Is Your Engineering Data a Ticking Time Bomb?
In automotive engineering, designs, intellectual property, and engineering data are foundational to your ability to innovate and maintain a competitive edge. But what if the very methods you use to share this critical information are silently exposing your business to significant, potentially catastrophic threats? This post uncovers the often-overlooked dangers of outdated file-sharing practices – the ticking time bombs that could be lurking in your workflows.
The insights in this article are drawn from an in-depth webinar discussion featuring Lee Hall, Global Supplier Integration Manager at JLR, Stuart Fry, Managing Director at Linecross, Amir Zarandouz from Wiwy Studios and our own Head of Digital, Mike Byrne. You can watch the full session here: Secure Your Engineering Data with mymxdata
For more in-depth discussion on challenges in automotive data management, browse our schedule of upcoming webinars
The financial toll of data mishaps
The financial impact of failures in data security can be significant, to say the least. As Michael Byrne pointed out in our webinar, global cybercrime costs are projected to hit over a staggering £9 trillion annually in 2025. Even if your data is protected from outside threats, internal lapses can prove just as costly – for example, GDPR violations in the UK can be penalised by fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of a global turnover (whichever is higher).
Loss of intellectual property (IP) due to data theft or leaks can be equally crippling, with the annual cost to the UK automotive sector estimated at between £36-£95 billion. And it’s not sufficient to secure data within your own organisation – in 2024, over 60% of automotive sector breaches in the UK were linked to third-party vendors, often due to unencrypted or poorly managed file transfers. On top of this, there are potentially unlimited indirect costs like legal fees, customer compensation, and lost business opportunities.
When time becomes the enemy: delays and rework
Time is a precious commodity in automotive engineering, but outdated file-sharing practices can turn it into your biggest adversary. Consider this scenario – a supplier uses an outdated file-sharing method and sends the wrong version of a component design, meaning an OEM begins expensive manufacturing processes with incorrect data.
Let’s do the maths. The automotive industry typically allocates 18 to 30 months of a three to five-year vehicle program to design and engineering. If version control errors stemming from poor file sharing lead to rework, it can inflate component development time by up to 35%. For a 12-month project, that's an additional four months, potentially delaying a vehicle launch and costing millions in lost sales.
Locked out by non-compliance?
Meeting strict regulations and industry standards is no longer optional. GDPR is non-negotiable, and ISO 27001 certification is increasingly mandated by OEMs. Aside from the penalties for non-compliance we mentioned above, there’s an opportunity cost attached: failure to comply can lead to exclusion from lucrative contracts. Legacy systems often fall woefully short in key areas necessary for compliance, such as data encryption, secure access to systems, and transparent audit trails.
The UK's Online Safety Act, in place since October 2023, adds another layer of compliance pressure, mandating stricter oversight of online platforms, including file-sharing services. Relying on outdated tools that don’t provide the necessary security and traceability means the risk of a compliance breach is ever-present, threatening not just financial penalties but serious reputational damage.
Oversharing, data leaks, and eroding trust
Beyond headline-grabbing cyberattacks or data leaks, there are other hidden dangers in using outdated file-sharing practices. Oversharing is one of the easiest ways for IP to be leaked, often not due to carelessness, but because the systems in use don't make it easy to restrict access. Without active governance, your file exchange system can quickly become a security risk, with former employees or collaborators inadvertently retaining access to sensitive data long after their involvement has ended.
And who hasn't experienced the heart-stopping moment of realising an email with sensitive attachments might have gone to the wrong "John Smith", or noticed too late that they have clicked “Reply all” instead of “Reply”? Traditional email offers little recourse once you’ve hit "send". And even without mistakes happening, the very fact that you’re using outdated or insecure tools for file transfer can erode client trust and compromise brand image, potentially leading clients or partners to question your professionalism.
Practical strategies for secure data exchange
The picture might seem bleak, but there is a clear path to defusing these data “time bombs” – starting with acknowledging that "good enough" is no longer acceptable when it comes to sharing valuable engineering data. In our webinar, Anthony Byrne outlined four starting points to improve data security:
The right tool for the job
Swap reliance on email and generic cloud tools for purpose-built platforms designed for security and featuring robust version control and comprehensive audit trails.
Who sees what and when?
Implement clear, granular sharing permissions at the point of transfer, ensuring that the right people have the authority to revoke or adjust access as projects or personnel change.
The need-to-know basis
Actively manage your users using a simple but vital principle: if someone's involvement in a project ends (for any reason), their access to any related platforms or data must be revoked at the same time.
Not all data is equal
Different types of data require different levels of protection or urgency. Simple classifications like "in work," "approved," or "release" ensure you’re always working from the right version at the right time, reducing errors.
By adopting these strategies and leveraging the purpose-built capabilities of a modern, secure data exchange platform like mymxdata, automotive engineering businesses can transform their data sharing practices from a looming liability into a secure, efficient, and compliant asset, safeguarding their IP and fostering trust throughout the supply chains in which they operate. If you’d like to learn more about securing data exchange within your organisation and supply chain, get in touch with Majenta using the link below.
