# What Every Business Should Learn from the M&S Cyber Attack Before It's Too Late

The recent cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op, and Harrods should be setting off alarm bells in boardrooms across the country. Not the gentle, polite "reminder to update your password" kind of bells – but the urgent kind that demand a proper cup of tea and your full attention. 

For many IT professionals watching these household names struggle to regain control of their systems, there's a certain detachment – a "that's unfortunate, but it won't happen to us" mentality that feels increasingly optimistic, although it’s still less than a year since Crowdstrike reminded us of the perils of complacency. 

M&S is losing millions daily as their operations remain crippled, with one retail expert approximating a [loss of as much as £3.2m a day](https://news.stv.tv/world/ms-losing-millions-of-pounds-a-day-after-aftermath-of-cyber-attack-continues). The Co-op has confirmed hackers [accessed millions of customers' personal details](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkx3vy54nzo).   

And meanwhile, CIOs everywhere are quietly hoping their cyber-resilience plans are more comprehensive and robust than they might actually be. 

## From Theory to Terrifying Reality 

What makes these attacks particularly uncomfortable to watch is how quickly they transform from hypothetical risk discussions, in many cases dismissed as being ‘impossible’, into all-hands-on-deck realities. We’ve seen time and again how IT has focused each time on prevention in their cyber-security measures, rather than cure via robust cyber-resilience plans.  

Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden was rather direct at the [recent CyberUK conference](https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/news/cyber-attack-on-m-s-should-be-wake-up-call-minister-warns/ar-AA1EhEeS?ocid=BingNewsSerp): "Cyber-attacks are not a game. Not a clever exercise. They are serious organised crime.” 

“What we have seen over the past couple of weeks should serve as a wake-up call for businesses and organisations up and down the UK, as if we needed one, that cyber-resilience is not a luxury but an absolute necessity.” – and for companies still postponing proper data recovery investment, that call is getting increasingly difficult to hit snooze on. 

 ## Your Recovery Plan Meets Reality 

Here's where we separate disaster recovery theory from practice: your ability to bounce back isn't about how sophisticated your prevention measures were. It's about how quickly and completely you can recover your systems and data. 

Would your organisation be able to restore critical systems within hours? Or would you be looking at days – possibly weeks – of digital paralysis while watching your competitors continue to serve customers? 

Every organisation must have backup systems - period. The real questions are: 

1. Are your backups themselves protected from the same threats targeting your primary systems? 
2. Are you air-gapping critical infrastructure (air gapping involves physically disconnecting a network or computer from external connections) to make it physically inaccessible to malevolent actors? 
3. Can you actually restore from backup media quickly when things go wrong? When under attack, will you be physically capable of accessing huge cloud backups to restore them? Or should you store them on local, more accessible locations (encrypted, of course)? 
4. Have you properly tested your full recovery process under realistic conditions? 

Unfortunately, many organisations, like M&S and Crowdstrike customers, discover the answers to these questions only when disaster has already struck. 

## The Real Cost of "Good Enough" Recovery Plans 

Let's acknowledge a common business reality: disaster recovery budgets, and cyber-resilience in particular, often get trimmed because they're seen as insurance for events that "probably won't happen." The errant belief that a “bullet-proof” cyber-security strategy is the best approach has been laid bare all too often in the last couple of years. Those budget decisions look rather different now, as we watch the M&S scenario unfold with its seven-figure daily losses. 

This "Titanic" mindset leads to predictable vulnerabilities: 

- Backups that aren't tested regularly
- Recovery processes that exist in theory but not in practice
- Protection systems vulnerable to the same attacks they're meant to safeguard against
- Training that's treated as a one-time exercise rather than an ongoing commitment

The business impact extends far beyond immediate financial losses. There's the reputational damage, the lost customer trust, and the competitive disadvantage while you're struggling to get back on your feet. Those customers you disappoint today might be shopping with your competitors tomorrow. 

And this isn’t the first time we've seen this happen. The 160-year-old haulage firm Knights of Old collapsed in 2023 [after hackers corrupted critical data](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvren4je77o), despite having what they believed were strong protections. "We felt we were in a very good place in terms of our security," admitted former director Paul Abbott. In the end, the 730-employee company was forced into administration. While companies like M&S have greater resources to recover, smaller businesses face existential threats. This reality highlights why every organisation needs not just prevention, but a reliable backup and recovery strategy as their final line of defence. 

