Remote Vendor Access Security for Manufacturers

How vendor access usually goes wrong

Vendor remote access typically gets set up under time pressure, during a machine installation or an urgent troubleshooting call, and the priority at that moment is getting the vendor connected, not building a secure long-term access model. The connection works, the immediate problem gets solved, and nobody revisits the configuration again until a security review or an incident forces the question.

Years later, that connection is often still active: a VPN tunnel with a password nobody remembers setting, or a remote-access tool installed directly on a production PC with no logging and no expiry.

Why standing access is a real risk

An always-on remote access path is a target whether or not anyone is actively using it. If the vendor's own systems are compromised, an attacker can potentially ride that same connection straight into your production network, a pattern that has caused real incidents across multiple industries. Standing access also tends to accumulate: multiple vendors, multiple tools, and nobody with a complete inventory of what's actually connected to the network from outside.

The safer pattern: access on request

1. Vendor requests access for a specific, defined purpose before connecting
2. Access is approved and enabled by someone on your team for that session only
3. Connection routes through a jump host or dedicated remote-access platform rather than direct VPN into production systems
4. The session is logged, including what was accessed and changed
5. Access is disabled again once the session ends, not left running by default

Using a jump host instead of direct access

A jump host sits between the vendor's connection and your production network, giving a controlled, monitored point of entry rather than a direct line into sensitive systems. This approach limits what a vendor's remote session can reach, even if their own credentials or equipment are later compromised, and gives you a single place to review activity logs.

Auditing existing vendor access

Most manufacturers have never done a full inventory of who has standing remote access to their network. A practical starting point is listing every VPN account, remote-access tool, and static IP allowance currently configured, confirming with each vendor whether it's still needed, and disabling anything that isn't actively required.

• List every VPN account and remote-access tool currently configured for vendor use
• Confirm with each vendor whether ongoing access is actually still needed
• Disable or remove any access nobody can account for
• Set a recurring review, at minimum annually, so access doesn't quietly accumulate again

Coordinating with segmentation

Vendor access management works best alongside the network segmentation covered in our article on OT and IT convergence for small industrial operations. If operational technology sits on its own segment behind a firewall, a vendor's remote session can be scoped to only that segment, rather than the entire network by default.

Where this fits in a broader cybersecurity plan

Remote vendor access is one item on the checklist covered in our broader guide to cybersecurity for manufacturing companies, and it's also a common line item on customer prequalification questionnaires. Being able to describe a controlled, logged vendor access process, rather than an open VPN nobody's reviewed, matters when answering those forms.

Frequently asked questions