1. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 1
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APRIL 2016
AS I WANDERED...
CASE STUDY: Richard
Fisher of Heringtons on
moving its Tikit case and
practice management to the
cloud with Accesspoint
12
COMMENT: Richard Roebuck
at Accesspoint outlines why
cloud’s time has finally come,
for everyone
05
FEATURE: We talk to SME
firms using cloud computing
to boost their businesses
A
round a thousand years ago I was writing for a
technology publication and the internet was still
young, fresh and pimply. Google didn’t exist
(yes, dear readers, shield your eyes, for it is
true). Facebook was a twinkle. Lady Gaga had to share
Polaroids with her mates. But even then, some far-sighted
people knew the cloud would one day be the way we all
did computing. Most of those people went bust along the
way – the network took way longer to build than they
hoped – but they were right. The network, as Sun
Microsystems once said, is the computer. Welcome to
now – where the cloud, finally, rules. LPM
Rupert Collins-White, editor-in-chief
@LPMmag | rupertw@lsn.co.uk
Cloud computing has been the future for, oh, years ...
but it is now everywhere. Cloud is no longer the future
– it’s here. Better yet, SME firms are perfectly placed
to take advantage of it.
FEATURES
INDUSTRY VIEWS
13
Got a story for us? Let us know at lpm@lsn.co.uk

5. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT5
APRIL 2016
Network computing looks set to level playing fields
and create flexibility, mobility and efficiency for law
firms of all sizes. Lucy Trevelyan reports from up
where the air is rarified ...
HEADS
INTHE
CLOUD
Feature
W
e all know the dangers of
putting information in the
cloud, right? Your data will be
parked in dodgy jurisdictions
where it will be hacked and pinched, you’ll
get sued, the cloud provider will go bust and
then some teenager will hold your data to
ransom – and anyway it’s really expensive
and horribly complicated and how do you
choose a provider anyway?
Such concerns might explain why only
20% of SME law firms polled by LSN in its
SME Legal IT Landscapes 2015 research said
they were likely to adopt cloud-based
solutions for significant systems. However,
although the Solicitors Regulation Authority
mentioned the cloud as a potential risk to its
regulatory objectives in its 2013/14 risk
outlook, it’s subsequent report – Silver
linings: Cloud computing – concluded that,
provided an effective provider is used, cloud
computing “can provide benefits for firm
and clients, both in terms of costs and
providing better levels of encryption and
security.” Even the regulator is turning
around on the subject.
Barriers to cloud use, says Alex
McPherson, co-founder of London-based
Ignition Law, are mostly perceived rather
than actual – and those that do exist are not
insurmountable.
“In my view there are three [perceived but
mistaken barriers]: cost – a red herring;
complexity – ditto; behavioural/cultural
change – that’s the actual substantive
challenge.
“After 10 years with pen and paper, it’s
taken me about 18 months to get used to
using cloud-based notebooks across all my
devices. I could never go back – but it took
me a while to change my attitude.”
This sentiment is echoed by Danny
O’Connor, head of IT at Sackers, which
already uses cloud-based email
management system Mimecast, and is about
to migrate to a cloud-based document
management system.
“Provided you chose the right cloud
provider, the biggest barrier now is that of
perception. When proposing cloud-based
services, it may not be appropriate to even
use the word ‘cloud’, as what you’re really
looking at is best described as a hosted
solution, especially if you know exactly
where your data is being stored – which for
any enterprise solution should be a ‘must’.”
The dangers of cloud use, says McPherson,
have to be weighed against the larger
dangers of not using it.
“I’ve lost notebooks, bags and papers in
the past – everything was gone! I had no
way to get it back and no idea who had my
data. While I have yet to lose a laptop, iPad
or iPhone, they are all password- and
FEATURE

6. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT6
OCTOBER 2015

7. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT7
APRIL 2016
fingerprint-protected, encrypted and, importantly,
we can remote-delete them. There is also a record
of who downloaded what and when from the
cloud for non-local data. I’d feel more nervous
telling clients I was carrying hard copy papers
than that everything is stored in the cloud.”
