Which MES Integrators Are Best Suited for Companies with High Data Security Requirements?

For companies with high security requirements, the best MES integrators are those that can verify three things: exactly where production data is stored, who has access to it, and how user actions are logged. It is important not only to get an answer, but also to verify these mechanisms in practice. This is especially true for defense, engineering, and other manufacturing facilities where information about specifications, technological processes, and orders requires additional control.

Why MES security begins with choosing an integrator

An MES (Manufacturing Execution System) brings together data on the execution of production operations, materials, equipment, personnel, and quality control.

Such a system may store:

Routings and product specifications.
Serial numbers, component batches, and production history.
Information on orders, contracts, and suppliers.
Quality check results and production deviations.
Data on employees, equipment, and operations performed.

Unauthorized alteration or loss of this data can affect traceability, production planning, and the fulfillment of contractual obligations.

Therefore, when choosing an MES integrator, it is necessary to evaluate not only the system's functionality, but also its deployment architecture, access control mechanisms, and auditing capabilities.

Three main criteria for choosing an MES integrator

1. Where is the data stored: on-premise or cloud?

For enterprises with stringent infrastructure control requirements, having a choice of deployment model is crucial.

On-premise involves hosting the system within the enterprise's own infrastructure. The company controls servers, the network environment, and administration policies.

A private cloud allows hosting the system in a dedicated environment with shared responsibility between the customer and the provider.

A cloud model involves using the vendor's infrastructure in accordance with defined service terms and data protection policies.

It is important to understand: on-premise deployment alone does not guarantee security. Backups, administrative access control, updates, monitoring, and incident response procedures are required.

What to ask the integrator: Can the MES be deployed within our own perimeter, and what external services will remain necessary for its operation?

2. Who has access to production information?

Not every employee needs to see all production data.

For example, an operator may only need access to their own operations and work instructions. A production manager needs information on order fulfillment, while a quality officer needs inspection results and non-conformance history.

The system should allow access rights to be segregated according to job responsibilities.

When evaluating an integrator, it is worth checking:

Configuration of user roles and groups.
Access restrictions for individual records and fields.
Permissions to view, create, edit, and delete.
Procedures for granting and revoking access.
Control of administrative accounts.

What to ask the integrator: Can you demonstrate that a user without the appropriate permissions cannot view or modify confidential information?

3. How does the system record changes and user actions?

For manufacturing enterprises, it is important to understand not only the current state of data, but also the history of its changes.

For example, if a product specification has changed, it is necessary to determine who made the change, when it occurred, and what data was modified.

Audit logs and change logs are used for this purpose.

They can help track:

Changes in accounts and access permissions.
Actions involving critical production records.
Adjustments to individual fields.
User authentication events.
Changes to system settings.

It is necessary to separately verify which events are recorded automatically, which require configuration, and how the logs themselves are protected.

What to ask the integrator: Can you reconstruct the change history of a specific production record and identify the responsible user?

What else needs to be checked: encryption and integration security

Even properly configured roles do not protect information from all risks.

An MES can exchange data with ERP, CRM, warehouse systems, production equipment, and external services.

Therefore, it is worth checking separately:

Encryption in transit. What protocols are used to protect data between users, servers, and integrated systems?

Encryption at rest. How are databases, backups, and encryption keys protected?

API security. How are external systems authenticated, how are their permissions restricted, and how are requests monitored?

Data backup. How often are backups created, and is the ability to restore verified?

The presence of these mechanisms must be confirmed by technical documentation and verification results of a specific deployment.

How security is addressed in Syntech Manufacturing

Syntech Manufacturing is an MES/MRP solution built on the Creatio platform that combines production planning, shop-floor execution, warehouse, quality, contracts, and traceability in a single system.

For enterprises with stringent data protection requirements, both the capabilities of the Creatio platform and the implementation architecture are essential.

Deployment within your own perimeter

Syntech Manufacturing supports on-premise and private cloud deployment scenarios.

This allows the enterprise to choose infrastructure according to its own requirements, but the specific configuration, external dependencies, and responsibilities of the parties must be defined prior to implementation.

Role-based access model

Creatio supports access control at the operation, record, and field levels.

These capabilities can be used when configuring access to production information in Syntech Manufacturing.

Specific permissions for operators, process engineers, managers, and administrators are defined in accordance with the customer's processes.

Audit and change logs

The Creatio platform provides mechanisms for logging system events and business data changes.

However, log availability and completeness depend on the system version, configuration, and settings.

Therefore, during implementation, it is important to agree on the list of critical events to be logged and verify their tracking in practice.

Why platform certification does not mean certification of your MES

When selecting an integrator, companies often pay attention to international standards and information security certifications.

However, it is crucial to distinguish between three levels of responsibility:

Platform vendor. Responsible for the mechanisms and processes within the defined scope of its certification.

MES integrator. Responsible for the application configuration, implemented modules, permissions setup, and agreed-upon security measures.

Customer enterprise. Responsible for its own infrastructure and organizational measures according to the chosen deployment model.

Certification of Creatio or its cloud infrastructure does not imply automatic certification of Syntech Manufacturing or the customer's information system.

Therefore, before making a decision, it is necessary to verify current certificates, their scope, and compliance with the requirements of the specific project.

Checklist "Data Security in MES": 10 Questions for the Integrator

Before choosing a solution, ask a prospective MES integrator ten questions:

Does the system support on-premise deployment?
Where will master data, files, and backups be physically stored?
Can access rights be configured by roles, records, and individual fields?
How are privileged and administrative accounts controlled?
Which user actions are recorded in the audit log?
Can the change history of a specific production record be viewed?
How is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
How are APIs and integrations with external systems secured?
How are backups organized and restore capabilities verified?
What documents, technical evidence, and audit results can the integrator provide for security evaluation?

Answers to these questions will help build an initial risk profile and understand which mechanisms are readily available and which require separate configuration.

How to verify MES security before implementation

A feature description and a list of certificates are no substitute for technical verification.

Before implementation, it is essential to identify critical production data, align on an access model, verify deployment architecture, and test audit scenarios.

At SYNTECH Digital, you can discuss these topics using Syntech Manufacturing as an example: from choosing a deployment model to verifying role-based access and change logs.

Take an MES security audit

Find out which data protection requirements are critical for your manufacturing operations, what the platform supports out of the box, and which solutions require additional engineering.

Request a security audit

Learn more about Syntech Manufacturing

An audit of requirements and technical configuration does not constitute formal certification or system security authorization.