Questions Manufacturers Ask
Before the First Call

Interlink focuses specifically on manufacturing IT, including ERP and business system infrastructure, shop floor connectivity, vendor coordination, cybersecurity readiness, backups, and lifecycle planning. Most general IT providers treat every client the same, using standard response priorities and engineers who have never set foot in a production environment.

The difference shows up when something affects production. A generalist help desk may treat an ERP outage like a routine support ticket. Interlink treats production-impacting issues as business-critical events, triaged by production impact and urgency rather than ticket order. We also coordinate between your technology environment and your software vendors so your team is not managing that handoff themselves.

Interlink is built for small to midsized discrete manufacturers, including:

The best-fit client typically has between 25 and 75 employees, depends on ERP and business systems to run production, and does not have a full internal IT department. If you are larger or smaller than that range, we may still be a fit — book an assessment and we will tell you directly.

Interlink is primarily built for small to midsized manufacturers that do not have dedicated internal IT staff. We provide a full managed IT team, documented environment, cybersecurity tools, lifecycle planning, vendor coordination, and strategic technology guidance without requiring the manufacturer to hire a full internal department.

If a manufacturer already has an internal IT resource, we can coordinate where appropriate, but our best fit is usually organizations that need Interlink to own the managed IT function entirely.

No. Interlink is built for manufacturers looking for proactive managed IT, lifecycle planning, cybersecurity readiness, and production-focused support. If you are looking for one-time computer repair or hourly break/fix work, we are probably not the right fit.

If you are ready to move to a proactive managed IT model, the assessment is the right next step.

Interlink's managed IT service is delivered as a single ongoing partnership that covers:

The specific scope is defined during the assessment and documented before the engagement begins.

No. Critical system transitions and infrastructure changes are scheduled around your production schedule. Work that could affect production systems is performed outside production hours or during planned downtime windows. We plan around your floor, not the other way around.

Interlink's managed IT service is delivered as a flat monthly engagement. Pricing is based on the scope of the environment — number of servers, workstations, users, and complexity of the infrastructure — and is defined after the assessment.

We do not publish pricing on the site because no two manufacturing environments are identical. The assessment is how we scope the engagement accurately before either side commits to anything.

Production-impacting issues are treated as Priority 1 emergencies, not routine help desk tickets. We triage by business impact and urgency. An ERP server outage during a production run is handled differently than a workstation issue in the accounting office.

During onboarding, we document which systems are production-critical so that classification is established before an emergency happens, not during one.

Yes. Interlink supports the IT infrastructure around manufacturing ERP and business systems, whether the platform is on-premise, cloud-hosted, or hybrid.

We have direct experience supporting environments that use Global Shop Solutions, IQMS/DELMIAworks, and FileMaker, but our support model is not limited to those systems. Many manufacturers run ERP, accounting, inventory, scheduling, shipping, barcode, or production-related software that depends on reliable servers, workstations, networks, remote access, backups, security controls, and vendor coordination.

Interlink does not replace your ERP software vendor. We help keep the technology environment around the system stable, secure, documented, backed up, and supportable. If your ERP or business system affects production, scheduling, purchasing, inventory, or shipping, we can evaluate how to support the infrastructure it depends on.

Note: If your ERP requires application-level support or customization, that remains the responsibility of your ERP vendor. Interlink owns the infrastructure, security, backup, and access layers around the system.

Yes. Because Interlink supports the infrastructure around ERP and business systems, we can often support manufacturers using platforms we have not previously worked with directly.

Before taking responsibility for the environment, we review how the system is hosted, which servers and workstations it depends on, how users access it, how backups are handled, what vendor support is available, and how the system affects production. If the system requires specialized application support, we coordinate with the ERP vendor while owning the infrastructure, security, backup, and access layers.

This is one of the most common frustrations manufacturers have with generic IT providers. When an ERP issue involves both infrastructure and application support, most providers point at each other. Your team ends up managing the conversation between your IT provider and your ERP vendor while production waits.

Interlink coordinates that handoff directly. We own the infrastructure side, communicate with the ERP vendor on the application side, and drive toward resolution — so your team is not stuck in the middle.

Yes. Interlink helps manufacturers close the gaps cyber insurance carriers ask about at renewal. Common requirements include MFA, endpoint detection and response (EDR), tested backups, remote access controls, and documented network segmentation between office and production environments.