CLOUD CONVERSIONS
McPherson is a genuine cloud convert. “Even
when paper is involved, our printers run off cloud-
based interfaces. The cloud provides easy access
to all kinds of materials. It allows us to view
documents across MacBooks, iPads and iPhones,
so we’re able to work in a flexible manner.
“More importantly, it provides our clients with
immediate access to their data, 24/7. The cloud
also provides us with low operational costs.
Although we’re not ‘cheap’, we are extremely
efficient and like to pass on cost savings to our
clients, meaning we can charge hourly rates that
are typically 50-60% lower than those of our
more traditional competitors.”
The cloud also helps Ignition operationally,
from to-do lists and diaries to time billing and
cost management. “It allows us to quickly access
and update documents and store data, whether
that’s building and managing virtual folders for
clients or amending encrypted virtual NoteBooks,
from which we take notes. MeetingZone’s
conferencing facility has helped give our
employees the flexibility to work and collaborate
in the way that best suits them, with no impact
on where one is physically. The same applies for
flexible working – we have yet to have negative
feedback about talented lawyers working on
terms that suit them. It is important to make
clients aware of the terms of business up front,
but the opportunities are enormous and we
haven’t even scratched the surface.”
Internally, he says, it’s empowering after years
stuck using old-fashioned technology to track his
time and do his job, and to be able to unleash the
power of technology. “It saves time, and drives
efficiency and flexibility. Externally, many clients
have been working more flexibly and more nimbly
for years, and they respect lawyers doing the
same, passing on the cost savings and time
efficiencies.”
Sarah Quantick, Surrey-based Quanticks’
practice manager, is another cloud enthusiast.
“Everything we do is in the cloud. As a multi-site
business we can work from any location with ease
– it allows us to work from any PC that has an
internet connection.
“Along with full use of case management
I’d feel more nervous
telling clients I was
carrying hard copy papers
than that everything is
stored in the cloud.
Danny O’Connor,
head of IT, Sackers
As a multi-site business we can
work from any location with ease – it
allows us to work from any PC that
has an internet connection.
Sarah Quantick, practice manager,
Quanticks
FEATURE

8. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT8
OCTOBER 2015APRIL 2016
software, it allows us to operate a
paperless office. Costs are regular and
defined and we have security of data
because it is stored over two state-of-
the-art cloud-based servers. The
hosted provider takes responsibility
for all backups, and business
continuity is secure as it’s not
location-dependant, or dependent
upon our own hardware.”
As long as you pick the correct
cloud provider, says Quantick, there
are fewer dangers than having a local
server environment. She warns,
however, that a solid internet
connection is a must. “This is arguably
the most important factor for a good
cloud-based solution.”
Covent Garden-based firm Temple
Knight Law has used cloud
technology for key back office
services since the firm’s launch in July
2015. This includes Xero, which the
firm uses for billing and account
reconciliation, and Receipt Bank,
through which it records expenses.
These are provided to the firm as part
of its KPMG Small Business
Accounting service.
CEO Marisa Birchley-Titmus was
previously head of legal (commercial
and corporate) at Vodafone, and has
worked on the development of major
cloud platforms. She says that IT,
especially cloud technology, is central
to her firm’s business offering.
“The principal advantage is
accessibility, although cost is also a
key consideration. Our lawyers need
to be responsive and able to manage
work and administration wherever
they are. Unlike traditional law firms,
we work very closely with clients and
frequently base ourselves with their
commercial teams. To achieve this,
mobile and flexible working and
careful management of costs are
essential.”
NAME TO BLAME
Cloud computing is a ubiquitous
phrase which is often misunderstood,
says Edward O’Rourke, CEO of East
Anglia firm Ashton KCJ. The firm’s
servers and payroll are in cloud
environments.
“A distinction needs to be made
between public clouds, private clouds
and hybrid clouds. A common
misconception, for example, is that
your data will be hosted on a shared
resource – this is not the case with a
private cloud. For us, understanding
the differences has enabled us to
make informed decisions, which has
de-risked aspects of our business and
allows for greater agility. The benefits
have come from increased resilience
BE PREPARED
Dos and don’ts: our feature interviewees
provide their top tips for cloud usage ...
• Research the market and only deal with
well regarded and reliable suppliers with
strong accreditation (ISO standards). Take
references!
