Harris HMC shores up its future with Fusion5 big-time

A network overhaul and a great result

Ex-chef Scott Peachey joined Harris HMC in 2019 in an IT support role. After a steep five-year learning curve, he’s now the IT and Fleet Manager, leading the group’s technology transformation initiatives.

“A few years ago, we had a range of issues with network infrastructure across all 20 of our sites – it was dire,” says Peachey. “So, in 2021, we asked Fusion5 to completely overhaul the network for all our locations.”

This was Fusion5’s first major engagement with Harris HMC, and Peachey was over the moon with the outcome. “The network optimisation project dramatically improved our connectivity and operational workflow over the entire business. It was a great success.”

But the good stuff didn’t stop there.

Bye-bye on-prem infrastructure

Next up, Harris HMC decided moving to the cloud was well overdue. “All of our technology was on-premises (including dated servers on a 1GB link in the basement), which made it difficult for us during the COVID lockdown,” says Peachey.

“It was obvious we couldn’t continue relying on outdated technology. It limited our ability to grow or attract new business and undermined our security posture. So, we asked Fusion5 to migrate us to Azure and secure our new environment.” The result? “Our uptime has significantly improved since moving from on-prem to Azure and Citrix, slashing the downtime that used to impact 75% of the business. Now, we’ve got better defences, no breaches or downtime, and everything runs smoothly.”

Peachey was also delighted to claw back some IT budget for other improvements. “Now, we don’t need to buy new servers every five years. And when we’re over-spec’d, Fusion5’s CIS (Cloud, Infrastructure, and Security) team optimises our system so we’re back in control.”

Getting serious about security

Harris HMC works with many high-profile and security-conscious organisations. So, it was critical that its data, endpoints, and technology environment were all secured via a standardised platform.

To do this, Fusion5’s CIS team introduced Harris HMC to its Security Operations Centre (SOC) - an advanced security monitoring managed service powered by Microsoft Sentinel, a cloud-native security information and event management (aka SIEM) platform.

Onboarding Harris HMC to the SOC has been pivotal to the business’s journey of growth, modernisation, and cyber maturity, says Peachey.

“With a single streamlined connection instead of multiple systems, our user experience has improved dramatically. The SOC team flags any issues before they even become real problems – we love that proactive approach! We’ve gone from feeling overexposed due to our mostly unprotected endpoints – to feeling secure. We don’t have to watch our own back constantly!”

"The SOC team flags any issues before they even become real problems - we love that proactive approach!"

A co-managed approach to IT

While the migration to Azure and the security measures implemented by Fusion5’s CIS team were a great move, Peachey and his team were overwhelmed by the volume of work and expertise required to manage their new cloud environment.

“With just two of us, we didn’t have the time or capability to support our people daily, manage backups, patch software or system vulnerabilities, and apply updates. We’d also been manually imagining new devices with USBs – which was slow and inefficient, especially during periods of high staff turnover.”

To help businesses (like Harris HMC) with limited in-house technology resources, Fusion5 proposed a co-managed customised support offering encompassing Microsoft 365, infrastructure, Citrix, and cybersecurity. Under this new solution, Fusion5’s CIS team would become an extension of a customer’s internal IT team.

The new offering ticked all the boxes for Harris HMC, and they became the first customer to sign up for it in 2023. With Peachey providing an invaluable customer perspective, Fusion5 further developed its Managed Partner Plus Service Agreement to today’s current offering. “I was seriously impressed that Fusion5 took on board my feedback and were prepared to evolve their product offerings to meet the market,” says Peachey.

As part of its Co-managed Modern Work and Security offering (there are four offerings), Fusion5 also deployed Microsoft Intune, a cloud-based endpoint management solution – which revolutionised Harris HMC’s ability to control and secure its endpoints across the organisation. “Using Autopilot and Intune has saved us countless hours and dramatically improved efficiency,” says Peachey. 

“What used to take hours now takes a fraction of the time, and we can focus on business growth.”

A focus on stress-free security

Today, Fusion5 provides managed services to Harris HMC across modern work and security, Azure cloud networking, cybersecurity, and incident response.

Harris HMC recently signed up for Fusion5’s Virtual CISO service to eliminate shadow IT, improve its Essential Eight maturity, and adopt parts of the CIS (Center for Internet Security Control) framework. This will help them further improve their cybersecurity posture so that they can work in confidence with larger state and federal government organisations.

Fusion5 has worked closely with Peachey to strengthen Harris HMC’s ability to defend, respond to, and recover from cyberattacks, as well as build foundational cyber governance and resilience policies. “Fusion5’s CIS team has significantly impacted our security posture,” says Peachey.

And the stress of cyber-securing the business has been alleviated. “With the CIS team behind us, a cybersecurity incident isn’t the major melt-down it used to be. We know it’s been taken care of - we don’t have to figure out how to get through on our own.”

IT’s all about trust

Harris HMC views Fusion5 as a trusted advisor, relying on its expertise to navigate complex technological challenges.

“Fusion5’s wide range of capabilities and skills means we don’t need to shop around and juggle partners,” says Peachey. “We trust them to do everything for us. We have a single account manager who’s across everything - so even when doing lots of different projects, it’s a streamlined, centralised process. I’m always so busy that it’s really appreciated.

“Fusion5 actually care about us; we’re not just a transactional number to them. On a personal level, their approach has been to empower and teach me throughout our journey – so I really value our relationship. I feel like part of their team, and they feel like part of mine.”

Building a better, brighter future

“Three years ago, our technology was entirely on-prem. We were stagnating,” says Peachey. “Now, we’re a business that can operate anywhere in the world because we have the right cloud infrastructure and technology stack and Fusion5 to support us.”

“We may not have a significant budget compared with some of the multi-million-dollar companies out there, and we have very specific requirements, but with Fusion5, we’ve been able to transform our business. We value their advice, and they value our feedback. That’s a win-win in my books.”

“We’re now focused on improving business operations through DLP, leveraging Purview, and employing automation,” says Peachey. “Fusion5’s CIS has given us scope and breathing room to ensure full system integration. We’ve gone back to basics, put our house in order, and can now focus on innovation. And believe me, we’ll leverage every gram of value from Microsoft to drive the business forward.

“Working with CIS has been a game changer for us. Fusion5’s expertise and genuine care for our business have been unmatched. Unlike other partners, they don’t just push products - they take the time to understand our needs and align everything with our vision – so we know they’re providing value. I’ve never felt more confident knowing we have a team that’s not only got our backs but is constantly focused on helping us grow and succeed. We truly see them as an extension of our team.”

And as a nice nod to their efforts, all the hard work Fusion5 and Peachey have put into improving Harris HMC’s security posture has paid off, with the business recently securing a shortlist position for a major aviation, transport, and logistics contract.

About Harris HMC

Formed in 1984, Harris HMC is a privately owned, award-winning integrated construction and services group. The group builds, outfits, refurbishes and maintains diverse structures and facilities across all major project sectors throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Harris HMC is listed among the top 500 private companies in Australia and has 260+ employees.