Case study · Manufacturing
Safe remote access to manufacturing machinery
Let machine builders and engineers reach PLCs and HMIs securely, without opening the plant network.
The challenge
Machine builders support their equipment remotely, and plants depend on that support. Too often it happens through shared accounts, remote-desktop tools or modems left connected to the machine.
Each of those is an open door into the plant network, and nobody has a record of who connected, when and what they did.
How Nexapp solved it
Vendor access without open ports
Engineers and equipment vendors connect through the InstaAccess client (ZTNA, SSL VPN or IPsec VPN) to only the equipment they support, and every session is logged.
Machines stay hidden
SD-LAN reaches devices behind the router without exposing them to the internet; nothing on the plant network accepts inbound connections.
IT and OT kept apart
Zone firewalls and VRFs separate machine networks from office IT, so remote access to one machine is not access to the plant.
Encrypted end to end
IPsec tunnels on NexappOS with hybrid post-quantum key exchange (ML-KEM), on by default, back to the control centre.
What changed
- Vendors support machines quickly, through one controlled route.
- Access is limited to named machines, with a log of every session.
- No inbound ports are left open on the plant network.
Planning something similar?
A Nexapp engineer can walk you through this deployment and map it to your own sites, links and devices.
More case studies
Manufacturing
Remote management of manufacturing networksCentralised visibility and control of plant network equipment across multiple manufacturing sites.
Manufacturing
Smart factory connectivity over a mesh networkA wireless mesh that connects machines and sensors across the shop floor without new cabling.