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CASE STUDY – Legal Firm

No Longer Just ‘Getting By’

Schlich LLP is a UK based specialist firm of European Patent and Trademark Attorneys, focussing on protection and enforcement of intellectual property in biotech, chemical, pharmaceutical and mechanical technologies.

http://schlich.co.uk

The Client

George Schlich left a London firm, that he was an equity partner in, in Autumn 2004. He then started his own legal practice. Schlich LLP was born. Nowadays, they have grown to a team of 13 in a newly refurbished office and rely heavily on IT to enable them to work from wherever they choose. They also rely on tech to keep their confidential files safe, so security is always the number one priority.

Key Results

 – A 2200VA UPS to protect their current IT assets
 – Full IT upgrade to improve efficiency of the company
 – New, reliable server for faster network operation 
 – Replacement PCs with the latest Windows 64bit operating systems
 – Fully cloud-managed AntiVirus

The Challenge

The company had used several different IT service providers but none of them had addressed the company’s IT requirements so Schlich were ‘getting by’ with a system that was badly designed, inadequate for their needs and backed with next to no customer service when things went (frequently) wrong.

Amanda Berry, Office Manager

“We have experience of many other providers of information technology support and cannot recommend LMS Group highly enough. LMS offer a professional approach in every aspect of the service they provide.”

Our Strategy

Our strategy was to fully understand Schlich’s business and their future plans, then carry out a full IT audit followed by a detailed proposal that would alleviate the current problems and set them on the road to trouble free IT. Prior to performing an audit of Schlich’s IT systems, we had a number of conference calls and meeting to first understand their requirements for their IT system. This enabled us to focus entirely on identifying issues and recommending resolutions that will work best for Schlich. 

Findings

After performing our audit of Schlich’s IT system, it was evident that they had a history if poor advice and solutions that were designed to work around an issue, not correct it. Their previous IT providers had poorly designed their systems, some of the issues we encountered were: There was no server, all files were shared off of a single PC. The network speed was far too slow for a good working condition. There was no security policy in place. 
Other than just the network issues, we found problems with: Emails, Security, Support and Location. They were receiving a vast amount of SPAM and viruses through emails and other means.

Recommendations & Installations

Our initial recommendation was that Schlich purchase a UPS to protect their current IT assets until the new systems were in place. 
After this, we recommended a full IT upgrade that would make their work environment much more efficient. A new server would be required to speed up network operations. New PCs with the latest version of the Windows operating system, running 64bit technology. A new security system with structured policies and admin / access rights. They got a fully cloud-managed antivirus. Continuous, quick and reliable support from LMS in the event they face any issues in the future. 
Installation of this project was done with minimal interruption to Schlich’s business. The new hardware was installed quickly, efficiently and in budget. We even worked through the weekend to ensure there was no interruption to their busy work schedule.