• Understand what is meant by the ‘cloud’
and all the options available
• Check the provider has good backup
procedures and that you can recover your
data quickly and efficiently should the
provider go bust
• Ensure servers are UK-based and that data
is stored across more than one server.
• Ensure the provider is compliant with data
legislation handling. For example, ensure
personal data you are responsible for isn’t
being stored in jurisdictions that don’t meet
the strict requirements of our laws. Ask
about ongoing support, and whether it’s
chargeable
• Check the supplier is really offering a true
cloud service and not simply giving you a
server and some storage in a managed data
centre
• Strive for a balance of making the
experience bespoke to promote your brand,
but also easy in terms of low barriers to
entry, internally and externally
• Beware of shadow IT. Services not vetted
by IT can be risky to the firm. Teach staff
about the risks, and set internal protocols
for new cloud deployments that require IT
assessment and approval
• Install a good internet connection!
• Convert to cloud as soon as possible

9. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT9
APRIL 2016
of back-up data and connectivity, allowing better
business continuity contingencies. We are also
able to scale our operations more cost effectively
than we would be able to otherwise.”
The dangers, says O’Rourke, depend on the
option you choose. “In a worst-case scenario, the
data could be open to others, shared in
jurisdictions which would abuse the information
and hold it ‘hostage’ if the cloud provider were
to go bust.
“However, all these dangers can be avoided by
selecting the right provider, checking their
storage arrangements and putting in place
contractual arrangements to protect access to
your data.”
London-based Alen-Buckley uses cloud
technology every day in its practice and,
according to practice manager Toby J C Parker,
it’s now an essential tool.
“Apart from our day-to-day general operations,
such as using email and the standard MS Office
suite, we also have our accounts and specialist
legal software hosted in the cloud and we no
longer have to worry about maintaining our
backups or disaster recovery procedures.
“Being able to login online from anywhere,
anytime, adds an entirely new dimension to the
way our office works. We can now operate
entirely flexibly in a way that we never could
before. Business continuity has been simplified
and backups are a thing of the past, as these
services are included. We like the hassle-free
element that turns IT into a service as simple as
the electricity bill.
“The charges are predictable and on a pay-per-
user-per-month cost model, with no hidden
charges – instead of the large upfront costs of a
new server. The data is hosted in secure UK-based
data centres. The look and feel is the familiar
Microsoft Windows desktop. Employees can
securely work from anywhere.”
SPEEDY RECOVERY
Reading-based larger SME firm Boyes Turner is
also increasingly looking to use cloud services
whenever it can, says the firm’s head of IT, Tim
Roche.
“We are using a couple of services in the cloud,
the largest being our data backup and recovery
systems, as well as a smaller system for our debt
recovery team. For us, the main benefits are cost,
flexibility and the ease of setup.
“What would have taken months to set up
internally can be done now in a matter of weeks
or days. We have also been able to reduce time
What would have taken months
to set up internally can be done now in
a matter of weeks or days. We have
also been able to reduce the times
significantly in terms of recovery from
a software or hardware problem,
which has real benefits to our business
continuity plans
Tim Roche, head of IT, Boyes Turner
FEATURE

10. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT10
OCTOBER 2015APRIL 2016
CLOUD FOR LAW FIRMS –
THE OFFICIAL WORD
“Evaluating the business and regulatory
risks and benefits of using cloud
technology can be a complex task,” a Law
Society spokesperson says.
“Perhaps the greatest challenge for many
SME law firms considering the use of
cloud technology is to understand fully
prospective cloud service offerings. It is
essential that a comprehensive evaluation
is undertaken to ensure that client and
firm data are adequately protected.
“The Law Society’s practice note on the
topic provides a good starting point but
also advises firms that where they don’t
have relevant expertise in-house they
should consider obtaining independent
expert advice.”
RESOURCES
View the Law Society practice note here:
http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-
services/advice/practice-notes/cloud-
computing/
View SRA guidance on cloud
use here: https://www.sra.org.
uk/risk/resources/cloud-
computing-law-firms-risk.page
View the ICO’s guidance on the
use of cloud computing here:
https://ico.org.uk/media/about-
the-ico/documents/1042330/
cloud-computing-guidance-for-
organisations.pdf
Silver Linings:
cloud computing, law firms and risk
November 2013
Most obviously we have
flexibility and the ability to
move quickly, allowing early
adoption of new technologies.
