Over the years, MJB Wood Group, a leading supplier of engineered wood products, has grown far beyond its original office in Dallas. Its operations now span three U.S. manufacturing plants, eight distribution centers, and additional facilities in Mexico. It's gone from a 20-man outfit to a company that employs close to 500 people.
MJB serves industries like residential construction, furniture, and RV manufacturing. Customers rely on MJB to keep their supply chain consistent. However, as the company scaled, its IT infrastructure struggled to keep up with the demands of a complex, geographically distributed business.
With only four to five IT generalists, MJB’s team had difficulty managing an intricate network of systems and facilities, particularly during market surges. They also lacked specialized knowledge in critical areas like cloud migration, virtualization, and networking.
When other managed service providers (MSPs) failed to close these gaps, the decision-makers at MJB knew they needed a scalable IT solution. Their challenges required them to find a dependable partner who could combine technical expertise with a personalized approach.
Sagiss became the extended arm of MJB's internal IT team, providing expertise and support. This partnership allowed MJB to modernize its IT infrastructure and tackle highly specialized projects without overburdening its in-house group of generalists. Sagiss helped MJB thrive in competitive and volatile markets with only a lean internal IT team. Now, the company has a flexible, robust, and agile IT operation.
A significant milestone in this transformation was the virtualization of MJB’s server infrastructure.
“If I go back 10 years, we were dealing with physical servers in an IT closet,” remembers Rama Sundaram, MJB's CIO. This setup wasn’t sustainable for a growing company like MJB, so Sagiss introduced the organization to VMware. The technology enabled server virtualization and paved the way for future innovation.
Building on this foundation, Sagiss also helped MJB migrate to a private data center. This move centralized its IT infrastructure, allowing remote offices to connect seamlessly via wide area networks (WANs) and virtual private networks (VPNs). But Sagiss and MJB shared a more demanding vision.
Sundarum explains, “We knew we wanted to have a zero-footprint when it came to IT infrastructure. That’s why we transitioned to Microsoft Azure.” This complete cloud migration gave MJB remarkable flexibility, enabling it to scale computing resources on demand. “Now, I can spin up servers in hours instead of days. It keeps us nimble and eliminates downtime,” the CIO added.
Sagiss’ support extended far beyond cloud implementation. MJB operates in industries deeply affected by tariffs and other market fluctuations. Sagiss introduced an API-driven ERP system that facilitates rapid adjustments to the organization's processes and workflows across the entire business. “The modern API architecture made it easier to customize and add functionalities, unlike legacy systems that held us back,” explains Sundarum.
Sagiss implemented a system of WANs and VPNs that collectively reduce potential latency issues and safeguard critical business data. MJB now maintains secure, reliable, and efficient communication across its international facilities. It can respond to shifting contexts at a moment's notice.
MJB still maintains its core internal IT team, but it can also take advantage of Sagiss's specialized expertise on demand. Sagiss provides necessary niche knowledge without straining MJB's resources. “The reason why we love to go the Sagiss route is because they’re able to dip into resources depending on the project. That really helps because I don’t have to worry about asking someone on my team to go deep into areas like virtualization,” Sundarum notes.
Sagiss started leading special projects for MJB early on, tackling issues such as outdated phone systems. Sagiss managed both the hardware integration and general deployment of more modern solutions. Sagiss has also evolved alongside MJB, continually enhancing the offered services with new opportunities. The partnership grew even stronger as Sagiss introduced improvements like a well-structured Network Operations Center (NOC), an improved ticketing system, and newly added capabilities like managing Microsoft licensing. “Sagiss has really stepped up in the last few years by streamlining their processes and expanding their offerings. They’ve become a true one-stop shop for us,” the CIO shares.
Sagiss accelerated project timelines, minimized downtime, and enabled more precise execution of IT initiatives. With Sagiss as its trusted partner, MJB embraced cutting-edge technologies to stay nimble and competitive. From virtualization to cloud migration and API-driven ERP systems, it has achieved a scalable and resilient operation capable of overcoming industry challenges. This combination of technical expertise and a collaborative approach continues to position the team for long-term success in a demanding market.
With Sagiss’ help, MJB has successfully transitioned to a zero-footprint IT infrastructure hosted entirely on Microsoft Azure. The flexibility offered by the cloud allows for rapid provisioning of resources. It gives MJB the ability to adjust swiftly to fluctuating business demands. This streamlined setup reduces complexity and eliminates costly infrastructure overheads, all while improving reliability and scalability.
MJB also gained the ability to modernize and optimize its operations. A new ERP system introduced APIs that enabled quick customization and easy integrations, empowering the company to remain agile in its highly competitive industries. By replacing rigid, outdated systems, MJB was better equipped to adapt to shifting markets and customer needs.
Finally, the trusted partnership also lightened MJB's operational load. MJB executives can now focus on strategic growth with peace of mind, knowing MJB's IT systems are scalable, efficient, and fully prepared to meet future challenges.
In Sundarum's words, “Sagiss has been our extended arm for years, offering the specialized expertise we need without us having to hire specialists. They’ve improved their processes significantly, and I know I can just pick up the phone and rely on them to handle any issues.”