Situation.
Since being founded in 2001 with ‘a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a ute’, leading construction company, Symal Group, has expanded into five complementary businesses with services across contracting, plant and equipment hire, material sales and recycling, all spanning multiple sectors.
As Symal continues to evolve, now as an ASX-listed company, digital innovation remains central to its success. With an increasing reliance on Microsoft Azure for business operations, Symal needed a specialist partner with deep technical expertise. Finding the right provider was crucial to maintaining the company’s momentum and ensuring its IT team could focus on high-value strategic initiatives.
“We’ve been moving at pace, and we needed a new partner who could keep up and match our digital ambition and expertise,” said Trent Dawson, General Manager IT and Systems, Symal Group.
At the same time, a heightened need for robust cybersecurity and compliance measures was a front-of-mind concern for Symal.
"It became very clear that Macquarie Cloud Services’ team had what it takes – their experience in managing Azure DevOps environments which we have, the AI foundations and developments they’ve made as a company, and really walking the talk of customer service. "
Trent Dawson,
General Manager IT and Systems, Symal Group
Solution.
Symal engaged Macquarie Cloud Services to manage its Microsoft Azure environment, recognising its strong track record in DevOps, AI, and customer-focused mentality.
By outsourcing Azure management, Symal freed up its internal technology team – comprised of over 20 experts – from time-consuming maintenance tasks such as software patching, and allowed the team to focus on enhancing security, networking, and broader business growth initiatives.
“It became very clear that Macquarie Cloud Services’ team had what it takes – their experience in managing Azure DevOps environments which we have, the AI foundations and developments they’ve made as a company, and really walking the talk of customer service. Many providers talk a big game here, but it’s ingrained in
every aspect of what Macquarie Cloud gives and it makes for a truly proactive partnership experience,” added Dawson.
Cost optimisation was another key area of focus. Macquarie Cloud helped Symal achieve a 10 per cent reduction in Microsoft subscriptions and optimise cloud resources by identifying and reducing underutilised services.
The Technical Solution.
Better commercial discounts on Azure consumption via Macquarie Cloud Services CSP.
Deployment of cloud-native monitoring to reduce infrastructure downtime and improve capacity management.
Enablement of Hosting Management Centre for 24x7 support and Service Delivery Teams for operational and project management.
Integration with the Cloud Analytics Portal and FinOps team for continual cost optimization.
Managed Azure Virtual Desktop for optimised user VDI experience.
The partnership has also laid the groundwork for Symal Group’s AI-driven transformation, enabling the company to develop large language models (LLMs) through Microsoft Copilot, build AI agents, and leverage data in innovative ways.
Results.
With Macquarie Cloud’s support, Symal is advancing its digital transformation initiatives and AI capabilities, looking at a number of AI developments to improve construction projects efficiency.
To further innovation, the improved cybersecurity and compliance measures ensures seamless integration of new acquisitions while reducing both the cost and risk often associated with growth.
The construction sector as a whole has been slow to embrace technological advancements. However, there’s been a drastic shift in recent years where more impactful digital services are being created and offered.
Symal is leading the charge and Macquarie Cloud’s role in managing Symal Group’s Azure environment ensures the company can focus on leading by example to pioneer change in the industry.
“Innovating with intent is one of our core values and we’re 100 per cent committed, from the top down, in being a leader in the industry transformation that’s happening. AI will be central to that and so will having a partner in Macquarie Cloud we can rely on to manage our Azure environment and who has that AI expertise and focus,” said Dawson.
"Innovating with intent is one of our core values and we’re 100 per cent committed, from the top down, in being a leader in the industry transformation that’s happening. AI will be central to that and so will having a partner in Macquarie Cloud we can rely on to manage our Azure environment and who has that AI expertise and focus."
Trent Dawson,
General Manager IT and Systems, Symal Group
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Services we supplied for Symal.
How Macquarie Cloud Services helped Symal.
Learn how Symal engaged with Macquarie Cloud Services to manage its Microsoft Azure environment, recognising its strong track record in DevOps, AI, and customer-focused mentality.