Engage FI keeps IT stable and secure through a leadership transition
When an unexpected CTO departure left a lean internal team stretched thin, Engage FI brought in Katalyst for co-managed support, Microsoft 365 administration, and managed detection and response, so the business kept running and the internal team got its time back.
About Engage FI
Engage FI is a Florida-based consulting firm of roughly 100 people, most of them client technology advisors who help banks and credit unions optimize core banking, digital banking, payments, and long-term technology strategy. With a fully remote, Microsoft-centric workforce and a lean internal technology team, Engage FI depends on stable, secure, well-managed IT to support both its consultants and the financial institutions they serve.
The Challenge
In late 2024, Engage FI's CTO left the organization. The internal systems administrator had deep institutional knowledge and strong technical skills, but the departure concentrated system administration, security, and help desk responsibilities on a very small team.
The environment itself was healthy. The real risk was continuity: making sure day-to-day support, security, and key applications stayed covered during a leadership transition, employee time off, and unexpected issues, without burning out the internal staff.
The Solution
Katalyst was brought in quickly to provide operational support alongside Engage FI's internal team, with a priority on continuity and minimal disruption.
Co-managed help desk and Microsoft administration
Katalyst took on co-managed help desk support and Microsoft 365 tenant administration, which let Engage FI's systems administrator step away from constant day-to-day interruptions and focus on higher-value work like documentation, infrastructure architecture, and security. Katalyst integrated into the existing support workflows, so end users kept submitting requests the same way they always had.
Managed detection and response, and advisory
As stability took hold, the partnership expanded. Katalyst added managed detection and response by optimizing Microsoft Defender, and provided advisory support to help Engage FI address security gaps and audit findings more efficiently. A measurable increase in Microsoft Secure Score became a clear indicator of the impact.
"Katalyst has been very collaborative, inquisitive, and willing to lean in. They asked the right questions and worked with our existing processes rather than forcing something new on the organization."
Damon Sipe, CTO, Engage FIThe Results
The partnership reduced risk during a critical transition and gave the internal team room to work proactively.
Katalyst now provides consistent frontline support, so employees have reliable help even when internal staff are on vacation or out for holidays. By offloading Tier 1 support, Engage FI's team shifted focus toward security architecture, documentation, and long-term planning. Proactive MDR and advisory support help the organization remediate audit findings faster and prioritize the right improvements, and end-user feedback has become increasingly positive as response times improved.
Key Takeaways
- Continuity through transition. A co-managed model kept support, security, and operations covered when a key leader departed.
- Time reclaimed for strategic work. Offloading Tier 1 support freed the internal team to focus on architecture, documentation, and planning.
- Measurable security gains. MDR and advisory support raised Microsoft Secure Score and sped up audit remediation.
- Extend, don't replace. The engagement shielded internal resources from daily noise while staying aligned with Engage FI's goals.
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