This enables us to punch
above our weight, taking on
much larger firms and
delivering a product of at
least equivalent quality
Marisa Birchley-Titmus, CEO,
Temple Knight Law
significantly in terms of recovery from
a software or hardware problem, which
has real benefits for our business
continuity plans.
“It can help position IT in a more
positive way in the firm, both from the
costs and flexibility of IT systems and
services, but also around enabling IT
staff to focus more on business-related
issues, rather than having to worry
(too much) about operational issues.
There are also benefits to remote
workers in the form of easier access to
data – Office 365, for example.”
Cloud has come of age and there are
now some truly viable systems and
solutions in the marketplace –
providing you can navigate around
them and see who really is a cloud
provider and who is not, warns Roche.
“There are plenty of ‘fake’ clouds out
there and a lot of ‘cloudification’ is
required.”
Security and compliance are still
barriers to cloud use, he says, and
plenty of proper due diligence is
required. “Data sovereignty has always
been an issue, and the demise/
restructure of Safe Harbor has not
made things easier.
“As the market continues to mature,
we will see greater clarification and
adherence here – we are no longer in
the ‘wild west’ scenario, but care needs
to be taken.
“Sorting out who will be the winners
and survivors in this area is not a
barrier so much as one more step, to
do all the right checks, as, for sure, we
will lose some suppliers along the
way.”
The LPM audience is a lucky one
when it comes to cloud, too. SME
firms, says Temple Knight’s Birchley-
Titmus, have many advantages over
larger ones when considering cloud
technology.
“Most obviously we have flexibility
and the ability to move quickly,
allowing early adoption of new
technologies. This enables us to punch
above our weight, taking on much
larger firms and delivering a product of
at least equivalent quality.”
Technology is key to SMEs, says
McPherson at Ignition, as they have a
more flexible mindset, small or zero
committees, comparatively minimal
entrenched behaviour/politics, and are
keen to learn, grow and improve.
“Provided SME law firms can marry
the extraordinary quality of training
that large global and leading law firms
can provide with an open-mindedness
to embrace technology, the future is
hugely exciting for them.”
Larger firms, says Roche, are more
likely to have an extensive internal IT
infrastructure and the resources
needed to run that, so change may not
be so straightforward for them –
giving SME firms that want a piece of
their action the edge.
“Smaller firms can be more nimble
and may not have a service or system
in place that could potentially be
available in the cloud, so a quicker
route to market or ability to
implement a service in a smaller
timeframe could get them ahead of
the pack.”
Ultimately, says Parker at Alen-
Buckley, the cloud is the future for
every firm. “After moving to the cloud,
I am convinced that this is where
everyone will be going, sooner or
later.” LPM

11. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT11
OCTOBER 2015
12 COMMENT
Cloud’s time has come
Richard Roebuck at Accesspoint outlines
why cloud computing’s advantages now
dominate the argument
13 CASE STUDY
VIRTUAL REALITY
LPM speaks to Richard Fisher, managing
partner for Heringtons, about moving its case
and practice management system to the next
(cloud) level
Cloud computing is as useful as electricity
– and will one day be as ubiquitous for
businesses and consumers alike. We find out
why by turning to sponsor Accesspoint and
south-east firm Heringtons
INDUSTRY VIEWS INDEX
THE WHY
IN THE SKY

12. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT12
APRIL 2016
A VIEW FROM THE CLOUD, FROM OUR SPONSOR:
RICHARD ROEBUCK, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACCESSPOINT
CLOUD COMPUTING’S TIME
HAS COME, FOR EVERYONE
C
loud (or hosted) computing is the future
for tomorrow’s law firms that like to
leverage a competitive edge from their
IT platforms. While there may be a few
drawbacks, the many advantages will continue to
increasingly outweigh the possible pitfalls.
