CYBERSECURITY: NOT JUST FOR THE BIG PLAYERS
Cybersecurity might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re running a laser job shop but it absolutely should be. With the rise in cyberattacks over the last few years, no business is too small or too specialist to be targeted.
We often think these things only happen to banks or tech firms, but manufacturing is increasingly in the crosshairs. I know of at least one job shop that was hacked recently, they were locked out of their systems for over a week. Production ground to a halt, and the cost of recovery, both in time and money, was significant. The worst part? It could happen to any of us.
Like many SMEs, we rely on digital systems to run our operations, from quoting and design files to machine control and customer data. If that gets compromised, the knock- on effects can be huge. Delays, reputational damage, lost data, and
ransom demands are just some of the possible outcomes.
More and more of our customers are now expecting us to have Cyber Essentials accreditation as a minimum, just like a quality certification, it gives them peace of mind that their data and supply chain are secure. It’s becoming a basic requirement for working with larger companies and government- linked contracts.
Fortunately, there are simple steps we can all take: strong passwords (and changing them regularly), multi-factor authentication, regular software updates, secure backups, and basic staff training to avoid phishing emails. These aren’t expensive or complicated but they’re often overlooked until it’s too late.
If you’ve not reviewed your cybersecurity recently, take this as your prompt; it’s far better to be proactive than reactive.
JOB SHOP CORNER:
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Chris Waters
chriswaters@micrometric.co.uk
Image: Mirometric
Performance without limits.
TAKE CONTROL OF
PRECISION MOTION FOR LASER MICROMACHINING.
UK.AEROTECH.COM LASER USER 118 DECEMBER 2025 | 15
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