 ## Building Cyber Resilience 

If there's a silver lining to watching these cyber-attacks unfold, it's that they provide a chance to honestly assess your organisation's recovery readiness before you're the one making headlines. 

The path forward isn't just about buying better technology; it's about fundamentally changing how your business thinks about recovery: 

1.   Treat backup and recovery as business continuity, not IT maintenance: This isn't about compliance; it's about operational resilience.
2.   Test your recovery processes regularly: Don't just verify backups exist – simulate full recovery scenarios that mirror real-world conditions.
3.   Protect your safety net: Ensure your backup systems are themselves hardened against the very attacks they're designed to recover from.
4.   Plan for the worst: Have clear, practiced procedures for situations where primary systems are completely compromised.

At Macrium, we've heard first-hand from our business customers the difference between organisations that weather cyber-attacks and those that suffer catastrophic damage. That difference isn't luck – it's preparation. The right backup and recovery infrastructure doesn't just store your data; it gives you a clear path back to operational normality when everything goes wrong. 

## It's Not If, It's When 

As we watch these high-profile attacks unfold, every IT leader should be asking not "Could this happen to us?" but "When this happens to us, how quickly can we recover?" 

Because while cyber-attacks may be inevitable, extended downtime and data loss don't have to be. The right recovery solution transforms a potential business-ending disaster into a manageable disruption – costly and challenging, certainly, but survivable. 

And in a world where digital resilience is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage, "survivable" might just be the most important word in your business vocabulary. 

_Want to strengthen your business resilience against cyber threats? Our team of specialists can help you assess and improve your disaster recovery capabilities. [Speak to our team](/contact) about creating a recovery strategy that works when you need it most. _

cyber-attack-blog-m&s-coop-backup-plan

The recent cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op, and Harrods should be setting off alarm bells in boardrooms across the country. The urgent kind that demand a proper cup of tea and your full attention. 

What Every Business Should Learn from the M&S Cyber Attack Before It's Too Late

# How to Accelerate Factory Floor Recovery When Your Network Is Holding You Back 

For manufacturing operations, every minute of production downtime translates directly to lost revenue. When critical machines on a factory floor go down, rapid recovery isn't just a convenience - it's an economic necessity. But what happens when your disaster recovery efforts are hamstrung by network infrastructure that can't keep up with the demands of modern backup solutions? 

 &nbsp;


## The Factory Floor Network Challenge 

Let's paint a familiar picture: Your production environment runs on critical Windows-based process equipment. The network infrastructure servicing the factory floor - often referred to as the Industrial Ethernet Controls Network (IECN) - is limited to 100Mbps and is probably heavily loaded just keeping the factory floor running. It was installed when reliability rather than speed was the primary concern. When a machine crashes, that network becomes your biggest obstacle to getting operations back online. 

This scenario plays out repeatedly in manufacturing environments. The central IT department sits comfortably in their headquarters with robust network connections, while the factory floor operates on infrastructure that prioritised stability over speed. The on-site IT team, who may not have detailed knowledge of the backup system, are just the hands on the ground when things go sideways. When disaster strikes, the physical distance between these two worlds becomes painfully apparent, and minutes of downtime translate directly to revenue lost.

 &nbsp;


## The Physical Media Solution: A Practical Workaround 

When slow networks prevent efficient recovery, there's a simple workaround that many manufacturing environments might find useful. Here's a recovery approach that can help you bypass network bottlenecks when time is critical: 

- The local IT office at the production facility (with its significantly faster connection to central systems) performs the restore operation to an external hard drive or blank hard drive. 
- That drive is then physically transported to the factory floor and installed in the affected machine. 
- Production resumes without waiting for lengthy network transfers. 

This approach sidesteps the network bottleneck entirely and can be particularly helpful in facilities with constrained connectivity. As one manufacturing client explained, moving a drive physically across the building can be done in minutes, compared to a network transfer that might take hours – a process coined “sneakernet” in the early 1980s by tech communities. 

