How a Vancouver Manufacturing Business Achieved a 4.61x ROI With Managed IT Support

The last thing you need is to find out a job went sideways three weeks after the fact because your systems couldn’t tell you in real time. Or to have your team spending hours every week moving information between platforms that were never designed to work together.

That’s exactly where a Vancouver-based custom manufacturing company found itself when they came to Tursa Group for our managed IT support services in Vancouver. With a team of 10 and revenue of $4M+, they were doing well, and they wanted to grow. But their internal systems were becoming a bottleneck.

Here’s what we found, what we built, and what the numbers looked like on the other side.

This was from efficiency gains alone, before any revenue growth is factored in.

This case study shows exactly what was done, what it cost, and what came back.

Before we get into the specifics, it’s worth clarifying what managed IT support actually means in a real-world context, as it’s a lot more than help desk tickets and password resets.

For a trades or manufacturing business in Vancouver, managed IT support should be doing five things:

• Connecting your systems so your team isn’t manually transferring data between platforms
• Giving leadership real-time visibility into project status, profitability, and team performance
• Keeping your data and devices secure from ransomware, phishing, and breaches
• Maximizing the platforms you already pay for: most businesses use a fraction of what Microsoft 365 can actually do
• Freeing up your leadership team to focus on growth instead of firefighting

When Tursa Group first sat down with this company, they weren’t in crisis. In fact, they were ahead of most businesses their size — they had already moved their data into Microsoft 365 and built a custom SharePoint workflow to track and manage their sales leads.

But that’s where the progress had stalled.

Once a lead was converted into a signed project, the workflow essentially fell apart. Project management was still largely manual — spreadsheets, disconnected files, and no reliable way to make sure field staff always had the most current drawings and information on site.

On top of that, their business intelligence capabilities were close to zero. No dashboards, no KPI tracking, no structured way to turn the data they were collecting into decisions. The owner was running a $4M business largely on experience and gut feel — which works, until it doesn’t.

And then there was cybersecurity. On the surface, things looked reasonable as strong passwords were enforced, devices were monitored, and staff had individual accounts. But a closer audit revealed some significant gaps that left the business more exposed than anyone realized.

The specific problems we identified:

• No streamlined project workflow connecting the sales/lead phase to the execution phase
• Field staff unable to reliably access current project drawings and information on site
• No Power BI dashboards or KPI reporting for data-driven business decisions
• No ransomware detection software — antivirus alone doesn’t catch modern ransomware
• No multi-factor authentication (MFA) — a significant account compromise risk
• No Office 365 backup — Microsoft does not guarantee full data recovery on its own
• No mobile device management — no ability to remotely wipe a lost or stolen device
• No phishing simulation training for staff
• No disaster recovery plan — no documented process for what to do if something goes wrong
• No cybersecurity insurance

None of these were unusual findings. They represent what we see in the majority of small businesses across BC when we do a proper audit. Learn more about how we approach cybersecurity services for Vancouver businesses.

What Did Tursa Group Actually Build and Implement?

After completing the current state assessment, we mapped out a prioritized plan across three timeframes: immediate, short-term, and longer-term, and assessed each solution for financial requirements, implementation complexity, and change management needs.

Here’s what we recommended and why.

Custom Microsoft 365 Project Workflow

The biggest opportunity, and the one with the highest savings potential, was building a custom project management solution using the Microsoft Power Platform, which was already included in the company’s existing M365 Business Standard licences.

Rather than paying for a third-party project management platform, we designed a custom Power Apps solution that picks up exactly where the existing SharePoint lead-tracking workflow leaves off. A converted lead flows directly into a structured project environment, complete with:

• Automated data flows between the sales stage and the project stage
• A Microsoft Dataverse database backend for reliable, scalable data storage
• Integration with Microsoft Teams so field staff can access the latest drawings and project information from a tablet on site — no more outdated printouts
• Automatic photo upload and tagging to the correct project in SharePoint

This is exactly the kind of solution that Microsoft 365 optimization and setup can deliver when done properly, and because it runs on licenses the business already owns, the ongoing operating cost is minimal.

Power BI Dashboards and KPI Reporting

Once the project workflow was in place, we designed Power BI dashboards to give the owner real-time visibility into what matters most: lead conversion, project status, team workload, and business performance.

The shift from spreadsheet-based guesswork to live dashboards is one of the most impactful changes a growing business can make. When you can see your KPIs in real time, you can catch problems early, spot opportunities, and make decisions based on data rather than memory.

Cybersecurity Remediation

We put together a structured cybersecurity remediation plan aligned to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and Canadian security standards, addressing every gap identified in the audit:

All of this is managed through an outsourced MSP, so the internal team doesn’t need to become cybersecurity specialists. See our cybersecurity services page for more details.

What Did the Numbers Actually Look Like?

This is where it gets concrete. Before recommending anything, Tursa Group models the ROI based on real numbers with your actual team size, hourly rates, and the specific inefficiencies we’ve identified. Here’s what the analysis showed for this engagement.

