Overview
Since its inception in 1982, Garratts Solicitors has built an enviable reputation as a go-to legal expert for both individuals and businesses. As a proud member of The Law Society, the firm is accredited in a range of specialisms — including personal injury, mental health, conveyancing, and criminal law — with an even larger portfolio of services under its belt. Over 70 employees operate from its five branches across Greater Manchester and Oldham. As such, collaboration and consistency play key roles in propelling the company’s success.
Expedite Law was well underway with the firm’s MatterSphere upgrade, bringing a streamlined workflow to enhance project management. But when corresponding IT challenges cropped up along the way, Garratts needed an equally professional and proactive partner to join the ranks.
Challenge
A robust client and matter management system, MatterSphere is intricately built within the Microsoft® Office environment. This innovative system streamlines day-to-day activities, automates manual processes, and provides a unified interface for managing clients, matters, and associated details.
Being part of the Thomson Reuters Elite family, MatterSphere ensures an enterprise-class solution with limitless functionality, efficiency, and standardisation – critical for unifying the entire matter lifecycle for professional services firms like Garratts. In other words, it’s the backbone of critical legal operations.
But such an intricate system requires specialised expertise. And while Expedite Law had the software development side under wraps, the lack of proactivity and responsiveness of Garratts’s incumbent IT provider meant progress was stifling. Already impressed by Expedite Law, the firm recognised the need for a strategic IT partner — who not only comprehends the nuances of MatterSphere but is also proactive, professional, and capable of elevating their wider IT environment.
First syphoning IT-focused queries through to Fusion, the seamless resolution of ad hoc challenges paved the way for natural progression to a retained relationship.
Solution
In the initial role as an external consultant, Fusion reviewed Garratts’s current IT setup and suggested changes to improve the MatterSphere environment, fine-tuning infrastructure accordingly. Keen to advise further, Fusion’s commitment extended to a holistic approach, addressing not only immediate challenges but also contributing to the long-term efficiency and resilience of Garratts’s IT landscape.
- Comprehensive IT support: Bringing Garratts onboard for IT support and Microsoft 365 tenancy management, Fusion now oversees a 70+ user network, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.
- Increased network performance: Engaging its director of support services and chief technology officer to conduct a high-level network analysis, Fusion swiftly identified and resolved issues with desktops, applications, and infrastructure, resulting in immediate performance enhancements across the board.
- Heightened security measures: The implementation of Sophos next-generation firewalls at Garratts’s Oldham HQ enabled more streamlined, secure, and compliant communication across various branches, protecting the perimeter of the network from the increase in the volume and sophistication of cyber attacks. With a new DUO multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution also in place, 35 remote fee earners can also work away from the office with enhanced confidence, knowing that their access to sensitive business data is protected by an additional layer of security.
- Advanced threat management: The installation of Sophos Central X Advanced for Server with XDR on Garratts core server infrastructure also enables swift detection and response to multi-stage threats, across all key attack vectors, in the shortest time.
- Efficient connectivity solutions: Securing orders for Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SoGEA), Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and leased line connections, Fusion is fast-tracking implementation — a backbone establishing seamless internal and external communication across head office and its five branches.
- Robust disaster recovery: With the deployment of Veeam Backup and Replication, Garratts has peace of mind that data will be recovered quickly in the event of a disaster — a must when housing such sensitive legal data.
- Reduced print overheads: Fusion consulted on a replacement printer rollout and PaperCut solution, streamlining print management and reducing overhead costs, a need highlighted by Fusion as an added benefit.
Results
Addressing the instability of Garratts’s existing IT infrastructure, this series of interventions stabilised the platform end-to-end, and yielded transformative results for the security of the entire tech stack. Acting as a true extension of the in-house team, Fusion continues to provide ultimate peace of mind when it comes to business resilience.
From managing MatterSphere enquiries and enhancing network performance to maintaining a laser sharp focus on cyber security, proactive support allows the legal experts to focus on revenue-generating tasks. But that’s not all. The firm’s adept budget management prevents financial concerns from spiralling out of control, ensuring a harmonious and efficient operational environment for a legal firm where precision and security are paramount.
Understanding the sensitive relationship with the incumbent IT provider, Fusion also executed all solutions professionally and with utmost consideration for a smooth transition, fostering a positive collaborative atmosphere throughout the transformative process. With sights set on executing a complete cloud migration, Fusion remains dedicated to optimising Garratts’s operations well into the future.
Highlights
- Proactive, professional, and expert resolution of IT challenges.
- Sensitive and streamlined transition from incumbent IT provider.
- Overseeing a 70+ user network across six offices and additional remote locations.
- Advanced cyber security solutions to maximise network resilience.
- Reduced print overheads pave the way for significant cost savings.
- Cloud migration roadmap set to further digital transformation success.
Testimonial
“Digital transformation has been notoriously slow in the legal space. But Fusion’s cutting-edge solutions and proactive support have set us in excellent stead. It’s like upgrading from a Mini to a Rolls Royce in terms of service excellence, and has catapulted our operations from the Stone Age to the Space Age in a short period of time.”
“As the legal sector grapples with growing cyber security threats and teams spread across different geographies, safeguarding data and streamlining operations has never been so crucial.”
“Fusion’s expertise not only aligns with the demands of the modern legal landscape but surpasses expectations. The firm’s seamless integration into our daily operations has truly made them an indispensable extension of our team. We can now navigate the challenges of a dynamic legal environment with confidence, knowing we have a partner like Fusion on the other end of the phone.”
Antoni Machowski, Partner at Garratts Solicitors