IT support for machine shops and manufacturers in New Jersey.
A shop floor is not an office. Machines run operating systems nobody is allowed to patch, workstations are shared, the ERP is the business, and an hour of downtime has a dollar figure. We run IT for shops that way.
Three things we set up first.
A separate network for the machines
VLANs so a CNC controller running an old operating system cannot be reached from the office, and a shop floor Wi-Fi survey that accounts for metal and motors.
Per-device pricing where it fits
Thirty computers and twelve people who need accounts is a per-device plan, not a per-user one. We price it the way the shop actually works.
ERP and shop data kept running
We support the server your ERP lives on, back it up, test the restore, and build the integrations when the system of record needs one.
What it looks like in practice
The pattern we see in Central New Jersey shops: a CNC controller on Windows 7 sitting on the same network as the front office, a CMM room with its own PC and a USB stick workflow, an ERP server under a desk that was last backed up when it was installed, and thirty workstations shared by twelve people. None of that is unusual, and none of it needs replacing to be made safe. It needs a segmented network, a backup that is actually tested, patching that respects production hours, and a plan priced per device rather than per person. We built Innovative Manufacturing's network in Hillsborough on exactly that basis and still run it.
What machine shops and manufacturers get.
Managed IT
Help desk, patching with SuperOps, SentinelOne endpoint protection, tested backups, a managed firewall and a quarterly review, for one monthly number. Managed IT plans
Microsoft 365
Migrations off Google Workspace, GoDaddy or an old Exchange server, and cleanup of tenants somebody else set up. Microsoft 365 migration
Phones on 3CX
One number on the desk phone, the cell and the laptop, with your existing numbers ported. Phone systems
Cyber insurance requirements
MFA, endpoint detection and response, tested backups and the written evidence your insurer asks for at renewal. Insurance-ready IT
Backup and recovery
Servers and Microsoft 365 backed up offsite and restore-tested on a schedule. We can tell you the date of the last test. Backup and disaster recovery
Where we work
On site across Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer, Morris and Middlesex counties. Flemington, Somerville, Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Princeton, Clinton.
Questions from machine shops and manufacturers
Can you support the machines themselves?
We support the PCs and controllers that run them, the network they sit on and the data that flows off them. The machine tool itself stays with its service vendor. The important part is isolating old controllers from the rest of the network so an infected office laptop cannot reach them.
Do we really need separate networks?
Yes. A controller running an unsupported operating system cannot be patched, so it has to be walled off. VLANs do that without new cabling, and the office, the shop floor, guest Wi-Fi and cameras each get their own.
How do you price a shop with shared workstations?
Per device rather than per user. Thirty computers and twelve people who need accounts is a per-device plan, and we quote it that way from the first call.
Can you build integrations with our ERP or shop software?
Yes. We write custom software for shop floors: time clocks, machine monitoring, badge systems, reporting off the ERP database. See custom software under all IT services.
Tell us about your shop.
Thirty minutes. What you do, how many people, what has been going wrong. We tell you what we would charge and what it would include.