Client story Defense Manufacturer Powers Growth with Modern IT
Client
Global defense manufacturer scaling operations across geographically dispersed business units.
Industry: Defense manufacturing
Challenge
Evolve the IT environment to support growth, improve consistency across sites, and meet rising security and CMMC compliance requirements.
Outcomes
Improved operational consistency, increased infrastructure reliability, strengthened security posture, and a scalable IT foundation aligned to compliance and future growth.
Solutions: Migration, Modern infrastructure, Networking
As a global defense company continues to grow across geographically dispersed business units, their IT environment is evolving — bringing together a mix of systems shaped by expansion over time. When Director of IT Ian Pickering stepped in, he saw opportunity: to drive greater structure, alignment, and consistency to support the business’s next phase.
Creating structure for scale
Over the past two years, the company has taken a deliberate approach to modernization. This includes consolidating environments, upgrading infrastructure, and improving consistency across business units. It’s work that’s helped simplify operations while positioning the organization for greater efficiency and agility.
Delivering value through hands-on support
As part of our ongoing business relationship, Insight supports a range of practical initiatives that help move the defense company’s IT strategy forward with Pickering at the helm:
- Deploying HPE SimpliVity infrastructure at the Arizona site to modernize core data center performance and scalability
- Executing Active Directory migrations across company facilities in Utah and Arizona to unify and streamline identity management
- Building HPC environments to support specialized ammunition testing workloads with tailored configurations
- Upgrading networking and power systems with Cisco Meraki and APC UPS/PDU solutions to improve reliability
- Augmenting teams with hands-on configuration and project support to maintain momentum
- Delivering critical hardware under tight timelines to prevent disruption and keep operations running
Preparing for CMMC Level 2 compliance
The company’s team has also been focused on strengthening security posture and preparing for CMMC Level 2 compliance — an essential milestone in the defense sector. “The priority right now is compliance,” said Pickering. “Everything we’re doing is about being standardized, secure, and ready for what’s required of us.”
These efforts collectively help the IT team stay focused on strategic priorities while maintaining operational stability.
A relationship built on trust
Supporting this transformation is a long-standing relationship grounded in trust, transparency, and results. Having worked with the same partner organization for more than 15 years across multiple companies and regions, Pickering brought that relationship with him to the defense industry company.
“There’s no fluff — it just works,” Pickering adds. “They deliver what we need, when we need it, and that makes a big difference.”
That confidence enables a straightforward, highly efficient way of working — focused on outcomes, responsiveness, and shared accountability.
Enabling what comes next
With a strong IT foundation taking shape and compliance in sight, the company is now looking ahead to their next set of priorities — from modern ERP investments to evaluating where emerging technologies can drive value across the business.
For Pickering, the focus remains clear: build steadily, align with the business, and move forward with confidence.
For me, it comes down to trust. I know they’re going to do what they say they will. I know Insight will help us get where we need to go."
Ian Pickering
Director of IT, Defense Industry Manufacturing Company
By Insight Editor / 5 Jun 2026 / Topics: Modern infrastructure , Migration , Networking
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