From 60 to 450 Users: National IT’s Role in Genis Steel’s Expansion and Growth
BACKGROUND
Genis Steel is an Australian steel fabrication company with over 20 years of experience. The company operates across multiple locations in Australia and has expanded internationally in recent years.
Genis Steel has partnered with National IT Solutions for more than a decade. The long-term relationship has seen National IT manage and optimise Genis Steel’s IT environment, enabling the company’s significant growth through targeted technology implementations.
Problems
Before partnering with National IT Solutions, Genis Steel faced a range of IT challenges that were holding back productivity and growth. These issues created inefficiencies across the business and made it difficult for the company to scale.
Previous IT Provider
Genis Steel’s earlier IT provider delivered mostly reactive support.
- Service was largely transactional and lacked long-term planning.
- Little alignment with Genis Steel’s business goals.
- Issues were often addressed only after they arose.
Data Synchronisation
Separate servers at each site caused frequent data sync failures.
- Employees often worked from outdated drawings and information.
- Poor inter-site collaboration affected manufacturing processes.
Operational Inefficiencies
Manual processes and duplicated tasks limited productivity.
- Document control required unnecessary staff time.
- Staff spent effort resolving data conflicts rather than higher-value work.
- IT infrastructure struggled to scale with workforce growth and expansion.
Solutions
National IT Solutions began their partnership with Genis Steel by conducting comprehensive user surveys and interviews with department heads to identify key issues affecting productivity and collaboration.
Server Consolidation
To address the issues with outdated information and poor collaboration between sites, National IT replaced Genis Steel’s separate servers with a single, centralised server.
- Connected both sites with a fibre link to allow real-time access to the same data.
- Eliminated data conflicts and sync failures that slowed manufacturing.
- Provided visibility across the business so all teams could work from live information.
This consolidation solved the inefficiencies caused by disconnected servers and ensured staff at all locations could collaborate effectively.
Technology Upgrade
With ongoing challenges in file sharing, external collaboration, and handling large files, National IT migrated Genis Steel to the Ignite file-sharing platform.
- Hybrid system combining SharePoint web functionality with traditional network drive mapping.
- Enables web and mobile access, co-editing, and controlled external sharing.
- Handles large, complex files such as CAD, Tekla, and high-resolution PDFs without slowing down workflows.
The Ignite platform streamlined collaboration, improved file accessibility, and allowed staff to work efficiently across all locations and devices.
Cyber Security Improvements
To protect critical business data while enabling external collaboration, National IT strengthened security across Genis Steel’s IT environment.
- Single sign-on integrated with Microsoft 365 for secure authentication.
- Policies enforce 14-day link expiry, password protection, and individual invitations for external sharing.
- Mobile device management prevents data being saved on personal devices and allows remote wipe.
These measures ensured Genis Steel’s data remained secure while supporting efficient internal and external workflows.
Business Outcomes
The solutions implemented by National IT have had a significant impact on Genis Steel’s operations, productivity, and growth.
- Workforce expanded from 60 to over 450 users.
- IT infrastructure now supports operations across multiple Australian states and internationally.
- Real-time co-editing and shared access across all locations.
- Reduced errors and delays caused by working from outdated files.
- Staff redeployed to higher-value roles, increasing overall productivity.
- Stronger security measures protect sensitive data while providing greater visibility and control.
Collaboration
National IT has become an integral part of Genis Steel’s operations, not just a service provider.
- They coordinate across all departments, ensuring IT solutions are adopted effectively and consistently.
- Monthly operational meetings and quarterly board sessions allow National IT to anticipate challenges and provide strategic guidance.
- Acting as an internal IT spokesperson, they manage organisational change, streamline communication, and keep teams aligned with the business and each other.
- Their proactive involvement ensures IT drives productivity and efficiency across the business.
Growth and Expansion
National IT’s proactive management and scalable solutions have been critical to Genis Steel’s growth. By consolidating IT systems, automating workflows, and implementing secure, accessible file-sharing, the company has been able to expand from a single-site operation to multiple locations across Australia and internationally.
This reliable IT foundation has enabled Genis Steel to grow its workforce and enter new markets successfully.
“National IT doesn’t only deliver the IT project. They really hold a key seat as an internal IT spokesperson. They are great in pulling together all the departments and focusing on that change management and really delivering on that.
“It’s not just the tech. In actual fact, I think the tech’s the easiest part. It’s been the change management portion of it. And just like most businesses, we can be somewhat time poor, so National IT coming in and owning that piece and really having a seat at the table has been a great addition.”