// Field notes

Technology leadership insights.

Expert guidance on strategic technology, cybersecurity, and AI for mid-market manufacturers.

Practical advice from enterprise-proven technology leaders helping manufacturing and service companies compete with strategic IT, security, and AI capabilities.

Featured

Editor's selection.

CybersecuritySep 13, 2025

Beyond Compliance: How CMMC 2.0 is Reshaping Manufacturing Technology Strategy

CMMC compliance is driving a fundamental shift in how manufacturers approach cybersecurity, vendor management, and technology architecture. Here's what forward-thinking companies are doing differently.

By EdgePoint Strategy Team
Read article
Technology LeadershipSep 6, 2025

The Manufacturing CIO Paradox: Why Mid-Market Companies Can't Afford a Full-Time CIO (And Can't Afford Not To Have One)

Mid-market manufacturers face a critical dilemma: enterprise-level technology challenges without enterprise budgets. Here's how the fractional CIO model solves this paradox.

By EdgePoint Strategy Team
Read article
Technology LeadershipJan 15, 2025

5 Signs Your Manufacturing Business Needs a Fractional CIO

Discover the key indicators that your manufacturing company could benefit from strategic technology leadership without the full-time cost.

By EdgePoint Strategy Team
Read article
All posts

Field notes from the practice.

  1. AI Strategy

    AI in production needs an owner, not another pilot

    Move a useful AI pilot into production by assigning operating ownership, controls, measures, support, and a clear stop decision.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  2. Best Practices

    Vendor renewal season: questions to ask before signing another three-year term

    Use the renewal window to test business fit, service, risk, exit terms, and real adoption before extending a long technology contract.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  3. Technology Leadership

    The hidden cost of a departing plant expert

    How to identify, transfer, and preserve practical plant knowledge before a retirement or departure turns routine work into operating risk.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  4. Cybersecurity

    What should actually happen in a ransomware tabletop exercise?

    A ransomware tabletop should expose decisions, dependencies, and recovery assumptions through a realistic discussion, then produce owned follow-up work.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  5. Technology Leadership

    The spreadsheet that runs the plant: when to replace it and when not to

    A practical guide to deciding when a critical plant spreadsheet needs stronger controls, a better tool, or simply clearer ownership.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  6. AI Strategy

    Before you buy an AI tool, map the decision it will influence

    A practical method for defining the decision, evidence, human judgment, and feedback needed before selecting an AI product.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  7. Best Practices

    Your ERP is not the only problem: finding the handoffs that create rework

    Before replacing an ERP, examine the cross-functional handoffs where incomplete data, unclear ownership, and workarounds create avoidable rework.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  8. Cybersecurity

    CMMC Phase 1 is here: what smaller defense suppliers should do first

    Practical first steps for smaller defense suppliers as CMMC Phase 1 brings Level 1 and Level 2 self-assessment requirements into applicable procurements.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  9. Technology Leadership

    What a useful technology roadmap looks like at a mid-market company

    A useful roadmap connects business decisions, operating dependencies, and realistic delivery capacity without becoming a decorative timeline.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  10. Industry Insights

    The IT budget is not the strategy: setting better technology priorities for 2026

    A practical way for mid-market leaders to turn an annual technology budget into a short list of business priorities, decisions, and tradeoffs.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  11. Best Practices

    Ransomware Recovery in Manufacturing: A 72-Hour Playbook from the Front Lines

    When ransomware hits a manufacturer, the first 72 hours determine everything. Here's the tested playbook for rapid recovery with minimal business disruption.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  12. Industry Insights

    The $200K Question: Building vs. Buying Technology Leadership for Mid-Market Manufacturers

    Should you hire a full-time CIO, build an internal IT team, or engage fractional leadership? A financial analysis of the real costs and tradeoffs mid-market manufacturers face.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  13. AI Strategy

    AI Implementation Reality Check: What We Learned Deploying Machine Learning in 3 Manufacturing Plants

    The gap between AI hype and manufacturing reality is enormous. Here's what actually worked, what failed spectacularly, and the framework that led to measurable ROI in 18 months.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  14. Cybersecurity

    Beyond Compliance: How CMMC 2.0 is Reshaping Manufacturing Technology Strategy

    CMMC compliance is driving a fundamental shift in how manufacturers approach cybersecurity, vendor management, and technology architecture. Here's what forward-thinking companies are doing differently.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  15. Technology Leadership

    The Manufacturing CIO Paradox: Why Mid-Market Companies Can't Afford a Full-Time CIO (And Can't Afford Not To Have One)

    Mid-market manufacturers face a critical dilemma: enterprise-level technology challenges without enterprise budgets. Here's how the fractional CIO model solves this paradox.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
  16. Technology Leadership

    5 Signs Your Manufacturing Business Needs a Fractional CIO

    Discover the key indicators that your manufacturing company could benefit from strategic technology leadership without the full-time cost.

    By EdgePoint Strategy TeamRead article
// Start the conversation

Want to discuss your situation?

The articles cover patterns we've seen across engagements. Bring us your specific challenge, we'll respond within one business day.

Book a consultation Explore services