The maths is worth considering: In automotive manufacturing, where a new vehicle might enter production every 90 seconds, just 5 minutes of downtime equals 5 vehicles lost. At some facilities, 10 minutes of downtime can cost £21,000, for some reaching [up to £12 billion annually](https://www.automationmagazine.co.uk/new-research-from-ids-indata-reveals-the-true-cost-of-manufacturing-downtime-in-2025-and-the-critical-need-for-digital-transformation/) - making any time-saving strategy worth exploring. 

 &nbsp;


## How to Implement This Approach 

If your factory environment includes slow network connections, here's how you might set up this workaround using [SiteBackup](/sitebackup) on the Site Manager platform: 

### The Technical Setup 

Preparation is key: Maintain spare blank hard drives for each critical machine type on your factory floor. 

Establish a restore station: Set up a dedicated computer in your local IT office that can connect to your Site Manager server and has compatible connections for your spare drives. 


**When disaster strikes:**

- Connect your blank hard drive to the restore station directly or via an external SATA/USB caddy 
- Use a boot stick to boot into the Macrium rescue environment if needed 
- Map to the appropriate file share and retrieve the backup from SiteBackup 
- Restore directly to the physical disk (up to 2x faster with our optimised multi-threaded restore) 
- Transport the disk to the affected machine on the plant floor 
- Swap the drives and boot up 

This approach leverages the strengths of your existing IT setup: the better network connectivity in the office area (typically gigabit Ethernet) and the hands-on accessibility of the factory floor. Your central IT team can orchestrate the restore process while the on-site team handles the physical aspects. 

 &nbsp;
 
 
[![disaster-recovery-guide-it-banner-macrium](https://strapistoragemacrium.blob.core.windows.net/strapi-uploads/uploads/disaster_recovery_guide_it_banner_macrium_e7965465cf.png)](https://info.macrium.com/disaster-recovery-guide-for-it-pros?_gl=1*1n1lxy6*_gcl_au*MTY5MzA5NDcyMy4xNzM5MzAxNTcxLjEyMzAzNTY2ODkuMTc0NDI5OTExOS4xNzQ0Mjk5MTE5*_ga*MTA4NjM5NzE4NS4xNzMzMzAwODg5*_ga_DKMXB7VRYC*czE3NDY3MDQ4NjUkbzE4MyRnMSR0MTc0NjcwNDg3MSRqNTQkbDAkaDE5NTQ1MTY4NjE.)
 
  &nbsp;



## The Licensing Question 

"But wait," you ask, "don't I need licences for all these machines?" Here's where things get interesting—and potentially cost-effective. 

For this specific recovery workflow, you have options: 

The dedicated restore station can use SiteBackup in restore-only mode, which doesn't require a separate licence. 

Alternatively, for more robust functionality, a couple of technician licences could be useful for the restore stations and allow ad hoc backups of machines outside the Site Manager estate as needed. 

Our licensing is pragmatic. It should enable your recovery strategy, not complicate it. 

 &nbsp;

## Remote-Guided Recovery: An Alternative Strategy 

For organisations that have more robust network infrastructure but face challenges with on-site technical expertise, SiteBackup offers another approach worth considering. This method allows centralised IT staff to guide the recovery process remotely, even when the person on-site has limited technical knowledge. 

With this workflow: 

- The on-site person simply needs to boot the affected machine into rescue media 
- The rescue environment automatically connects back to your Site Manager server 
- Your central IT experts can then take control of the entire restore process 

During a recent conversation with one of our manufacturing customers, they explained the benefit of this approach: "The finance manager who's on-site after hours doesn't need to understand backup repositories or image selection - they just need to boot from the rescue media, and we handle the rest remotely." This also means you don't need to provide usernames/passwords to access those repositories to non-technical staff. 

This option can be particularly helpful when you need to perform after-hours recovery with limited staff on-site. The person at the machine doesn't even need to be a technical resource - they could be the office manager, security guard, or whoever's available. All the technical decisions happen at the central IT office. 

 &nbsp;


## Finding Practical Solutions for Network Constraints 

The reality of industrial environments often includes dealing with network infrastructure limitations. Budget constraints, antiquated network switches, and competing priorities can all contribute to connectivity challenges when recovering critical systems. 

