Guard every customer’s design data and keep the SMT lines building

Electronics Manufacturing IT Services

An electronics manufacturer holds other companies’ crown jewels: Gerber and ODB++ files, schematics, BOMs and test programs from every OEM you build for.

Talk to Us About Electronics Manufacturing IT 888.792.8080

SOC 2 Aligned

Responsive Support

20+ Years Experience

At a glance

If one customer’s files show up where they shouldn’t, or ransomware stops the MES that tracks every serial number, you lose builds and trust at the same time.

We run managed IT and cybersecurity for contract manufacturers, PCB assembly houses and OEMs that build their own boards.

We separate each customer’s data, isolate SMT, AOI and test station PCs from office traffic, protect traceability records, and help defense-facing shops meet ITAR and NIST SP 800-171 expectations.

We secure the computers and networks around your line equipment and coordinate with equipment vendors for anything inside the machines. We support manufacturers in Texas and nationwide.

IT that keeps SMT lines placing, customer IP apart, serials traceable.

Managed IT and security for EMS and PCBA shops that build for many customers and answer to all of them.

Electronics plant IT

Many customers’ designs, one factory network

Your factory holds design packages from dozens of OEMs, each with its own NDA, quality requirements and sometimes export controls. Those files flow from customer portals to engineering, onto the SMT line and into test. Here’s where that flow leaks or stalls, and the specific controls that keep each customer’s data in its own lane.

01 · The pressure

You build to other people’s secrets

NPI engineers pull Gerbers, centroid files and BOMs from customer portals. Program prep converts them into placement programs for the pick-and-place and inspection libraries for AOI. MES records every serial, lot and reel. Test engineers maintain fixtures and test code. Customers audit you, and the big ones send security questionnaires that ask how you keep their files away from competitors who also build at your plant. A breach here isn’t just your problem; it’s theirs.

Design packages from many OEMs at once
MES ties every serial to reels and lots
Customers audit how you separate their data

02 · How it breaks

One shared drive holds every customer’s files

In a lot of EMS shops, every job sits on one shared drive that the whole engineering team can browse. Portal passwords get saved in a shared spreadsheet. AOI and SPI machines run Windows builds the vendor hasn’t updated in years, connected to the office network for program transfers. During shortages, buyers get urgent emails from unknown brokers with attachments. One click and an attacker can browse every OEM’s design package.

One drive exposes every customer’s designs
Line machines on outdated, unpatched Windows
Fake broker emails during parts shortages

03 · What we change

Each customer in its own lane

We restructure storage so each customer’s data sits in its own folder or project with access limited to the team working that account, and log who opens what. Portal credentials move into a password manager with MFA. SMT, AOI, SPI, X-ray and test station PCs go onto a line network with tightly scoped transfer paths, and changes inside the machines stay with the equipment vendor. Purchasing mailboxes get attachment sandboxing and look-alike domain alerts. Defense programs get a separate enclave.

Per-customer access with audit logging
Line equipment PCs on an isolated network
A separate enclave for defense programs

04 · The after

Customer audits get easier

When an OEM’s supplier quality engineer asks how their files are protected, you show the access list, the logs and the network diagram. The line keeps building even if an office laptop gets infected. Traceability data is backed up and restorable, so a field failure investigation can find every board built from a suspect reel. Defense customers see a scoped environment with documented controls. And your sales team can say yes to the security section of an RFQ without crossing their fingers.

Evidence on hand for OEM security audits
Line stays up when an office PC is infected
Traceability data restorable for recalls

Systems we keep running

Altium Designer
Cadence Allegro
Siemens Valor Process Preparation
Aegis FactoryLogix
Arena PLM
Epicor Kinetic

Rules we help you meet

ITAR (defense programs)
EAR
DFARS 252.204-7012
NIST SP 800-171
CMMC 2.0 (defense programs)

What We Offer

Comprehensive solutions tailored for Houston-area businesses

Per-Customer Data Separation

We reorganize file storage and PLM or document control so each OEM’s design packages are visible only to the team assigned to that account. Access is granted by group, reviewed quarterly and logged. When a customer leaves, archiving or returning their data is a defined process instead of a forgotten folder that sits on the server for years.

SMT and Test Line Network Isolation

Pick-and-place programming PCs, AOI, SPI, X-ray and functional test stations move to a line network with firewall rules that allow program transfers and MES reporting only. Many of these machines run operating systems their vendors control, so we isolate rather than force updates, and we coordinate any changes inside the equipment with the vendor.

MES and Traceability Protection

Serial, lot, reel and test-result records are what you’ll need for a recall or a failure analysis. We keep MES servers and databases patched, monitored and backed up to immutable storage, and we test restores so traceability survives a hardware failure or ransomware event intact.

Customer Portal Credential Control

Engineers and buyers log into many customer and distributor portals. We move those credentials into a business password manager with MFA, shared vaults per account team and offboarding that revokes access the day someone leaves. No more spreadsheet of portal passwords on the shared drive.

Purchasing and Broker Email Defense

Component shortages bring a flood of unsolicited broker offers, and attackers blend right in. We add attachment sandboxing, link scanning, look-alike domain detection and external sender banners to purchasing and planning mailboxes, plus a payment-change callback rule for new or changed supplier bank details. Buyers stay fast.

