The client
Burgess Rawson is a commercial property business specialising in sales, leasing and property management, with more than 100 staff. Like most property firms, its people depend on reliable access to email, files and business systems to keep deals and client relationships moving.
The challenge
Before partnering with synfo, Burgess Rawson's IT ran on a break-fix model: issues were fixed after they caused problems, rather than prevented. The result was avoidable disruption to the business and time lost by staff waiting for fixes.
A break-fix model also leaves very little behind. There is no consistent record of how systems are configured, secured and governed, and that gap matters most when someone outside the business needs to see it.
What we did
synfo replaced the break-fix model with proactive, managed IT built on three things:
- Continuous monitoring of the environment through our service desk and NOC, so problems are picked up before staff notice them.
- Preventative maintenance, keeping systems patched and healthy on a schedule instead of waiting for something to break.
- Rapid response from a local Australian team when an issue does need hands-on attention.
Burgess Rawson moved onto our Enterprise plan, which layers enhanced security and strategic alignment on top of day-to-day managed IT. Over time the relationship grew from support into a strategic partnership, with synfo providing security solutions, technology guidance and regular business reviews.
Just as importantly, the Enterprise plan meant the business was documented as it went: policies, configurations, controls and reviews were kept current as part of the service, not assembled after the fact.
Supporting the acquisition
When CBRE moved to acquire Burgess Rawson, synfo supported the merger and acquisition process from the IT side. The acquirer had substantial requirements across governance, security and compliance, and expected each one to be backed by evidence.
- Evidence, not assurances: synfo provided more than 100 governance, security and compliance documents to CBRE's team for validation.
- Ready from day one: because the tools and documentation were already in place under the Enterprise plan, most requirements could be answered from existing records rather than built from scratch under deal pressure.
- A single point of contact: synfo worked directly with the acquirer's team on their questions, so Burgess Rawson's leadership could stay focused on the business and the deal.
The outcome
Moving from break-fix to proactive, managed IT reduced disruption across the business and improved operational efficiency. When it counted, Burgess Rawson could show a mature, well-governed IT environment, and the IT workstream of the acquisition was met with documented evidence.
For any business that may one day sell, merge or bring in investors, the lesson is simple: governance, security and compliance are far easier to prove when they have been part of how IT is run all along.
synfo has been our trusted IT partner for many years. Their team, led by George, is knowledgeable, responsive, and always on top of the latest technology trends. They've significantly improved our operational efficiency and provided us with robust security solutions. Working with them has been a seamless and positive experience. Highly recommended.
Ingrid Filmer, CEO & Partner, Burgess Rawson