When these situations arise, it's worth remembering that sometimes a straightforward workaround can be the most practical solution. The optimised multi-threaded restore processes in SiteBackup combined with physical media transport can significantly reduce recovery times when network speed is the bottleneck. Our Rapid Delta Restore (RDR) technology further enhances this by only restoring blocks of the disk that are different from the image file being restored - reducing the amount of data sent over the network. 

Whether you opt for the physical drive transport approach to bypass network limitations or the remote-guided recovery to leverage your central expertise, the goal remains the same: minimising downtime and getting your production environment back to work as quickly as possible. 

 &nbsp;


## Keeping Recovery Simple 

At [Macrium](www.macrium.com), we understand that backup and recovery solutions need to work within your existing constraints, including limitations like 100Mbps IECN networks common in manufacturing. We focus on providing flexible options that help you maintain control, increase efficiency, and keep your critical systems running - without requiring you to overhaul your existing infrastructure. 

Interested in exploring either of these approaches for your manufacturing environment? [Contact our team](/contact) to discuss how we can help optimise your disaster recovery process for your specific environment. 

accelerate-network-speed-ot-sneakernet

Discover practical workarounds for factory floor recovery when sluggish industrial networks cause frustrating delays. Learn our time-tested techniques to minimise costly downtime, maintain production flow, and keep your manufacturing operations running at full capacity

Factory Floor Recovery: Overcoming Slow Networks | Macrium Software

For manufacturing operations, every minute of production downtime translates directly to lost revenue. When critical machines on a factory floor go down, rapid recovery isn't just a convenience - it's an economic necessity. But what happens when your disaster recovery efforts are hamstrung by network infrastructure that can't keep up with the demands of modern backup solutions? 

How to Accelerate Factory Floor Recovery When Your Network Can't Keep Up: Practical Steps for Manufacturing IT Teams

# Macrium Software Launches New Partner Program on World Backup Day

&nbsp;

MANCHESTER, UK – March 31, 2025 – Macrium Software, leader in backup, recovery, and deployment solutions, marks World Backup Day by announcing the launch of its new Macrium Partner Program (MAPP). Building on Macrium's established partner network, which includes partners such as Prianto, Rain Networks, and GHA Technologies, the Macrium Partner Program (MAPP) represents the company's next step in creating a focused approach to supporting partners worldwide.

&nbsp;

### What exactly is the Macrium Partner Program?

&nbsp;

At its core, MAPP introduces a tiered system designed to support partners at every stage of their growth journey, with resources that evolve as their business expands. Designed directly from partner feedback, the program creates clear pathways for collaboration while helping partners develop their Macrium expertise and build sustainable revenue streams.

&nbsp;


Partners gain access to:

- Specialized Training & Accreditation: Courses designed specifically to build both technical expertise and sales proficiency
- Tailored Marketing Materials: Customizable resources that partners can use to communicate Macrium's value to their own customers
- Enhanced Support Channels: Direct access to dedicated account management and priority technical assistance
- Streamlined Processes: Straightforward guidelines and processes that make working with Macrium predictable and efficient, including Smartreview, a new renewal system.

&nbsp;

### What does this mean for Macrium partners?

&nbsp;


For partners, this means having the right tools at the right time, while also being armed with the knowledge they need to succeed. Whether it's technical documentation, marketing materials that speak to real business challenges, or direct access to Macrium experts when needed, the program equips partners to serve their customers better.


"At Macrium, partnership isn't just a program - it's how we do business," said Simon Noble, VP of Global Channel at Macrium Software. "We've built this program to give our partners the tools and support they need to succeed."


This approach helps partners focus more on growing their business and less on figuring out how to position and support Macrium products. The result? More satisfied customers, stronger partnerships, and backup solutions that consistently deliver on their promises.

&nbsp;


**To learn more about the Macrium Partner Program contact partners@macrium.com**

&nbsp;

### About Macrium Software

Macrium Software provides comprehensive backup, recovery, and deployment solutions designed to minimize downtime and achieve business resilience. Trusted by organizations across diverse sectors - from OEMs and mission-critical manufacturing to education and healthcare - Macrium delivers reliable technology that keeps businesses running when it matters most.




Copy of Untitled Design (32).png

Macrium Software celebrates World Backup Day by launching MAPP, a comprehensive partner program offering specialised training, marketing resources, and enhanced support for business growth.