Today, technology seems to have reached that
critical point where there are enough providers,
to the extent that any IT software requirement a
business may have is covered by someone in the
cloud, such as Google Docs or Office 365. Today’s
leading cloud computing providers are some of
the largest and most trustworthy names in
technology – Microsoft, Google, Cisco, IBM and
VMware, to name just a few.
A cloud-based or hosted network, be it partly
or fully cloud, can provide any firm with a full
range of IT applications and services, without the
need to buy and maintain an exhaustive internal
IT infrastructure. Plus, cloud has the advantage of
allowing easy access to business data from
anywhere, on many different device types.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
You can now access advanced business services
at a fraction of the cost and manage the
overhead of doing it yourself, paying on a fixed
and predictable cost basis, like you would with a
utility such as electricity – no surprises, and no
cost spikes. This approach massively reduces
both the operational and financial risks involved
when implementing new technologies.
Services are delivered with powerful service
level agreements that prove costly to match
in-house. Utility computing, accessed via cloud or
hosted infrastructure, is an opportunity to:
• Reduce running costs
• Quickly access new technologies
• Improve service levels
• Free up your firm’s capital
• And keep control of your IT and focus on
business systems development.
Cloud computing is all about efficiency. It
provides a way to deploy and access everything
from single systems to huge amounts of IT
resources on demand, in real time, at an
affordable cost. It makes high-performance
computing and high-capacity, resilient storage
available to anyone.
If you have to store large amounts of data, the
traditional solution has been large in-house
servers that are not only hard to maintain but
also expensive to upgrade and keep highly
available with appropriate redundancy. With cloud
computing, you get all the storage space you
need. Even better, you can easily increase or
decrease storage requirements at any time
without financial penalty.
‘Pay-as-you-go’ is a great feature, but cloud
computing is flexible in more ways than one – for
example, your cloud services can easily be
expanded to keep up with growth. In a matter of
minutes you can add new applications, more
storage or higher levels of processing capacity.
Those wary of the brave new cloud computing
world cite privacy and security as the main issues
with this technology. Because your data is not
onsite, it’s plausible that security could be a
problem. But cloud service providers have plenty
of encryption, data division and other security
measures in place. Just as you protect your
internal infrastructure, cloud vendors must
safeguard their equipment to stay in business.
Laptops are regularly lost, and this can have
serious implications, but when everything is
stored in the cloud, data can be accessed no
matter what happens to a local machine.
The average amount of energy needed for a
computational action carried out in the cloud is
far less than the average amount for an onsite
deployment. To us, those advantages speak for
themselves – making IT happen is critical, but
making IT happen well is an art. LPM
You can now access advanced
business services at a fraction of the
cost and manage the overhead of
doing it yourself, paying on a
predictable basis, like you would with
a utility such as electricity.
Accesspoint are
independent legal IT
specialists who consult on a
variety of information
technology-related issues,
offering the best in IT
solutions to help firms work
more effectively.
Contact Richard and the
team on: 0203 189 2645
www.theaccesspoint.co.uk
Got a story for us? Let us know at lpm@lsn.co.uk

13. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT13
OCTOBER 2015
SPONSORED EDITORIAL
F
or Heringtons, moving to a cloud-
based managed service model
became a ‘no-brainer’, but it had to
deliver a lot, and it also needed to
stick in the firm. The key to making the
move to the cloud a success wasn’t
technology – it was trust.
Keeping up with the pace of change in
operating systems and software on
computer hardware that’s rarely new in
most firms isn’t an uncommon challenge,
and it’s certainly not an exciting one. But
when traditional but also forward-thinking
Sussex firm Heringtons jumped out of its
comfort zone and into the cloud, it created
a strategic advantage as well as more
mundane rewards.
Richard Fisher became managing partner
at Heringtons from a background in civil
litigation – litigation which now, he says
(somewhat wistfully) accounts for just a tiny
fraction of his life. “I miss it, it’s fun. But
instead I now get a great deal of satisfaction
seeing the firm grow and progress, and
client service improving.”
One thing that wasn’t improving with age
was Heringtons’ collection of 10-year-old
servers. “Our hardware kit was creaking,”
says Fisher. “Our Tikit P4W software had
effectively become unsupported. We didn’t
dare install version updates because our
hardware just couldn’t cope.” Heringtons
had a hardware end-of-life decision to make,
quickly.
