Melbourne's Modex deploys Microsoft 365 to industrial fastener distributor Fix & Fasten

Melbourne-based managed services provider Modex has been tapped to deploy Microsoft 365 to industrial fastener distributor Fix & Fasten for its cybersecurity needs.

The deployment is part of Fix & Fasten’s migration to Azure from its legacy on-premises storage in response to successive cyber attacks hitting the company over the past few years.

Fix & Fasten started scaling up its business at speed in 2018 before multiple cyberattacks hit the firm that prompted it to modernise, including phishing attacks in 2018 and 2020.

As the hybrid environment was being deployed, Fix & Fasten sought to ramp up risk management processes and double down on cybersecurity investments, eventually tapping Modex.

“We did our research, and MODEX was the company that really asked questions. We had a long conversation and thorough assessment,” Fix & Fasten IT manager Ricardo Posada said.

“One of the suggestions was to move to Microsoft 365, which would provide further security. This gave us control over devices, environments and users, and everything became more connected and secure. Essentially, MODEX fixed our IT architecture.”

Speaking to CRN, Modex solutions director Bryan Chua said the company was engaged in 2021, and was chosen for its consultative approach and expertise with SMBs.

"Modex secured this win through our consultative approach and deep expertise in powering SMBs with Microsoft 365 which gave Fix & Fasten confidence in our abilities and solution," Chua said.

He added Fix & Fasten was also on board with Modex's plan and the changes it would bring to the organisation.

Modex deployed Microsoft’s 365 Defender security stack as part of its solution, including the protection of email and collaboration applications from attacks like zero-day malware, phishing and business email compromise.

The solution has helped Fix & Fasten block most phishing emails, with some that manage to penetrate are flagged as coming from an external address, even if they appear to be coming from someone internally.

"Fix & Fasten was in a hybrid on prem state," Chua told CRN. "They’re now fully in the cloud, utilising tools like Teams and SharePoint for communication and collaboration, Autopilot for automated new device deployments, Azure AD for IDAM with their 3rd party ERP system and Universal Print for cloud managed printing."

Posada estimates Fix & Fasten cut its technology costs by 50 percent following the deployment, citing employees now feeling confident navigating the company’s system, which reduced the time IT personnel needed to spend troubleshooting.

Commenting on the deployment, Posada said, “The first thing to do is to identify where you want to go technology-wise. Establish your mission and a vision that aligns with that of your directors.”

Posada added that finding the right partner was important, citing the rapidly-changing technology and security risks being more sophisticated and targeted, so a business can identify a solution that will provide the most appropriate protection.

“Listen to your users,” he said. “A big factor is how flexible the solution is. The more agility it has, the more control you have, which in the end will save on cost.”

Founded in 2019, Modex was spun out of Melbourne Microsoft partner Xello, specialising in solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.

In February, Modex partnered with cloud and telecommunications provider Hosted Network to provide MSP partners with Teams Direct Routing (Teams Calling) deployment and training solutions.