Why Greenhouse Operations Can’t Afford “Average IT”

By Corey Joinville

President & Chief Information Officer, AnchorPoint CIO Inc.

Greenhouses are one of the most overlooked industries when it comes to IT.

But they’re also one of the most dependent on it.

The Reality of Modern Greenhouse Operations

Today’s greenhouse environment relies on:

• Climate control systems

• Irrigation automation

• Production tracking

• Logistics and shipping systems

• Remote access across multiple sites

When IT fails — operations don’t slow down.

They stop.

The Risk Most Operators Don’t See

Many greenhouse operations have:

• Basic IT support

• Minimal cybersecurity

• No disaster recovery plan

• Aging infrastructure holding everything together

It works… until it doesn’t.

What Downtime Actually Looks Like

When systems go down:

• Environmental controls can’t be monitored properly

• Orders can’t be processed

• Staff are left guessing instead of operating

• Production risk increases

This isn’t just IT.

It’s operational risk.

What “Good IT” Looks Like in Agriculture

It’s not about overcomplicating things.

It’s about reliability:

• Stable, redundant network infrastructure

• Secure remote access

• Monitored systems and alerts

• Backup and recovery that actually works

• A plan for growth and expansion

The Difference Maker

The operations that run best don’t just have IT support.

They have:

clear direction and oversight

Final Thought

If your greenhouse depends on technology (and it does), then IT isn’t optional.

It’s part of your production environment.

📩 If you operate in agriculture or greenhouse production and want to reduce risk, let’s connect.

Info@anchorpointcio.com

Written by Corey Joinville

President & Chief Information Officer, AnchorPoint CIO Inc.

Corey is a Fractional CIO helping businesses take control of IT, reduce cybersecurity risk, and align technology with real business outcomes. With experience leading multi-million-dollar IT environments across North America, he works directly with ownership and executive teams to bring structure, strategy, and accountability to technology.