July 19, 2025
Many Ohio manufacturers work with a
small internal IT crew or an external provider that's been "good enough" for
years. But as your business grows, the risks change—and the IT model that once
served you starts holding you back.
This shift usually starts quietly. More
support tickets. Slower response times. A hesitancy to tackle compliance or
integrate new systems. CFOs start noticing recurring issues, rising costs, and
most of all—more fire drills.
This is exactly what happened at a
precision tooling firm that had grown 40% in three years. Their long-time IT
provider struggled to support cloud integration, ERP customization, and ISO
27001 documentation. Nothing catastrophic happened—but confidence eroded.
Eventually, a failed compliance prep triggered a 90-day scramble.
"Growth
doesn't just stretch your operations—it tests your infrastructure." — Marillyn Hewson, former CEO
of Lockheed Martin
In contrast, another firm brought in
outside audit and IT readiness support early. Their finance and compliance
leads partnered with an MSP familiar with make-to-order environments.
Documentation improved, user training got streamlined, and by the time CMMC
guidance arrived—they were already aligned.
"When
tech becomes the obstacle instead of the enabler, it's time to upgrade the
relationship." — Ginni Rometty, former CEO
of IBM
How to spot when you've outgrown your
current support:
- IT tickets take days, not hours, to resolve
- Compliance documentation is reactive, not proactive
- Leadership avoids asking for new capabilities due to past delays
- Staff are "shadow ITing" with unsanctioned tools or spreadsheets
Smart questions to ask in your next
review:
- What would we need to pass a full IT compliance audit today?
- Are we paying for projects that keep getting postponed?
- How much of our IT is preventive versus reactive?
The best partners scale with you. The
others stay stuck. And when you're moving forward, staying stuck is the biggest
risk of all.
