Client: FinConnex Financial Services
Industry: Finance broking
Scope: Network design and build across two offices, firewall and threat protection, Wi-Fi, Microsoft 365 security, SharePoint and OneDrive file structure, DNS, managed monitoring and support
Technology: Ubiquiti UniFi, site-to-site VPN, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive
Overview
The Bitrates provides managed IT services for finance brokers. For FinConnex, we built and now manage a complete IT environment across its Sydney and Nepal offices: a secure network in each office, a private connection between them, and a structured Microsoft 365 setup so customer files are stored, shared and accessed safely. Everything runs as one managed system.
About FinConnex
FinConnex is a finance broking business that helps customers secure finance by working with lenders on their behalf. That means holding personal and financial details that customers share on trust.
For a broker, that data is the business. A leaked file, a hijacked email account or a compromised laptop could cost the firm its reputation and its customers’ confidence. With teams in two countries, that responsibility has to be met in both offices, every day, without depending on people to remember the right habits.
The challenge
FinConnex needed a technology foundation that matched the sensitivity of its work:
Safe networks in two countries. Each office needed a secure network. The Sydney office is shared with a second organisation, a printer, smart devices and regular visitors, and none of them should be able to reach the computers that hold customer data.
Visibility and control. Someone needed to be watching for outages and threats, and every setting needed to be documented.
Customer files in the right place. Documents needed a clear home, with rules about who can see what and how files are shared outside the business.
Consistent sign-in and devices. Accounts and company computers needed the same protection in Sydney, Nepal and for remote staff.
What we built
A secure network in each office
Each office has its own gateway, firewall and Wi-Fi. We split the network into four separate parts: staff, shared printer and smart devices, guests, and the network equipment itself. The firewall rules follow a simple principle, where each group reaches only what it needs:
Intrusion prevention, web filtering and encrypted DNS run in the background on every network, along with a honeypot that flags scanning inside the network and logging of network traffic. Staff don’t have to do anything.
One connected corporate network
A permanent encrypted VPN links Sydney and Nepal, so approved corporate services work across both offices as if they were one. Each office keeps its own network, so a fault in one doesn’t spread to the other.
A file structure that matches the business
SharePoint libraries hold shared company records, organised around FinConnex’s departments and responsibilities
Access groups decide who sees what, so permissions follow roles instead of being handed out one person at a time
OneDrive holds each person’s own working files, replacing unmanaged local folders
Controlled external sharing sends files to named recipients, with expiry dates and the ability to revoke access
Secure sign-in and managed devices
Multi-factor authentication protects accounts. Company Windows and Mac computers are enrolled in Microsoft Intune, with encryption, updates and compliance policies applied consistently. Every device follows a clear naming standard, so our support team can tell its office, type and number at a glance.
Managed, not just installed
Firmware updates and configuration backups run automatically every week. We monitor both offices remotely and are alerted to outages, disconnected devices and network faults. Administrator access sits behind multi-factor authentication.
Going further: Microsoft 365 security
We also assessed FinConnex’s Microsoft 365 environment against recommended security settings. The assessment produced a prioritised improvement plan, with the most critical items first. It covers protection against fraudulent sign-in prompts, control over which apps can connect to company data, email authentication to stop others sending messages in the firm’s name, and tighter external sharing. We continue to work through it as part of ongoing support.
The result
Two offices in two countries run as one connected, managed environment
Staff, guests and devices are kept apart by policy, not by trust
Customer and company files sit in a clear structure with controlled access and safe external sharing
Sign-in and devices are protected the same way in Sydney, Nepal and for remote staff
Updates, backups and monitoring run without anyone having to remember them