Manufacturing Network Design — OT, IT & Everything Between
Network architecture for UK manufacturers. We separate operational technology (PLCs, SCADA, MES) from corporate IT using the Purdue Model, design plant-floor resilience that survives a switch reboot mid-shift, and document the lot so your next ISO 27001 or NIS2 audit takes hours not weeks.
What’s Included
Purdue Model Layered Design
OT zoned per ISA-95: Level 0 field devices, Level 1 PLCs, Level 2 SCADA, Level 3 MES. Each layer firewalled from the next with documented data flows.
OT/IT Boundary Hardening
Industrial DMZ between corporate IT and OT. Historian / OPC servers placed in the DMZ. No direct internet access from OT.
Plant-Floor Resilience
Ring topology, RSTP/MSTP, redundant power, and managed switches rated for industrial environments. A reboot during a shift doesn't halt production.
SCADA & Historian Isolation
SCADA HMIs and historian databases on a controlled VLAN with whitelist outbound rules. Vendor remote access via dedicated jump host with MFA.
IIoT Device Segmentation
Sensors, smart meters, condition-monitoring kit on a managed IIoT VLAN — visibility without exposure. Vendor cloud egress documented and contained.
NIS2 / ISO 27001 Documentation
Topology diagrams, zone register, data-flow matrix, and a control-mapping document suitable for NIS2 essential-entity reporting and ISO 27001 audits.
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Pre-loaded Purdue Model levels — OT cell, control, and DMZ zones with documented data diodes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Purdue Model and why does it matter?
The Purdue Model (formalised in ISA-95) layers a manufacturing network into hierarchical zones from field devices (Level 0) up to enterprise IT (Level 4/5), with an industrial DMZ separating OT from IT. It's the de facto industry framework for OT cybersecurity and a structuring lens for NIS2, IEC 62443, and ISO 27001 manufacturing audits.
How does this support NIS2 compliance?
NIS2 requires essential and important entities (which includes most UK manufacturers above defined thresholds) to evidence network segmentation, access control, and incident-readiness. Our designs produce NIS2-aligned documentation showing OT/IT boundaries, allowed data flows, and access-control points.
Can you work with our existing OT vendor stack?
Yes. Designs are vendor-agnostic — Siemens, Rockwell, Schneider, ABB, Beckhoff, Mitsubishi, etc. We work with your existing PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA. The design defines the network around them, not the other way round.
What about remote access for vendor support?
Vendor remote access goes through a dedicated jump host in the industrial DMZ, protected by MFA and ideally session recording. Direct VPN tunnels into OT are eliminated. Vendors get auditable, time-bound access without lateral-movement risk.
How long does a manufacturing network design typically take?
A single-plant design: 2–3 weeks. A multi-site manufacturing group: 4–6 weeks. We start with a half-day on-site discovery for a single plant and align the design with your operational change-control windows.
Ready to Design Your Network?
Try VP Compass free or book a scoping call with VantagePoint Networks for a fully managed design.