Strong Data Foundations in Manufacturing: What Make UK’s Q3 2025 Outlook Means for IT/OT Networks and Security

UK manufacturing has put in a strong quarter. Make UK’s Manufacturing Outlook for Q3 2025 reports the output balance rising to +25% (from +9%), alongside improved demand and a clear uplift in confidence (Make UK Manufacturing Outlook Q3 2025). But Make UK also flags ongoing uncertainty: global trading conditions remain volatile and there are significant headwinds ahead.

For technical decision makers, that combination – growth plus volatility – is the reality you design for. When production ramps up and investment restarts, more systems get connected, more data gets moved, and more changes are made under time pressure. That is exactly where “strong data foundations” stops being a slogan and becomes a practical requirement.

The report’s “Key Considerations for Manufacturers” puts it plainly: manufacturers should invest in “scalable data infrastructure, cloud platforms and robust cybersecurity to ensure data is accessible, secure and actionable”, including integrating data across systems to enable real-time insights and analytics. Here’s what that looks like when you translate it into an IT/OT networking and security conversation.

Scalable data infrastructure: start with resilient LAN and WAN

The report notes that AI and automation initiatives need a strong foundation to scale and deliver consistent value. In factories, that foundation begins with whether data can reliably move from where it is created (lines, cells, machines, sensors) to where it is used (MES, historians, dashboards, analytics, cloud platforms).

In practical network terms, “scalable data infrastructure” usually means:

• Resilient plant LAN design. If one switch or uplink failure can take down production, you don’t have a scalable foundation. Redundancy where it’s justified, clear separation between line/cell networks and the wider plant, and disciplined configuration standards reduce fragility.
• Predictable performance. Real-time insights depend on stable latency and controlled broadcast domains. Flat networks often work until you add “just one more” use case – then everything becomes harder to diagnose and means that a successful ransomware attack is not limited to a single portion of the network.
• Resilient Secure and resilient site-to-site connectivity – which is often overlooked. If your data strategy spans multiple sites, the WAN becomes part of the production system. Tightly controlling traffic between sites using firewalls, IPS/IDS, and operating in a least privilege model is important.

Cloud platforms: integrate data across systems with controlled pathways

The report explicitly calls out cloud platforms as part of the data foundation. The mistake we see most often is treating this as “connect OT to cloud”. What you actually need is a controlled set of pathways that let data flow out safely, and allow limited access back in only where required.

A pragmatic pattern is to design zones:

• OT zones (cell/area) that keep critical operational assets contained.
• An OT-facing DMZ for the services that must interact with both IT and OT (historians, data brokers, update repositories, remote access gateways).
• IT/enterprise zones where business systems, analytics and reporting sit.

This supports the report’s goal of integrating data across systems for real-time insights, while reducing the chance that a problem in one area becomes a plant-wide issue.

Robust cybersecurity: keep data accessible without increasing exposure

The report’s “robust cybersecurity” point  is best understood as security that supports operations. Manufacturing environments cannot afford controls that are theoretically strong but practically brittle.

Remote access is the clearest example. Modern plants depend on remote support for engineering, IT operations, OEM vendors and integrators. “Accessible and secure” means:

• Brokered access rather than broad VPNs, so users reach specific systems or apps, not entire networks.
• Strong identity (MFA as baseline, role-based access, time-bound privileges for sensitive work).
• Vendor guardrails: scoped access, approvals, and logging (and ideally session auditing for privileged changes).

These measures preserve accessibility while limiting lateral movement and reducing unnecessary exposure, and can form part of evidence to show due diligence when it comes to directives such as NIS2.

Monitoring: the part that makes foundations real over time

The report also warns that without robust data and governance, AI initiatives risk becoming siloed or failing to scale. Monitoring is a major part of that governance in the real world.

As connectivity increases, visibility must increase with it. A sensible baseline includes:

• Asset visibility, especially in OT where endpoint agents are not always possible.
• Centralised logs from your control points (core switching, firewalls, remote access, identity).
• Network-level detection and alerting to spot unusual communications and lateral movement patterns.

Monitoring is also where managed services often deliver the biggest operational benefit: reduced noise, faster investigation, and the confidence to make changes without fear.

Why now? Because cost pressure is still shaping behaviour

The report shows inflationary pressure has eased compared with the peak period, but a majority of manufacturers still raised prices in the first half of the year: the share fell from 78% in 2022 to 59% in 2025. It also highlights continued expectations of future price rises when comparing 2025 and 2022 survey responses. In other words: the environment is improving, but cost pressure hasn’t disappeared.

That context helps explain why 71% of manufacturers intend to invest in technology and automation to reduce costs. Digitalisation is being used as a lever for competitiveness, not a side project.

The practical takeaway: translate “strong data foundations” into four priorities

If you want an actionable translation of the report’s “strong data foundations” line, it’s this:

1. Scalable data infrastructure = resilient LAN/WAN that can carry more operational data without becoming fragile.
2. Cloud platforms = segmentation and controlled pathways that integrate data across systems safely.
3. Robust cybersecurity = secure remote access and strong identity controls that keep data accessible without widening exposure.
4. Foundations over time = monitoring and operational governance that support safe, continuous change.

Q3 2025 looks positive for UK manufacturing – but the report is clear that headwinds remain. The organisations that get the most from the next wave of investment won’t just buy new tools – they’ll strengthen the foundations that let modernisation scale: resilient connectivity, practical security, and operational visibility.

Sources: Make UK, Manufacturing Outlook – Quarter 3 2025 (published in partnership with BDO), pp. 3-4, 6, 27.

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