Investment:

Note that the project workflow has zero ongoing monthly cost after setup because it runs on licenses the business already owns.

Managed IT Support ROI

Here is the projected labour savings for the Vancouver company

Nine and a half hours per week across six people freed up from manual processes, data duplication, and information hunting. At an average of $50–$65/hour, depending on the role, that adds up quickly.

Return on Investment

ROI on labour savings alone: 4.61x

For every dollar invested in the technology plan, the business recovered $4.61 in staff time in Year 1 alone.

Total ROI, including a conservative 10% revenue improvement: 8.33x

Over six years, the projected total labour savings reach $497,250 from a $35,044 Year 1 investment.

What Were the Biggest Cybersecurity Gaps, and Does Your Business Have the Same Ones?

The cybersecurity findings from this managed IT support assessment are worth dwelling on because they’re far from unique to this client. They represent what we find in the majority of small businesses in Vancouver when we do a proper audit.

No multi-factor authentication:

If a password is stolen through phishing, a data breach, or a compromised site, MFA is the difference between a locked-out attacker and a fully compromised account. An authenticator app is significantly more secure than SMS-based MFA.

No ransomware detection:

Standard antivirus is not designed to stop ransomware. Dedicated detection software watches for the behavioural patterns of an attack and stops it before your data is gone.

No Office 365 backup:

Microsoft provides infrastructure reliability, but is not responsible for recovering your data if it’s deleted, corrupted, or lost due to a ransomware attack. You need a third-party backup.

No mobile device management:

If a staff member’s phone or tablet is lost or stolen and it has access to company email, files, or project data, can you remotely wipe it? Without MDM, the answer is no.

No phishing simulation training:

The most effective way to reduce phishing risk isn’t a policy document. It’s regular, realistic practice. Simulated phishing emails sent to your own staff, with immediate feedback, measurably improve awareness.

No disaster recovery plan:

If something went seriously wrong tomorrow, like a ransomware attack, a fire, or a compromised account, does your entire team know exactly who to call and what to do? In most small businesses, the answer is: not really. 

No cybersecurity insurance:

Typically, a low-cost rider on a general liability policy. It covers incident response costs, legal fees, and in some cases lost revenue. Costs that can be catastrophic without coverage

If any of these sound familiar, explore our cybersecurity services for Vancouver businesses to see how we approach remediation.

How Do You Know If Your BC Business Is Ready for This Kind of IT Engagement?

You don’t need to be a technology company to benefit from managed IT support. The businesses that get the most value are typically the ones that are genuinely good at what they do, but are losing time, visibility, and competitive edge because their systems haven’t kept pace with their growth.

Ask yourself:

• Does your team spend time re-entering data that already exists somewhere else?
• Do you find out a project went over budget or off-schedule after the fact, when it’s too late to fix it?
• Do field staff ever show up with the wrong version of a drawing or document?
• Do you know, right now, which of your active projects is most profitable?
• If a staff member’s device was stolen today, could you remotely wipe it?
• Has your team had any training on spotting phishing emails?
• If your Office 365 data were wiped tomorrow, could you recover it?

If you answered “no” or “I’m not sure” to more than two of those, a structured IT consulting engagement is very likely to pay for itself within the first year — as the numbers above show.

One of the things we hear from business owners is that they want to move forward but aren’t sure what getting started actually involves. Here’s how our Vancouver managed IT support works:

What was active: Gmail with filters and labels, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Drive and File Stream, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, Google Meet, and Google Keep.

Step 1: Discovery and current state assessment. We spend time understanding your business: your tools, your workflows, your pain points, and your goals. No assumptions, no generic recommendations.

Step 2: Build a prioritized technology plan. We map every recommended solution across three timeframes — immediate, short-term, and longer-term — ranked by speed of impact, savings opportunity, and ease of implementation.

Step 3: Show you the ROI before you commit. We model the return on investment based on your real numbers. You should know exactly what you’re getting into and what you’re getting back.

Step 4: Implement with the right people. Some things we handle directly, or set your team up to manage with guidance.

Step 5: Ongoing support and review. Technology isn’t a one-time fix. We stay involved, review KPIs, and adapt the plan as your business grows.

Visit our managed IT support services page to learn more, or book a free IT assessment with our team.

The Bottom Line

A 10-person manufacturing business in British Columbia is now running with real-time project visibility, a connected workflow from lead to delivery, field staff who always have current information on hand, and a cybersecurity posture that actually matches the risk profile of a $4M business.

They didn’t hire anyone new to make it happen. They used what they already had: their existing Microsoft 365 licences and their existing team more effectively.

4.61x ROI on labour savings alone. 8.33x when revenue improvements are included.

If you’re a business owner in Vancouver who’s ready to stop managing technology problems and start using technology as a competitive advantage, we’d love to show you what’s possible through our IT support managed services.

Book your free IT assessment with Tursa Group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tursa Group is a technology consulting firm serving small and medium-sized businesses across Canada. We specialize in managed IT support, cybersecurity, and digital transformation planning in Vancouver. Learn more at tursagroup.com.