We do not guarantee policy approval or specific premium outcomes — those decisions belong to your carrier. What we do is help you implement and document the controls most carriers now require, so you can answer the renewal questionnaire accurately and with confidence.

IBM X-Force has reported that manufacturing remains one of the most frequently targeted industries for cyberattacks. Attackers target manufacturers because of production downtime sensitivity — a manufacturer under a ransomware attack faces pressure to pay quickly because every hour of downtime has a direct, calculable cost. Legacy systems, flat networks that mix office and production environments, and limited internal IT security expertise also contribute to the exposure.

Interlink builds its security practice around the specific controls that reduce this risk, including network segmentation, tested backups with documented recovery procedures, endpoint protection, MFA, and remote access security.

Backups are only useful if they can be restored. Interlink validates that critical systems can actually be recovered, documents recovery procedures, and establishes clear recovery expectations before something fails — not after.

Untested backups are one of the most common gaps we find during assessments. A backup that has never been tested is not a backup — it is a hope. Interlink treats backup restore validation as a regular operational task, not a one-time setup item.

During a manufacturing IT assessment, Interlink reviews your ERP environment, shop floor connectivity, network architecture, cybersecurity posture, backups, lifecycle risks, and vendor dependencies. The goal is to identify technology gaps that could affect production, budget, or recovery before they become emergencies.

You receive written findings from the assessment regardless of whether you move forward with Interlink. There is no obligation attached to the assessment.

Yes, it is free and there is no catch. The assessment is how we scope engagements accurately. It also lets you evaluate whether Interlink is the right fit before committing to anything. If we are not the right fit after the assessment, we will tell you that directly.

We would rather spend time on a conversation that does not turn into a client than take on an engagement that is not a good fit for either side.

No. Interlink does not require manufacturers to cut over all systems at once. Onboarding is phased based on priority and production schedules. We typically start with the most critical systems — ERP infrastructure, backups, and security controls — and work outward from there.

Changes that could affect production are scheduled outside production hours. The goal is to improve the environment without creating a disruption of its own.

You do not need to have everything organized before the assessment. We will work through the discovery process together. That said, having a general sense of the following is helpful:

If you do not know the answers to some of these, that is fine. Part of what the assessment covers is finding out.

Interlink primarily serves manufacturers within 50 miles of Murrieta, California. That covers Southwest Riverside County including Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, and Lake Elsinore; the Inland Empire including Riverside, Corona, Ontario, Chino, and Rancho Cucamonga; Western San Bernardino County; and North San Diego County including Escondido, Vista, San Marcos, and Oceanside.

For manufacturers with larger operations or multiple locations, we evaluate coverage on a case by case basis. If you are outside the primary area, reach out and we will have a direct conversation about what we can do.

Our primary service area is Southern California, but we evaluate multi-location and out-of-state engagements on a case by case basis. Coverage for remote sites depends on the scope of support required and whether local on-site response is needed at those locations. Book an assessment and we will discuss what makes sense for your situation.

No. Interlink does not require manufacturers to cut over all systems at once. Onboarding is phased based on priority and production schedules. We typically start with the most critical systems — ERP infrastructure, backups, and security controls — and work outward from there.

Changes that could affect production are scheduled outside production hours. The goal is to improve the environment without creating a disruption of its own.

You do not need to have everything organized before the assessment. We will work through the discovery process together. That said, having a general sense of the following is helpful:

If you do not know the answers to some of these, that is fine. Part of what the assessment covers is finding out.

Interlink is likely a strong fit if you are a small to midsized discrete manufacturer in Southern California that depends on ERP or business systems to run production and does not have a dedicated internal IT staff. If you are dealing with unpredictable IT costs, ERP instability, shop floor connectivity issues, cyber insurance renewal pressure, or aging hardware, the assessment will show you where the gaps are.

If we are not a fit after the assessment, we will tell you that directly and, where possible, point you toward the right type of provider for your situation.

Book a free manufacturing IT assessment. It starts with a conversation about your operation, your current technology environment, and your biggest IT concerns. From there we conduct a structured review of your ERP infrastructure, network, security posture, backups, and lifecycle risks. You receive written findings at the end.

There is no obligation attached to the assessment and no pressure to move forward. The assessment is useful on its own — it tells you where your technology environment stands regardless of what you decide next.