Capron & Helliwell Solicitors are a Norfolk-based law firm, with offices based in Stalham and Wroxham.
The company has been a long-standing client of Lucid Systems for more than 10 years. With three separate offices and around 40 users, Lucid Systems has worked in partnership with the client to ensure that they have a cohesive IT system that continually supports their business needs.
The Challenge
The client was previously using the internal Microsoft SBS 2011 Server for file services and the Exchange Server for emails.
However, as the system was approaching the End of Life (ELO), it was time to facilitate an upgrade in order to maintain a proper security system and ensure its reliability. This provided us with an ideal opportunity to undertake a full review and analysis of the overall system infrastructure to determine whether there were any alternatives which could be better utilised to meet the changing needs of Capron and Helliwell.
The client needed a system that would provide a standardised desktop environment for all of their users. They also needed to ensure that corporate data could flow seamlessly between each user, regardless of where they were located.
They wanted to retain the existing desktops as they had many more years of use in them. It was the right time to update and migrate their computer systems from an onsite Client-Server environment to a cloud-hosted Remote Desktop Services Thin Client environment.
As part of the upgrade, they wanted to migrate their email systems from an in-house Microsoft Exchange server to Office 365. This would enable them to take advantage of a cloud-based email system, despite the increased risks regarding data security. It was important that Capron and Helliwell felt confident that their data security was prioritised and that they could showcase to their clients that they could securely process confidential client data.
Due to the busy nature of the law firm, they required Lucid Systems to fully manage this migration around office hours, with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations. An additional challenge was to ensure that throughout the migration, there was still the full functionality of their in-house digital dictation system, which would be used by employees within a remote desktop environment.
Our Approach
We conducted a thorough analysis of the existing system to assess the software and resources used in order to design a sever infrastructure that would not only meet the current demands but had scope to allow for future expansion. As part of this analysis, we also approached all existing software vendors to ensure that everything would remain fully compatible throughout the migration and installation of Office 365.
It was our recommendation to migrate from the in-house servers to a cloud-based system hosted in our own secure, fully-managed data centre. We knew that with three separate offices, the most appropriate approach would be to recommend a remote desktop server that would offer a unified, cohesive experience and comprehensive access from any location.
At Lucid Systems, we always collaborate in partnership with our clients and their software suppliers. We explained the rationale behind our suggestions and helped them to understand why