Customer Success Story
Rodin Transforms IT for SydWest Multicultural Services After Major Merger
Introducing SydWest Multicultural Services
SydWest Multicultural Services is a leading not-for-profit supporting cultural diversity across the Greater Western Sydney, Inner West, and the City of Sydney. Delivering essential services to people of all ages and backgrounds, including settlement support, aged care, disability services, housing assistance, and programs for youth, and children & families. With an inclusive, diverse and bilingual workforce, SydWest has a vision of equal opportunity and a mission to deliver quality services that meet diverse community needs. Following the mergers of Participate Australia and Riverlink Disability Services, SydWest faced increasing IT and cyber security challenges, prompting the search for a capable and strategic technology partner.
The Situation
SydWest’s expansion introduced IT fragmentation. The three merged organisations operated on disconnected systems, with separate infrastructures and inconsistent support from two managed service providers. Routine IT requests often went unresolved, contributing to confusion, productivity loss, and frustration across teams. Staff feedback highlighted recurring issues, while the executive team recognised that the existing providers lacked the technical depth to manage a complex and growing organisation.
Cyber security also became an urgent priority. SydWest’s board, finance committee, auditors, and stakeholders all called for action. The penetration test conducted during the early stages of engagement with Rodin revealed previously unknown risks, reinforcing the need to align SydWest’s cyber maturity to meet current standards and compliance expectations. Gaps in the organisation’s disaster recovery planning, incident response procedures, and infrastructure and risk visibility were also identified. A consolidated approach to IT governance and cyber security was critical to avoid further exposure.
Rodin’s Solution
Rodin was selected through a thorough procurement process based on its responsiveness, credibility, and strategic capability. The engagement began with a detailed discovery phase to understand SydWest’s priorities, followed by penetration tests, risk assessments, and a detailed systems review. These initial audits exposed gaps across infrastructure, licensing, endpoint security, and configuration.
SydWest’s Microsoft 365 environment was underutilised and over-licensed, while a lot of hardware was at end-of-life without proactive lifecycle planning, which was difficult for SydWest with limited visibility over its assets. Rodin developed a clear onboarding strategy and transition roadmap, providing immediate reassurance to leadership that the changeover would be done with minimal disruption. SydWest now had a partner who could transform the environment strategically, ensuring alignment with future needs.
Rodin’s delivery began with Secured Managed IT Services, the foundation to meet SydWest’s support, cyber security, and strategic planning needs. Powered by Sophos Managed Detection and Response, providing advanced threat detection and rapid incident response capabilities.
During onboarding, Rodin cleaned up a significant number of inactive user accounts and outdated global address list entries, improving system hygiene and reducing unnecessary overhead. They then set to work with SydWest’s leadership to develop a strategic roadmap that aligned IT with organisational priorities. This included planning for the consolidation of digital environments from the merged entities, improving connectivity across sites, and streamlining operations to support future growth.
The approach was structured, transparent, and focused on long-term enablement, equipping SydWest with the tools, visibility, and guidance needed to evolve its IT environment with confidence.
The Outcomes
Rodin has significantly improved SydWest’s operations, security posture, and overall visibility. Key outcomes achieved so far:
- Penetration testing completed and remediation roadmap underway.
- Executive and Board confidence in SydWest’s cyber security posture, with Essential Eight Maturity Level 2, security monitoring and detection, staff awareness, and improved organisational preparedness.
- Proactive equipment lifecycle planning was introduced to provide visibility over assets, modernise SydWest’s environment and reduce the risk of future ‘tech debt’.
- Simple housekeeping has made a big impact, with inactive user accounts and outdated global address list records cleaned.
- Microsoft 365 license cleanup delivered immediate cost savings.
- Ongoing consolidation of Participate Australia and Riverlink into SydWest’s main environment.
- Backed by a professional team committed to SydWest’s success across helpdesk, infrastructure, security, and forward planning.
The partnership has reduced technical incidents, improved responsiveness, and increased confidence across the organisation. Staff now have a reliable and secure environment, and executive teams are engaged in forward-thinking planning sessions.