Overview
A leading structural steel manufacturer with multiple locations across the U.S. specializes in large-scale steel fabrication and construction projects. Behind the scenes, however, their IT systems struggled to keep pace..
After years of inconsistent service, delayed projects, and an impersonal support experience from a national MSP, the company was ready for a partner that offered more than basic technical help.
Vancord stepped in to provide what the company truly needed: a trusted, proactive partner who understood their business, could stabilize operations, and build a roadmap for lasting IT health and security.
Challenge
Before partnering with Vancord, the company worked with a large national provider. On paper, the choice made sense: a big-name MSP with wide coverage and enterprise tools. In practice, it led to constant frustration.
Each time the company needed support, they found themselves starting from scratch, explaining the same issues to a different technician with little to no context. Despite promises of documentation and process, the team found repeated outages, poor communication, and little accountability.
Project work was even more concerning. Outsourced technicians completed jobs with inconsistent quality, leaving the company’s internal IT manager to physically fix unfinished installations himself. Critical infrastructure was outdated, basic security gaps went unnoticed, and there was no clear plan for modernization.
As the company’s IT manager put it, “We didn’t have a partner. We had a vendor who answered tickets, but no one helping us move forward.”
Solutions
1. Personalized Support and Partnership
Vancord began by changing the experience from transactional to relational. Instead of a faceless call center, the company was assigned a dedicated support team, Team 1, who became their consistent point of contact. This team handled day-to-day requests, proactively monitored systems, and understood the organization’s unique environment, people, and workflows.
Weekly check-ins between the internal IT manager and Vancord’s account team replaced the disconnected, one-way communication of the past. Together, they established a shared roadmap, prioritizing stabilization first, then long-term modernization.
The result was immediate trust and transparency. Issues were addressed quickly, escalations followed a clear process, and Vancord became an extension of the company’s own IT department.
2. Rapid Stabilization and Assessment
When Vancord first assessed the company’s infrastructure, it confirmed what leadership had suspected: systems were dangerously outdated. Critical switches still relied on Telnet, a legacy protocol long abandoned for security reasons. Core hardware hadn’t been patched or updated in years. And WiFi performance varied from site to site due to inconsistent, low-quality equipment.
Within the first few months, Vancord stabilized support, implemented proactive monitoring, and built a structured environment review. Every risk, from outdated firmware to weak access controls, was documented and addressed in a clear, prioritized plan.
The team’s responsiveness was equally impactful. Support tickets that once lingered now received same-day resolution. Staff no longer needed to re-explain problems, and the IT manager gained confidence that Vancord was already aware of potential issues before they escalated.
3. Infrastructure and Security Modernization
With the day-to-day environment stable, Vancord worked with the company to design a multi-phase modernization roadmap that would extend into 2026. This plan included replacing aging switches and access points, introducing enterprise-grade wireless coverage, and improving security across the organization.
The security assessment also revealed long-standing gaps, such as missing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and limited endpoint visibility. Vancord’s Security Operations Center (SOC) helped close those gaps through monitoring, better configuration practices, and ongoing advisory support.
The collaboration ensured the organization could strengthen defenses while keeping business operations smooth across all eight locations.
Results
In less than six months, the company’s IT environment and employee experience transformed dramatically. Support tickets were resolved faster than ever, communication became consistent, and leadership finally had visibility into the state of their systems. The partnership allowed the company’s sole internal IT manager to focus on strategy instead of firefighting, so much so that he confidently took a week off knowing Vancord had everything under control.
The proactive roadmap now ensures every site upgrade and network change aligns with business goals, not just technical needs. By combining fast response, deep collaboration, and long-term planning, Vancord turned a reactive IT setup into a forward-looking operation.
The company now enjoys the reliability of enterprise-level IT, with the personal attention of a true partner.
Conclusion
Vancord’s relationship with this leading steel manufacturer is built on trust, transparency, and shared progress. What began as an urgent need for better support has evolved into a partnership focused on modernization, security, and growth.
By delivering the right mix of local expertise, accountability, and planning, Vancord helped the organization bridge the gap between daily operations and future innovation, proving that personalized service often outperforms size and scale.