Law Firm Discovers How To Save Thousands In Computer Costs And Discovers A Huge “Overlooked” Benefit In The Process
“Hiring NetBase to upgrade our network has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Lezlee Welch, Office Manager of the Law Firm Bryan, Nelson, Randolph
Bryan, Nelson, Randolph is a well-known law firm in Hattiesburg with 20 full-time attorneys handling a multitude of client cases each month. This fast-growing firm found that it desperately needed to upgrade their 5 year old computer network, but was concerned about the huge cost and time it would take to upgrade 45 workstations and the server.
“We were way overdue for a network upgrade,” says Lezlee Welch, “We constantly had to buy new equipment, yet we were running out of space, the network was slowing down, and we were unable to update the Word Processing, time and billing, and database software we needed for day to day operations.”
The Network Upgrade Looked Ominous
After doing some research, Lezlee decided to hire NetBase Technologies to plan and install a Citrix thin-client computer network. This allowed them to utilize the workstations they already had without sacrificing the speed or functionality of the machines. It would also significantly reduce future costs and the on-going maintenance of the machines.
Because they chose thin-client over a traditional network, they cut the entire upgrade costs by an amazing 57% up front, and have drastically reduced on-going support costs in the process. NetBase was able to complete the entire installation and upgrade over a weekend, having them up and running by Monday morning. “This upgrade was so much less traumatic than the last one” exclaims Lezlee, “and we had ZERO downtime which is extremely important to us.”
Another Unexpected Benefit Discovered
But surprisingly, one of the most important benefits of this new network was the remote access capabilities. “We have telecommuters, paralegals, and new parents who work from home. We’ve even had employees move to other states and they still work for us,” says Lezlee, “It gives the attorneys the ability to access documents and work on the road and from home which is a HUGE plus. Then there are the times when we have a big case going on and everyone needs to put in overtime. We hate having to ask our employees to stay in the office until late at night, but it’s just a fact of life when you work for a busy law firm like ours,” she says.
“Now, thanks to our new network, employees can get the work done in the comfort of their own home and be with their families. This makes the necessary overtime more bearable and the employees far happier and more productive,” she adds.
But The Benefits Don’t Stop There
Now when Lezlee has software to update, she only has to upgrade 2 machines where before she would have to update 50. This saves her a huge amount of time. “The other value is that I can shadow an employee to troubleshoot computer problems from anywhere – from home, on the road, or where ever. Now we don’t have to call in outside technical support nearly as much and issues get resolved faster,” she says.
“Hiring NetBase to upgrade our network to Citrix has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” says Lezlee, “I’ve gotten proposals from other companies but have stuck with NetBase because I trust them. I would be VERY uncomfortable with anyone else coming into this office and going up to that server room without being there because confidentiality is extremely important to us. I know and trust their entire staff. They fix our problems fast without interfering. On the sales end, they respond to what OUR needs are and don’t try to push you into what they want to sell you. We’ve never regretted hiring them.”
Want to learn how NetBase can help your law firm? Call Kenny Lance at 601-264-1606 ext 101.