Defense Program Enclave

If you build boards for defense primes, controlled drawings and test data may fall under ITAR or carry CUI markings. We help scope a separate enclave for that work with MFA, logging, restricted access and documentation for NIST SP 800-171, so the rest of the plant doesn’t have to carry the same controls.

Why Choose LayerLogix?

Serving businesses throughout the Greater Houston area including Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta, Nationwide.

Win RFQs With Security Requirements

OEMs now score suppliers on cybersecurity alongside quality and delivery. Documented data separation, MFA, backups and incident response give your sales team real answers for the security section of an RFQ and the supplier audit that follows.

One Customer’s Breach Stays Contained

With per-customer access and logging, a compromised account exposes only what that user could reach, not every design package in the building. That’s a very different conversation to have with an OEM than one where everything was open.

Lines Keep Building Through Office Incidents

Isolating line equipment means a phishing infection in accounting doesn’t reach the pick-and-place programs or the AOI libraries. Production stays on schedule while we clean up the affected machines on the office side. Shipping doesn’t slip because of an email.

Traceability You Can Count On

Backed-up, tested MES and test data mean that when a customer reports a field failure, you can trace affected serial numbers back to reels, lots and test results quickly, instead of hoping the database survived last year’s server crash.

Our Process

Inventory office systems, engineering workstations, line equipment PCs, MES and test servers, and every customer or distributor portal your team logs into.

Map where each customer’s data lives today, who can reach it, and which jobs carry ITAR, CUI or contractual handling requirements.

Restructure storage and permissions per customer, move portal credentials into a password manager, and turn on access logging.

Segment line equipment onto its own network, agreeing transfer paths and maintenance windows with each equipment vendor before changes.

Protect MES, traceability and test data with monitored, immutable backups, then run a restore test using a real production lot.

Prepare a customer-facing security summary and evidence pack, and review access, alerts and open items with you each quarter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we prove to an OEM that their files are separated from other customers’?▼

With access lists, logs and a clear structure. We set up storage so each customer’s data sits in its own location with access limited to named groups, and we keep logs of who opened or changed files. During an audit, you can show the permission report, a sample of the access log and a short written description of how new projects are set up and how departing customers’ data is handled. That’s far stronger than saying everyone signs an NDA and we trust our engineers.

Our AOI machines run old Windows. Can we update them?▼

Usually that’s the equipment vendor’s call, because the inspection software is validated on a specific operating system build and changing it can break the machine or void support. What we can do is isolate those machines on a line network with no internet access and only the transfer paths they need, back up their programs and libraries, and block removable media except through a controlled process. When the vendor releases a supported update, we plan the rollout with them and your process engineers.

We build a few defense boards. Does the whole plant fall under ITAR?▼

Not necessarily. ITAR and CUI requirements follow the controlled data and the people who can access it. Many contract manufacturers create a defined enclave for defense programs, with its own storage, restricted access, MFA and logging, and keep the rest of the plant outside it. The enclave still has to touch some production systems, so scoping takes care. We help design it and document it for NIST SP 800-171. Your customer and your counsel decide how data is classified and what your contract requires.

Can you help with component broker scams and fake invoices?▼

Yes, from the email and process side. We add protections to purchasing mailboxes that catch malicious attachments, look-alike domains and first-time senders, and we help you put a written rule in place for verifying new suppliers and any change to banking details by calling a known number. We also watch for signs a mailbox has been taken over, like hidden forwarding rules. Counterfeit part screening itself belongs with your quality and incoming inspection process, which we don’t replace.

What happens to MES data if ransomware hits?▼

Endpoint detection should isolate infected machines early, and because line equipment sits on its own network, the infection has a harder time reaching it. MES databases are backed up to immutable storage that ransomware can’t encrypt, and we test those restores ahead of time. Our team responds during business hours with after-hours emergency response for active incidents, while automated monitoring watches servers around the clock. Restoring MES comes early in the recovery plan, because production and traceability both depend on it.

Do you work with our PLM and ERP vendors?▼

Yes. We’re not trying to replace your PLM, ERP or MES vendor. We handle the infrastructure underneath: servers, databases, backups, network access, user accounts and integrations between systems. When something needs vendor support, we open the ticket, give them the logs and access they need through a controlled remote session, and close that access when the work is done. You get one team coordinating instead of being stuck between a software vendor and a hardware problem.

Do you provide Electronics Manufacturing IT Services in Houston and nearby areas?▼

Yes. LayerLogix is based in the Greater Houston area and delivers electronics manufacturing IT services to businesses across Houston and the surrounding communities, including The Woodlands, Spring, Katy, Sugar Land, Conroe, Cypress, and Pearland. For most Houston-area clients we can be on-site the same day when something needs hands-on attention, and our help desk is available during business hours, with after-hours emergency support. Call 713-571-2390 to check coverage for your specific address.

What does Electronics Manufacturing IT Services cost for a Houston business?▼

Pricing depends on your size and what you need, so we do not publish a one-size-fits-all number — but Houston businesses generally pay a flat, predictable monthly fee rather than surprise hourly bills. We start with a free, no-obligation assessment of your current setup, then give you a clear quote in plain English with no hidden costs. That way you know exactly what you are getting and what it costs before you commit.

Ready to Get Started?

Contact LayerLogix today for a free consultation. We serve businesses throughout Houston, Dallas, Austin, and the surrounding Greater Houston area.

Schedule Free Consultation Call 888.792.8080