Vulcan Steel: 45 sites connected

Solving trans-Tasman connectivity for 45 sites

Vulcan operates a large network of steel and metal distribution businesses across New Zealand and Australia, with dozens of sites relying on consistent connectivity to keep operations, systems, and teams aligned.

For their MSP partner SecureCom, and for their own IT team, the challenge wasn’t simply linking sites but doing it reliably across two countries, multiple access environments, and an increasingly cloud‑driven architecture. They needed a network that could deliver consistent performance everywhere, avoid reliance on a single provider, and critically, remove the frustration of chasing multiple vendors when something went wrong.

That’s where Devoli’s software platform and trans-Tasman expertise came into play, providing high-capacity, high-resilience solutions for SD-WAN and VoIP.

Devoli designed and underpinned the connectivity layer for Vulcan’s SD‑WAN environment with a focus on making the network itself resilient and consistent across both countries. Rather than treating SD‑WAN as a standalone solution, the approach ensured the underlying connectivity could actually support it at scale.

The architecture combined fibre-based primary links with diverse secondary paths and integrated failover for key sites, giving Vulcan real network resilience underneath the SD‑WAN layer, not just software routing on top of a single provider.

Securecom manages the SD‑WAN environment and operations, but the network is built so that when a change is needed or a connectivity issue occurs, it can be owned and resolved by Vulcan's team via Devoli’s self-service platform. This removes the usual escalation loops and means issues are resolved faster.

Visibility & control for VoIP

Devoli delivered a cloud-based VoIP solution that shifted Vulcan Steel away from slow, telco provider-led processes to a fully self-managed, real-time platform. IT personnel working on Vulcan projects can now instantly provision users, adjust call flows, and manage routing directly. This removes delays, reduces reliance on support tickets, and gives them full visibility and control over voice services across New Zealand and Australia.

As part of a broader platform approach, voice is no longer a fixed service but a scalable, software-driven capability, standardised across both countries. The majority of Vulcan’s trans-Tasman voice traffic now runs through the Devoli platform, creating a faster, more responsive communications environment that keeps voice telephony operations moving without the constraints of traditional telco systems.

What Devoli changed

Before Devoli were involved, Vulcan’s connectivity across regions carried the typical risks of multi‑site environments, including variation between sites, dependence on individual carriers, and lack of clarity when things broke.

Devoli addressed this by focusing on three core shifts:

• Consistency across NZ and Australia – one network approach applied across both countries, removing fragmentation

• True resilience under the hood – multipath connectivity (fibre, secondary links, failover) designed in from the start

• Clear ownership of faults – no ambiguity between providers when diagnosing and resolving network issues

Devoli’s robust 700G trans-Tasman resilience via three subsea cables, combined with their platform-based, self-service capability, was a perfect match for Vulcan’s site footprint.

A live deployment across 25 sites in Australia demonstrated how the model performs in practice. Sites operate on a mix of fibre and alternative access, including wireless where required. It’s all designed as part of a consistent, repeatable network approach.

Unmatched efficiencies

The Devoli Platform has proved invaluable for Vulcan’s operations. Their team is able to provision and manage connectivity and diagnose problems through Devoli’s portal without reliance on external telco teams, and usually without input from their MSP. This means resolutions in days, not weeks, when challenges arise.

Vulcan Head of IT Operations, Bob Kombora says: “Devoli’s platform has had huge benefits for our business. It’s enabled us to consolidate telco services into one place, saving a lot of time as we can make changes and address problems ourselves without needing to chase down multiple telco partners. There’s no other platform that can provide the same level of self-service as Devoli’s.”

Greg Mikkelsen, Managing Director at Securecom, added: “The Devoli Platform removes a lot of hassle for enterprises like Vulcan, and we feel the benefits as their MSP too – it’s very effective in lowering cost-to-serve.”

Real-world outcomes & performance

Devoli’s solution for Vulcan Steel was about improving overall business operations. The Devoli Platform enabled smart SD‑WAN and VoIP solutions designed for their real-world, multi-site, trans-Tasman context.

• SD-WAN performs as intended, because the underlying network is built for diversity and uptime

• Cloud connectivity is stable and predictable, supporting centralised platforms like Azure

• VoIP management is more efficient, with scaling and changes managed through the Devoli Platform

• Operational overhead drops, with fewer escalations and faster resolution when incidents occur

• Scaling becomes simpler, with a consistent model applied across new sites and regions

Most importantly, where it was previously adding risk and unnecessary operational cost, the network is becoming an enabler for the business, with 45 sites in Australia and New Zealand managed from Devoli’s platform.