Case Study · IT Modernization - Engave S.A.
Comprehensive IT infrastructure modernization for a manufacturer of specialist tools for the energy sector - from a home-grade network to a hybrid enterprise-class architecture
Project at a glance
Client
Hubix Sp. z o.o. - 40 years of experience manufacturing live-line tools, with certifications from notified bodies worldwide
Challenge
Home-grade IT infrastructure supporting a globally reaching company - DSL, no domain, ~20 workstations with different systems, no WLAN
Scope
Server virtualization, LAN/WLAN network modernization (10x AP), migration to M365 and an AD domain, local and cloud backup, DLP and antivirus deployment, training, ERP
Model
Full implementation plus IT outsourcing - ongoing support, 24/365 helpdesk, environment monitoring
Collaboration
Active since 2019, covering more than 16 service areas
Problem
This isn't a metaphor for carelessness. It's a very typical scenario for a manufacturing company that spent decades focusing investment on what directly builds competitive advantage: production technology, certifications, quality. IT grew in the background, reactively, layer by layer - and no one noticed the moment it became a bottleneck.
The state of the environment before the project spoke for itself. About 20 workstations - each with a different operating system version, a different set of software, no central management. Two physical servers running in a workgroup - no Active Directory domain, no centralized security policies. Email on external hosting. A network built on FastEthernet switches, with no Wi-Fi. And on top of that, due to the company's location, an internet connection from a home DSL device - with limited bandwidth and high failure rates.
For years, this worked. Because the company operated locally, on-site, and the demands on IT were limited. Then came 2019 and the decision to pursue dynamic growth. And after that - 2020 and COVID, which tested every company in the world with one question: can your IT handle remote work? For Hubix, the answer had to be: yes, and right now.
Challenge
Without a stable, fast connection, no further step made sense. Switching operators and moving to fiber was a prerequisite for cloud migration, M365 deployment, and remote work. As long as the company was on DSL, it was a hostage to its own location.
Every workstation with a different system, different software, a different set of passwords. No domain meant no central permission management, no security policies, no way to provide remote support. Standardizing this environment without disrupting users' work - that's the real project challenge.
A company with no AD domain, no DLP, no central antivirus, no backup policies - is a company with open doors. For a manufacturer with global certifications and clients worldwide, that situation was not only an operational risk but a potential reputational problem.
COVID gave no time for multi-year migration projects. Accounting applications, HR and payroll, ERP - everything had to work for remote employees. It was a stress test that validated every design assumption in real time.
Solution
Engave designed and carried out the modernization in a logical sequence: foundation first, then everything built on top. No stage began until the previous one was running stably.
Switching operators and moving to fiber - the end of DSL. LAN modernization: a 10 Gigabit Ethernet core switch, 1GB access switches. Building a WLAN with 10 access points (including one outdoor), an AP controller integrated with the firewall. Expanded fiber cabling between buildings and within them. Backup power supplies for critical infrastructure components.
New servers with virtualization, NAS servers for virtual machines and the backup repository. On the virtual servers: domain controllers, a database server, a file server, a backup application server. Backup secured locally on NAS and to the Engave cloud.
Moving from a workgroup to an Active Directory domain - central management of permissions, policies, and configurations. M365 deployment: mail migration from external hosting, Exchange Online, SharePoint as the central file repository, Teams for group and remote work. Additional backup of the M365 environment to both local and cloud repositories.
New, standardized notebooks and workstations for employees. Standardized configurations and software from the M365 suite. Deployment of ManageEngine Endpoint Central for remote management, an antivirus system with DLP, GPO policies, and edge device security.
Training on Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Adapting key business applications for remote work: accounting systems, HR and payroll, ERP. Support in selecting a new ERP system. Because tools without people who know how to use them are just installed software.
The biggest stress test of Hubix's new IT environment didn't come from the project schedule. It came from outside - and it was called COVID. That's when it became clear whether the hybrid architecture, with central management and remote work, held up not in theory but under real operational pressure.
Results
from 0
to a fully functioning WLAN with 10 access points across the entire site
16+
service areas under ongoing care in an outsourcing model
24h/365
helpdesk as a single point of contact - for the office and remote employees alike
Before the project, Hubix had IT infrastructure that worked - as long as no one asked too much of it. After the project, it has an environment that withstood the COVID test without operational downtime, supports remote employees just as well as on-site ones, and is monitored and updated on an ongoing basis.
The change in model runs deeper than the list of tools deployed. Hubix moved from ad hoc IT to strategically managed IT - with backup policies, security policies, central device management, and an Engave engineering team that responds remotely, in real time, whenever needed.
IT outsourcing in this model delivers something a single in-house administrator's position can't: depth of expertise. One person on site can't simultaneously cover network infrastructure, security, cloud, helpdesk, and purchasing advice. The Engave team can.
Client's voice · Official testimonial
"Given Engave S.A.'s high level of professionalism, we can wholeheartedly recommend its IT services to other companies. Throughout our cooperation, the company's staff have proven to be highly skilled, well-organized specialists. The quality of the services provided, along with their understanding of our needs, directly contributed to a significant improvement in our operations. We repeatedly experienced a high standard of collaborative culture, reliability, dependability, and commitment. This was of enormous importance during the peak of COVID-19 activity."
Hubix Sp. z o.o. - excerpt from an official reference letter confirming the collaboration, 2019-present
Why it matters
Hubix is a company that builds tools for working in the toughest conditions - live, with safety certifications recognized worldwide. For years, its own IT infrastructure was the one place where standards failed to keep pace with its ambitions.
This project is an example of the transformation hundreds of Polish manufacturing and trading companies are going through today: from infrastructure that "sort of works" to an environment that actively supports business growth - without increasing fixed employment costs, without the risk of losing knowledge through staff turnover, with real backup and security policies that can withstand an audit.
COVID showed which companies had invested in IT before the crisis - and which did it in a panic. Hubix was on the right side of that line.
What this means for your company
If IT in your company is growing reactively - layer by layer, problem by problem - this is the exact moment to start doing it differently. A comprehensive IT audit is the starting point that turns a list of problems into a plan of action.
engave.pl/kontakt
Engave S.A. · engave.pl · All rights reserved
Cybersecurity, IT care, digitalisation - whatever the topic, we're happy to talk. Describe your need and the right specialist will get back to you within 24 business hours.
CONTACT:
biuro@engave.pl
+22 863 13 90
Technical support: +48 604 470 151
16 Czarodzieja St., 03-116 Warsaw, Poland