Macrium Software Marks World Backup Day with New Partner Program

Introducing MAPP: Macrium's Enhanced Partner Program for Growth

# How Macrium Helped Sysmex America Cut Medical Testing Downtime by 75% 

&nbsp;

_Enhancing patient care through more reliable diagnostic systems_

When it comes to medical testing equipment, downtime isn't just an IT headache - it's a real barrier between patients and the care they need. That's why we're particularly proud of our recent partnership with Sysmex America, where our backup and recovery solutions are helping slash diagnostic equipment downtime and get patients their results faster. 

 &nbsp;

### The Challenge: When Onsite Technical Support Impacts Patient Care 

For [Sysmex America](/sysmex), a global leader in haematology diagnostics, equipment reliability directly impacts healthcare outcomes. Before implementing our solution, their technical support teams faced a significant challenge: when customer systems needed a software restore, technicians had to physically travel to healthcare facilities. 

As Jose Rivera, Vice President of Service and Support at Sysmex America, puts it: "When it comes to recovery and backup operations, the less time our customers have to wait for us to arrive on site to repair a software issue that could be done remotely is in benefit of the customer and also patient care." 

Every minute spent in transit was a minute that critical diagnostic equipment sat idle- and patients waited longer for results that could impact their treatment. 

 &nbsp;

### The Solution: Enter Remote Recovery

This is where Macrium made a meaningful difference. With our backup and recovery technology, Sysmex's technical support teams gained a capability they never had before: the ability to perform secure remote restores. 

"The biggest impact that we've seen so far with Macrium is it gives us the ability to do remote restores, which we never did before," Rivera explains. "Now our TAC agents can actually remotely restore that IPU and get them back up and running in a matter of minutes." 

The result is impressive: hours of potential downtime reduced to minutes. Rather than waiting for a technician to travel to the facility, support teams can now address issues remotely and get critical diagnostic systems back online promptly, minimizing disruption to healthcare operations. 

 &nbsp;

### Security That Doesn't Get in the Way 

Of course, this is healthcare we're talking about. Security and regulatory compliance aren't optional extras - they're non-negotiable requirements, and Sysmex America took this responsibility seriously. 

Ben Boeke, Group Manager of Technical Product Management at Sysmex America, emphasized this priority: "It was important for us in a highly regulated industry to make sure that the backups that were created are safe and secure and stay local at that customer account." 

Our approach checked all these boxes while maintaining ease of use. "Macrium provides that by encrypting their backups, and with the Image Guardian, we're able to ensure that those backups never change over time," notes Boeke. Plus, during their testing phase, Macrium was "the only product that worked across all of our platforms." 

We're proud to have delivered enterprise-grade security that meets Sysmex's rigorous requirements while keeping the solution straightforward for their technical teams. 

 &nbsp;

>"What gave us the confidence in Macrium as our backup solution is it stood out among the rest when we were doing testing. It was the only product that worked across all of our platforms. Along with its ease of use and its quick recovery, it was a no-brainer for us to go with Macrium."

_Ben Boeke, Group Manager Technical Product Management, Sysmex America_

 &nbsp;

### The Numbers Don't Lie 

Let's talk results, because that's what really matters: 

- 50% reduction in labor related to software reimaging issues (already achieved) 
- Projected 75% savings once remote operations are fully implemented 
- Dramatic cuts to equipment downtime for healthcare providers 
- Most importantly: faster diagnostic results for patients 

These aren't just efficiency metrics—they represent real improvements in patient care. Every percentage point of reduced downtime means more patients getting diagnosed and treated without unnecessary delays. 

What's more, this enhanced capability provides what Rivera describes as "a competitive edge" for Sysmex in the medical diagnostics market, where equipment reliability directly impacts both customer satisfaction and patient outcomes. 

 &nbsp;

### What It All Means 

For Sysmex America, this partnership has strengthened their reputation for world-class service and reinforced their commitment to patient-centered care. For us at Macrium, it's a powerful demonstration of how our technology performs in truly mission-critical environments where reliability isn't just desirable - it's essential. 

Rivera puts it perfectly: "I would definitely recommend Macrium to others mainly because of the win-win. Win for the customer because they reduce downtime, win for us because we can reduce our cost." 

And Boeke's assessment? Simple and to the point: "The company is great to work with, the product's easy to use, and it works." 