Heringtons became an LLP in 2013, which
brought with it a culture of business-led
decision making, including those decisions
about technology. Many in the firm fully
embrace IT, says Fisher, but the firm “is
certainly a traditional firm on a technology
journey”. The firm has also had its fingers
burned in the past, which made moving to a
cloud managed service an even bigger leap
of faith – but today Fisher wouldn’t look
back.
With the looming prospect of an
expensive hardware refresh on the horizon,
Fisher needed the decision to be about
more than “buying new kit” –
understandably, he had an ambition to
SPONSORED EDITORIAL
CASE STUDY
VIRTUAL
REALITY
Richard Fisher, managing partner of Sussex firm
Heringtons, tells LPM how his firm has benefited
from moving its case and practice management
to a hosted service with Accesspoint

14. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT14
APRIL 2016
achieve much more. “We wanted to get
more ROI from our Tikit P4W software and
to make it deliver ever better client service.
For work efficiency and risk and compliance
considerations, I wanted to improve business
continuity and backup – our recovery and
restore capability had serious issues, and our
existing set-up had grown organically and
been added to, which was less than ideal.”
One way to deal with the hardware and
software issues this situation raised was to
pass the problem to someone else –
outsourcing to a cloud managed service
provider. But any decision to move to such a
service had to deliver far-reaching, tangible
benefits. The first challenge: finding the right
supplier. “Having a provider that we can
trust is so important,” says Fisher.
Accesspoint came highly recommended
by a key supplier to the firm, “so naturally
they were on the list”.
“Ultimately we chose Accesspoint because
from the start they spoke our language – we
could understand them. They were calm,
confident and very easy to deal with.” Fisher
says Accesspoint’s focus on legal also
helped. “We had peace of mind around
compliance and of course they had
significant experience with Tikit, so they
knew what we needed straight away. It really
wasn’t a hard decision.”
Fisher still had to bring the firm’s team
with him, however easy the decision was.
“We were nervous about whether a
managed service would work for us – we
wanted to dip our toes in the water first, so
the contract was very flexible. Accesspoint
was very understanding and
accommodating.” Heringtons was quickly up
and running in the cloud – just four weeks
from signing and with just one afternoon of
downtime, “it was incredibly quick and
thorough”, says Fisher. “They did it all: mail,
finance, files from obscure places.
Accesspoint had one person in each of our
five offices staying for a couple of days,
problem solving and providing training.”
Accesspoint’s datacentre obviously
impressed and reassured Fisher. “They have
everything – back-up generators
independent of the grid, security and so on.
Moving meant entirely removing our
connectivity, resilience and disaster recovery
burdens! It makes the decision a no-brainer.
“The managed service means we are
always up to date with technology
maintenance and we can keep updated in
terms of case management and accounts
software updates.” Fisher reports a leap in
functionality, performance speeds and
connectivity now that the firm’s IT is
outsourced.
“Firstly, the system just works better – it’s
so much faster – and we now have the
“The managed service
means we are always up
to date with technology
maintenance and we can
keep updated in terms
of case management
and accounts software
updates.”
CASE STUDY

15. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT15
APRIL 2016
confidence to explore more functionality
within Tikit, like new postcode lookups
rather than manual entry. This might sound
small and basic, but they help so much with
accuracy and time saving.”
The firm can now also make full use of
P4W’s identity verification checker, when
“previously we just didn’t have the
confidence” to use it, Fisher says. “In effect,
a great deal of functionality wasn’t available
to us. Now, when new releases and new
functionality is released, we’re very
interested – we’re making advanced use of
our software.
“It’s also great for dynamically upscaling
and downsizing. We’re experiencing regular
growth via active recruitment and mergers,
and this creates a pattern of significant user
swell, with numbers gently falling back a
little as the merger settles. That’s difficult to
manage with fixed hardware and software.”
And, Fisher explains, firms they’ve merged
with haven’t necessarily been Tikit P4W
users – usually a stumbling block in any
merger.
