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27th May 2015

Rowlinsons – Moving to the Cloud

Seven years ago, Rowlinsons, the Cheshire-based conveyancing firm, employed 12 people and one external IT expert for technical support. Now, the firm employs 45 staff and uses CTS to provide 24/7 IT support as well as cloud-based computing. Times, and technology, have definitely changed.

 

“We initially brought CTS on board to provide us with IT support and, having met this brief, we asked them to integrate our office systems across both sites and then support our move to operating on the Cloud,” explains Andrew Graves, Rowlinsons managing director.

 

To get the best possible ongoing IT support, Andrew looked for IT experts that could not only demonstrate their technical strengths, but also understood the specific challenges that law firms face.

 

“We needed IT experts who knew how we worked and, most importantly, understood what clients expect from law firms in today’s technology driven world,” says Andrew. “CTS was recommended for having deep knowledge of the legal sector and helped us to put a system in place that was completely suited to our needs.”

 

CTS helped with IT integration when the firm opened its second office. And, last year, helped the firm to benefit from the flexibility and security that cloud-based computing brings.

 

“As the firm got bigger”, explains Andrew, “we needed a much more robust support system, one that would not only keep any downtime to an absolute minimum, but also ensure a swift and efficient service that meant our people could access the system anytime, anywhere.”

 

Flexibility, such as homeworking, was also mentioned in the firm’s feedback programme, and has now become an integral part of the firm’s benefits package. “Our people now have the option to work from home one day a month,” explains Andrew. “And, because of the cloud, we have even been able to enable one member of staff to work from Spain.”

 

Transitioning to the cloud was a major investment for Rowlinsons. But the initial cost has been more than offset, not only by cost savings, as CTS hosts the firm’s data and software at its own secure data centres meaning no more hardware needs to be bought, but also through space efficiencies, and, importantly, having far less downtime.

 

“We used to suffer so much downtime and our fees suffered because of that. Now we don’t,” says Andrew.

 

He believes that Rowlinsons now has an excellent support system in place, which will continue to bring greater efficiency and effectiveness. He’s also enjoying the fact that Rowlinsons benefits from having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place: “It’s helping us to meet our professional obligations.”

 

For more information about Rowlinsons Solicitors, visit their website.

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