In healthcare technology, finding solutions that combine simplicity with powerful capabilities makes all the difference. 

&nbsp;

### Watch the Sysmex Case Study

Want to see the full story in action? Watch the complete [Sysmex](/sysmex) case study video to hear directly from Jose Rivera and Ben Boeke about how they're enhancing patient care through more reliable medical testing with Macrium. 

YOUTUBE_VIDEO=https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gj500zUXP-w

&nbsp;

If you're interested in learning how Macrium's backup, recovery, and deployment solutions could help your organization minimize downtime and achieve business resilience, [get in touch with our team today](/contact). 

sysmex-macrium-case-study

Discover how Sysmex America revolutionized their technical support with Macrium's remote recovery solution, cutting equipment downtime from hours to minutes and improving patient care while maintaining strict healthcare security standards.

How Macrium's Backup and Recovery Solution Reduced Downtime for Sysmex America | Case Study

When it comes to medical testing equipment, downtime isn't just an IT headache - it's a real barrier between patients and the care they need. That's why we're particularly proud of our recent partnership with Sysmex America, where our backup and recovery solutions are helping slash diagnostic equipment downtime and get patients their results faster. 

Case Study: How Sysmex Reduced Downtime and Improved Patient Care with Macrium

# Backup and Recovery Best Practice in OT (Operational Technology)

With manufacturing environments facing ever-increasing pressure to minimise downtime and maximise efficiency, getting imaging and deployment right has never been more crucial. Last June, our webinar "Imaging and Deployment Best Practice in Manufacturing" brought together our Global VP of Sales, Ari Novikoff, and Reid Schneider, Hardware and Applications Delivery Manager at Husco, for a deep dive into real-world OT backup and recovery. The conversation was packed with such practical insights that we thought it deserved another moment in the spotlight. 


&nbsp;
 

**Missed the original webinar? You can watch it on-demand [here.](https://info.macrium.com/webinar-imaging-deployment-best-practice-manufacturing)**

&nbsp;

## The Manufacturing Challenge 

Manufacturing environments come with their own distinct set of IT challenges. Even with the strongest modernisation initiatives, legacy systems often need to remain in place for various critical reasons - whether it's specialised equipment that only works with older software versions, compliance requirements that mandate specific system configurations, or the prohibitive costs and risks of replacing systems that are deeply integrated into production processes. When you're dealing with these legacy constraints and production facilities that run around the clock, every decision carries significant weight. There are unique manufacturing considerations that set these environments apart - from the complex technical dependencies of legacy systems to production facilities where maintenance windows are as rare as a quiet factory floor. The stakes are incredibly high, Reid pointed out: "A couple thousand dollars per minute per line and or a couple hundred thousand dollars per hour depending on what line and severity you have running in the manufacturer realm." 

&nbsp;

### Key Manufacturing IT Challenges: 

- Legacy systems requiring precise replication 
- 24/7 production facilities with minimal downtime windows 
- High costs associated with system interruptions 
- Complex global operations requiring standardised approaches 

&nbsp;
 

## Mastering the Deployment Timeline 

Time, as they say, is money - and in manufacturing, this couldn't be more true. Before implementing any new backup and recovery strategy, understanding your environment's unique needs and constraints is crucial. For Husco, this meant finding ways to dramatically reduce system restore times from 4-8 hours to under an hour, a transformation that significantly minimised production impact. 

But perhaps their most notable achievement was establishing a regular maintenance window - no small feat in a 24/7 manufacturing environment. "We have an agreed upon maintenance window on Sundays with the business globally," Reid explained. This kind of stakeholder negotiation proved invaluable, allowing for regular updates, patches, testing, and deployments without disrupting critical operations. 

 &nbsp;

## To Sysprep or Not to Sysprep? 

Creating the perfect system image in a manufacturing environment is rather like trying to clone a particularly temperamental machine - in theory, it should be straightforward, but reality often has other ideas. While the textbook approach might suggest sysprep as the gold standard - "In a perfect Microsoft world, I would love everything to be clean deployment," as Reid put it - manufacturing environments demand more pragmatic solutions. 

