Houston plants run on ERP schedules, shop-floor PCs and networks that cannot stop for a storm or a bad update. ITServices.Tech provides IT services for Houston manufacturers: one team for support, security, backups and the systems that keep production moving.
Manufacturing in the Houston area
Houston’s manufacturing base is much broader than the refineries along the Houston Ship Channel. Fabrication and machine shops, oilfield equipment makers, valve and pump builders and chemical blenders sit along Beltway 8, the Highway 290 corridor and the industrial parks around Pasadena, Deer Park and La Porte. Many are mid-sized companies with one or two plants, a front office and an ERP system that ties quoting, purchasing and the shop floor together.
That mix means a typical network carries office PCs, shop-floor terminals, CNC and inspection workstations, label printers and a few machines that still run older versions of Windows because the vendor software requires it. Those older machines are often the weakest point on the network, and the hardest to replace.
Keeping the shop floor apart from the office
The most useful change for most plants is separating the shop-floor network from the office network. Machine PCs, controllers and older systems go on their own segment with tightly limited access, so a phishing email opened in the front office cannot reach the machines that run production. Remote access for machine builders and integrators goes through a controlled connection that is switched on when they need it, instead of a remote tool someone installed years ago and never removed.
For larger customers in energy and chemicals, supplier security questionnaires are now routine. We help you answer them accurately and put the controls they ask about in place: MFA, managed endpoint protection, patching records and tested backups.
Storms, freezes and the power grid
Houston plants have to plan for more than hurricanes. Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 left much of Texas without power for days, and the May 2024 derecho cut power across the city with almost no warning. Servers and network gear on battery backup should shut down cleanly instead of crashing, and the ERP database should be ready to restore at another site if the building stays closed. We document which systems come back first, so the shop can start shipping again as soon as the power does.
ERP and engineering data
Quoting, purchasing, scheduling and shipping all run through the ERP, and engineering keeps drawings, CAM programs and inspection records on file shares or in a PDM system. When either one is slow or down, the whole plant feels it. We keep the ERP server patched, monitored and backed up, watch storage and database growth, and keep engineering files versioned, so a deleted folder or a bad save can be restored from an earlier copy.
IT services for Houston manufacturers
- Support for the shop-floor network and machine PCs
- Server, backups and user access for your ERP
- Office and shop-floor networks kept separate and secure
- CMMC preparation for defense suppliers
Everything runs under one managed IT agreement, with the help desk, monitoring, patching, Microsoft 365, security and backups handled by the same team.
Software we support
We support the systems you already run, such as Epicor, JobBOSS, SAP Business One and Microsoft Dynamics, along with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Mastercam and label software like BarTender, without making you replace them. PLC and controller programming stays with your machine vendor or integrator.
Security and compliance
We help defense suppliers prepare for CMMC Level 1 and Level 2 (NIST SP 800-171) with a gap review, policies and security controls. The formal assessment is done by an outside assessor (C3PAO).
Under Texas law, a business must notify affected people of a breach of their sensitive personal information within 60 days, and the Texas Attorney General within 30 days when 250 or more Texans are affected.
Office hours in Houston
Office hours for Houston clients are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central, in your own time zone.
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