of governance, visibility, and risk.
And that's what actually turns a long-standing operational problem into a business priority.
Senior Content Marketing Manager at TeamViewer
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Berlin-based Rebecca is the editor of the Insights section. With extensive experience in long-form writing and editing, she loves nothing more than translating TeamViewer expertise into useful and engaging content.
Security, compliance, and visibility are increasingly driving the conversation in the manufacturing industry. With a unified approach to remote access, you can achieve all three.
