Cyberattacks are evolving at a pace that traditional employee training can’t keep up with, especially in manufacturing. A single successful phishing email, smishing text or vishing call can do far more than compromise an inbox. It can halt production lines, expose intellectual property, disrupt tightly coordinated supply chains or create safety risks on the factory floor.
Despite growing stakes, many manufacturing organizations rely on outdated security training approaches: static slide decks, infrequent quizzes and compliance-driven modules designed more to satisfy auditors than to prepare employees for real-world threats.
In an industry defined by precision, uptime and operational discipline, this disconnect creates a dangerous situation.
Because of this disconnect, most security leaders report low confidence in the effectiveness of these conventional methods. Likewise, research consistently shows that employees who complete standard cybersecurity training perform no better in live attack scenarios than those with no training at all. The issue isn’t the workforce, but it’s the approach.
Knowledge Isn’t Enough on the Factory Floor
Manufacturing is fast-moving and high-stakes. Operators, engineers, maintenance teams and office staff make split-second decisions while juggling safety, production protocols, targets and operational maneuvers. Here, theoretical knowledge doesn’t translate into instinctive, correct action.
Our research and experience show what manufacturers understand: people learn best by doing. Decades of safety and operational training practices demonstrate that experiential, scenario-based learning produces better outcomes than passive instruction. Cybersecurity is no different.
Knowing what phishing is doesn’t mean an employee will recognize a convincing email that appears to come from a supplier, a plant manager or an urgent maintenance alert. Awareness of social engineering practices doesn’t guarantee someone will respond correctly when a phone call pressures them to reset credentials or bypass a process to “keep production moving.”
Cyber Training Should Look More Like Safety Training
Manufacturers already invest heavily in hands-on training to reduce accidents and equipment failures. Safety simulations, drills and realistic scenarios allow employees to practice responses in controlled environments before mistakes can cause real harm.
Cybersecurity training should follow the same model.
Simulation-based, experiential learning gives employees realistic opportunities to practice identifying and responding to multi-channel attacks, including email, SMS, phone calls and collaboration platforms, without risking production downtime or data loss. These simulations mirror the tactics attackers actually use, helping employees build familiarity, confidence and decision-making skills under pressure.
This is vital as IT and operational technology systems become more connected. The convergence of these environments means that even a single compromised credential can cascade quickly, reaching beyond office systems into production, logistics and safety controls.
Moving Beyond Click Rates to Real Resilience
While a low phishing click rate is a positive initial indicator for cybersecurity training, it is insufficient as the sole measure of actual readiness.
Simulation-based training goes much deeper. Repeated exposure to realistic scenarios builds muscle memory and leads to instinctive responses that hold up under pressure. The result is employees who learn to avoid clicking, recognize the warning signs, report suspicious activity promptly and follow established response procedures.
These programs generate measurable insights into behavioral risk across teams, plants and roles. Manufacturers can identify patterns, such as which functions are most often targeted or where risk persists. This data helps security and operations leaders focus investments where they matter most.
Integrating Cyber Training with Manufacturing Strategy
Quality and useful cybersecurity training can’t exist in isolation. When integrated into a broader security and operational strategy, the result is almost always strengthened resilience across the organization.
For example, insights from simulations can inform risk modeling and incident response planning. If certain attack types consistently create confusion or delays, organizations can refine processes, improve technical controls or adjust communication protocols. Training outcomes can also support efforts to reduce downtime by identifying human-related risks before they lead to costly disruptions.
Experiential training creates a shared sense of responsibility in which cybersecurity is part of daily operations. In these environments, cybersecurity is more than an IT or operational issue. Employees see (and understand) how their actions impact production, safety and revenue, aligning cyber awareness with the priorities that already drive manufacturing culture.
For manufacturers looking to modernize their cybersecurity training, several principles can guide the transition:
- Design training around real threats. Use scenarios that reflect current attacks targeting manufacturers, including supplier fraud, credential theft and ransomware-related social engineering.
- Make training role-relevant. Operators, engineers, procurement teams and executives face different risks. Tailoring scenarios improves relevance and engagement.
- Encourage safe failure. Simulations should allow employees to make mistakes without consequences, turning errors into learning opportunities.
- Measure behavior, not just completion. Track how employees respond under simulated pressure, not simply whether they finished a module.
- Reinforce continuously. Cyber threats evolve, and so should training. Ongoing simulations keep awareness sharp and skills current.
Those in manufacturing understand the value of preparation, preventive maintenance, safety drills and process optimization that reduce risk and protect uptime.
Cybersecurity training deserves the same rigor.
By moving from checkbox compliance to experiential learning, leaders can prepare their workforce to address the cyber threats increasingly targeting industrial operations, resulting not just in better security but also reduced downtime and a culture where cyber vigilance becomes second nature.