For Husco's plant division, the decision came down to their unique software environment and the critical need for rapid deployment. They developed a hybrid approach that perfectly balanced efficiency with reliability. The office environment, with its standardised software and modern systems, follows conventional deployment methods using tools like Autopilot and Intune. But on the plant floor, where speed and reliability are paramount, Macrium's cloning capabilities proved to be exactly what they needed. "For our plant division, we are full Macrium backup clone, get it out there running as fast as we can," Reid shared, highlighting how the right tool in the right place can transform deployment efficiency. 

[![manufacturing-best-practice-webinar](https://strapistoragemacrium.blob.core.windows.net/strapi-uploads/uploads///https%3A/strapistoragemacrium.blob.core.windows.net/strapi-uploads/uploads/uploads/manufacturing_best_practice_webinar_d6268e92db.png)](https://info.macrium.com/webinar-imaging-deployment-best-practice-manufacturing)

 &nbsp;

## Testing: A Thoughtful Approach 

If there's one thing that separates a smooth recovery from a potential headache, it's thorough testing. And when it comes to manufacturing environments, that testing philosophy needs to be both rigorous and pragmatic. 

"Fail first, attempted learning," as Reid put it - a principle that led Husco to develop a sophisticated validation approach that begins in the sandbox but doesn't necessarily end there. 

Their hybrid testing strategy showcases the kind of flexibility needed in modern manufacturing. While thorough sandbox testing forms the foundation, Husco's approach evolves based on practical needs. Their smaller facilities, for instance, sometimes serve as perfect real-world testing grounds. "We're able to implement right into production, but that's with the business's acceptance with the outage window and testing prior." 

&nbsp;

### Best Testing Practices: 

- Start with thorough sandbox testing 
- Use smaller facilities for initial production trials 
- Maintain flexibility based on business needs 
- Always secure stakeholder buy-in for testing approaches 

 &nbsp;

## The Importance of Documentation

In global manufacturing operations, documentation isn't just about writing down steps - it's about creating a universal language that works across cultural and geographical boundaries. "We need to have that documentation up to par, make sense, culturally understandable across the globe," Reid emphasised, "because if we don't have that, there's going to be breakdowns." 

The principle of maintaining a "single source of truth" becomes especially crucial when managing IT across multiple countries. With operations spanning China, India, Germany, and the UK, Husco found that standardised documentation was essential for maintaining consistency. This became particularly important when dealing with international regulations and data management practices. 

Their approach to documentation goes beyond simple how-to guides. By building comprehensive knowledge bases and work instructions, they ensure that every team member understands not just the what, but the why and how of their processes. "We really, truly need those first and foremost before moving forward with any backup. We need to know the process, how it's made, how it works, how it functions and how to troubleshoot." 

 &nbsp;

## The Road Ahead 

The insights shared in this webinar highlight a crucial truth about operational technology in manufacturing: success lies not in following textbook solutions, but in finding the right balance between best practices and practical realities. Whether you're tackling deployment strategies, testing methodologies, or documentation standards, the key is to remain flexible while maintaining rigorous standards in these complex manufacturing environments. 

&nbsp;

**Looking for more OT insights? Catch up on the full webinar [here](https://info.macrium.com/webinar-imaging-deployment-best-practice-manufacturing). To learn more about how Macrium can help streamline your manufacturing backup and recovery, [speak to our team today.](https://www.macrium.com/sitebackup)**

OEM-backup-software-blog-macrium

Discover how Husco transformed their manufacturing IT operations, reducing system restore times from 8 hours to under 1 hour, in our webinar recap. Learn practical insights on legacy systems management, deployment strategies, and global documentation best practices

Manufacturing Deployment Best Practices: Insights from Husco

With manufacturing environments facing ever-increasing pressure to minimise downtime and maximise efficiency, getting imaging and deployment right has never been more crucial. Last June, our webinar "Imaging and Deployment Best Practice in Manufacturing" brought together our Global VP of Sales, Ari Novikoff, and Reid Schneider, Hardware and Applications Delivery Manager at Husco, for a deep dive into real-world OT backup and recovery. The conversation was packed with such practical insights that we thought it deserved another moment in the spotlight. 

Webinar Recap: Imaging and Deployment Best Practice in Manufacturing

Your #1 resource for data backup, recovery, imaging and deployment insights and tips to help you develop your organisation's disaster recovery plan. | 2025

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