This article appeared in the May/Jun 2024 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

As automation and digitization continues to transform the manufacturing industry, advanced cybersecurity protocols are increasingly essential. In fact, manufacturing is targeted more than any other industry, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the attacks worldwide in 2022, according to Statista.

“It’s something that you hear about on the news almost every day,” says Nate Weisenburger, Principal of General Agency Company in Mount Pleasant. “Cyberattacks are imminent, and manufacturers are a very highly targeted class.”

To help MMA members identify risks, enhance their cybersecurity, and protect the future of their businesses, General Agency Company has partnered with Ann Arbor-based SensCy to provide the Michigan Cybersecurity Initiative, which offers members with an exclusive and unprecedented opportunity to obtain industry-leading cyber security insurance paired with proactive cyber hygiene to protect your company like never before. In a streamlined and efficient process involving a single application, MMA members will be assessed for cyberhealth and paired with a dedicated cybersecurity professional to establish a proactive plan of action. Simultaneously, General Agency Company will provide a quote for industry-leading monoline cyber-liability insurance with robust coverage and pre-determined premiums.

“A lot of carriers write cyber-liability insurance but, with SensCy’s mitigation and action plan, MMA members gain a more comprehensive, end-to-end solution to protect their businesses and their customers,” Weisenburger says. “It’s a different dynamic because it’s not just us providing insurance for the customers. We build it up with SensCy by determining a business’s risk and then flowing it in with the insurance carrier.”

Launched in 2023, MMA partner SensCy provides a “wrap-around solution” designed to help businesses improve their cyberhealth, mitigate risk and prepare to respond should an incident occur. Short for Sensible Cyber Solution, SensCy provides a suite of services beginning with the proprietary “SensCy Score” cybersecurity assessment. Through this assessment, businesses receive a score on a 1,000-point scale that identifies the strength of their security, and then SensCy provides a customized Cyberhealth Plan, incident response plan and other related services.

However, cybercriminals are exceedingly savvy and, despite extensive forethought, technological advancements and implementation of advanced protections, cyberattacks continue to cause extensive damage to businesses every day.

The second half of this initiative, therefore, is the cyber-liability insurance coverage through General Agency Company. The initiative also assists clients with legal fees, public relations and marketing campaigns related to a breach,

Through this new initiative, MMA members gain insights and protections through SensCy, as well as an exclusive insurance product with competitive rates, broader coverage, and higher insurance limits through General Agency Company.

By combining industry-leading cybersecurity solutions with robust cyber-liability insurance coverage, members can take proactive steps to safeguard company’s assets, reputation, financial liability and future growth.

See Member Benefits to learn more about how MMA members can benefit with the Michigan Cyber Initiative or contact MMA’s Brenda Nalett, at 517-487-8512 or nweisenburger@ga-ins.com.