The Hidden Cost of Friction: Why Factory Workers Experience IT Differently
Zscaler, Wednesday, October 14th, 2026
A Zscaler innovation lead reflects on how IT friction affects factory floor workers differently from office staff.
Zscaler innovation lead Alex Fray describes a site visit to a large consumer goods manufacturer to explore how Zscaler technology could support factory operations.
Watching a maintenance technician diagnose a production line fault changed his thinking about how frontline workers experience IT.
The post argues that friction in access and tools carries a hidden cost on the factory floor and makes the case for designing IT around the realities of operational work.