“Previously, those joining would certainly
suffer a loss in work speed, and we’d have
to find more hardware from somewhere ad
hoc and conjure up technical support. We
don’t have to worry about any of that now –
people join one day and come straight on
board, fully supported through Accesspoint.
“The positive about buying upfront is that
once the loan’s paid that’s it, payment’s
done – but once you’ve paid, you’re
basically on borrowed time. We are a pretty
prudent firm, so we don’t like to borrow –
and if we do, it’s usually short term. Cloud
CASE STUDY
Connectivity
• Secure access over the public
internet via branch office VPN and
mobile SSL VPN for remote access
Servers
• Dual power feeds from independent
internal DC infrastructure sources
• Independent switch banks ensure no
single point of failure
• Complete virtual server image
snapshots, stored to geographically
diverse SAN and NAS storage units
for disaster recovery and production
environment failover. Real Time
Replication (RTR) services for
document storage strengthens
production environment real-time
recovery position
• Policies ensure operating system
patches are tested offline for
suitability and compatibility
Hosting environment
• Microsoft Terminal Services
• Dedicated Windows 2012 R2
platform
• VMware-hosted subsystem
Email
• Mimecast’s cloud-based email
security, continuity and archiving
fronting Microsoft Exchange
• A single unified platform reduces the
risks associated with ancillary email
systems
• Anti-spam, anti-virus, data leak
prevention, email archiving, content
control, eDiscovery and continuity
services.
Backup
• Asigra Cloud Backup works in the
cloud or on premises
• Easy restore at will through a web-
based console
• Email notification confirms the
success status of automated daily
backups
NIMBUS, CUMULATED
Heringtons’ technology mix at a glance

16. LEGAL PRACTICE MANAGEMENT16
OCTOBER 2015
SPONSORED EDITORIAL
managed service is more expensive than the
old way of taking on IT, but it means we’ve
avoided a loan while still spreading the
costs.
“Also, we’ll need just a third of our external
IT consultant’s time, and for higher level
work – plus minimal junior IT support, which
will reduce costs to even things out. Overall,
the financial position is very much improved,
because downtime has been significantly
reduced and lawyers have more productive
time because systems actually work. Plus,
we capture more time too – because that
functionality also works!”
Having Accesspoint as the interface to
Tikit has also made a big impact. “For the
first time we’re really exploring what’s
possible with Tikit. We talk to Accesspoint
and they make it happen, and provide
training to enable us to do it ourselves. For
example, P4W Task Centre links financial
information and case arrangement
information to emails, so we could set it to
email the top 10 outstanding bills, for
example. The case management software is
excellent and infinitely variable, and now
that we have guidance from Accesspoint we
can make the most of it, improving
workflows and so on.
“It’s such a relief not to be agonising over
it all any more – it just works. As a user,
everything is much faster and more reliable,
tasks are easier and throughout the firm
there is so much more confidence in
technology. Six months on and it’s clear we’ll
continue with Accesspoint. We’re a good fit,
well matched in size and ethos, big enough
to be experts and deliver, yet small enough
to sincerely care.”
Accesspoint has a key advisory role with
the firm, not least because they understand
the daily workings of the business, but also
because of their experience working with
other firms. “This gives them a great
understanding of the industry and an open-
minded point of view about how we might
do things and create best practice in our
firm.
“Even if something is tricky, Accesspoint is
tenacious and gets it sorted, and ensures
lessons are learned along the way to make
things easier next time. I like their calm
confident, can-do attitude. We’re just very
happy with their service, because they’ve
done exactly what they promised and that
builds trust, which is key.”
It’s no coincidence that Heringtons has
been doing so well recently. “Fee income is
substantially up – and that’s not just about
the new resilience and efficiency of our
technology system, but it certainly helps. We
have the right people, in the right place,
with the right technology. It’s a powerful
combination.” LPM
CLOUD COMPUTING
ABOUT THE SPONSORABOUT THE SPONSOR
Accesspoint are independent legal
IT specialists who consult on a
variety of information technology-
related issues, offering the best in
IT solutions to help firms work
more effectively.
www.theaccesspoint.co.uk/
consultancy
“Overall, the financial position is very much
improved, because downtime has been
significantly reduced and lawyers have
more productive time because systems
actually work.”