A Modern IT Support Service for a Modern Workplace

ABOUT THE CUSTOMER

The Marist Brothers, officially known as the Marist Brothers of the Schools, are a Catholic religious institute of brothers dedicated to the education of young people. Founded in France in 1817 by Marcellin Champagnat, the Marist Brothers have played a vital role in providing quality education to young people around the world for over 200 years.

Their commitment to providing a holistic education that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit of their students, leading to an integrated humanity has been a hallmark of their approach to education for centuries.

THE CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

Marist Brothers encountered significant challenges with their existing IT infrastructure, which adhered to a traditional Managed Service Provider (MSP) support model despite Marist Brother’s strategic transition to a cloud-based infrastructure. This misalignment created considerable operational difficulties with support within the organisation.

This support model that was being utilised by their existing MSP had access limitations which did not allow Marist Brothers to have access to their own environment, resulting in delays in resolving urgent matters. This led to operational inefficiencies, delayed issue resolution, and a growing disconnect between the two organisations.

THE SOLUTION

Marist Brothers recognised the severity of these issues and the limitations of their environment, so they initially reached out to Microsoft for assistance. Microsoft recommended TechConnect as a Managed Service Provider with specialised expertise in cloud solutions. TechConnect’s comprehensive understanding of cloud computing, combined with their modern approach to IT support, positioned them as the optimal partner to address Marist Brothers’ unique challenges and to regain control over the cloud infrastructure investment.

TechConnect collaborated extensively with Marist Brothers to develop a tailored shared responsibility support model that aligned precisely with their operational needs. As part of the process, TechConnect conducted a comprehensive audit, utilising Marist Brothers’ cloud maturity assessment in conjunction with Microsoft’s secure score system to evaluate the existing environment and identify areas for improvement.

Based on the audit findings, TechConnect designed a flexible, on-demand support framework, integrating modern tools and adhering to industry cloud standards. This solution provided Marist Brothers with greater agility and enhanced their security posture.

Key performance indicators were established to ensure measurable outcomes, and a shared responsibility model was implemented to foster a collaborative approach to ongoing support and management. The transition to TechConnect’s support model was seamless, immediately improving the quality of support and significantly strengthening Marist Brothers’ overall security and operational efficiency.

THE OUTCOME

As a result of Marist Brothers’ engagement with TechConnect and the adoption of the newly designed shared responsibility support program, they were able to transition into an efficient, easy-to-manage support environment that aligned seamlessly with their business strategies. The tailored solution streamlined Marist Brothers’ operations and provided them with a clear and structured pathway towards enhanced governance, ensuring adherence to best practices in cloud management and security.

This engagement designed to support both operational excellence and long-term strategic growth, aligned Marist Brothers’ cloud infrastructure with modern industry standards and enabled them to efficaciously continue their progress on the Modern Workplace journey with Microsoft. As a result, Marist Brothers were able to improve their resilience, security, and scalability, ensuring that their IT environment could adapt to future needs and challenges. In fact, Marist Brother’s MS Secure Score increased by 70%, the number of service desk tickets has decreased by 60% and their costs have decreased by more than 30%.

Moreover, TechConnect’s expertise played a pivotal role in helping Marist Brothers regain control over their IT environment. TechConnect guided them through the complexities of the technology landscape, providing clarity, direction, and immediate improvements. This resolved critical operational issues and provided Marist Brothers with the tools and insights needed to sustain long-term success. In doing so, TechConnect effectively transformed what had been a problematic infrastructure into a secure, well-governed, and high-performing system, enabling Marist Brothers to focus on their core mission with confidence.

"Prior to engaging with TechConnect, we were challenged to make the most of our existing investment in Microsoft's A5 licensing, and align it with our Microsoft Cloud strategy. We realised that our previous, traditional IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) support model was no longer fit for purpose. In order to fully benefit from Microsoft's Modern Workplace, we needed a partner that was truly Microsoft aligned. So we decided, after talking with our team at Microsoft, to work with a recommended Australian based IT support organisation which could help us embrace the modern workplace and reduce the number of IT issues, and significantly improve our Microsoft Secure Score, thereby minimising our cyber security risk. We selected TechConnect and the outcome has exceeded our expectations."

Ernie Zibert,

vCIO of Marist Brothers

"The previous, traditionally siloed technology support approach had led to technology environment access limitations, resulting in delays in resolving urgent matters. This led to operational inefficiencies, delayed issue resolution, and a growing disconnect between the two organisations."

Ms. O'Keefe,

Manager, IT Procurement, Marist Brothers