Henderson Reeves Connell Rishworth
"Northcom were able to do everything we required including cabling and computer upgrades. I just want to congratulate Northcom for the wonderfully smooth transition to the new server. We can't believe how stable the system is now. It is a fantastic result for us. They now also expertly manage our systems so we can focus on servicing our clients."
Pamela Lawson, Henderson Reeves office manager
The Company
Henderson Reeves Connell Rishworth (Henderson Reeves) is one of Whangarei's leading law firms. With their expert legal advice and dependable quality service, they have been providing peace of mind to individuals, families and businesses throughout Northland and Auckland regions for over 26 years. They specialise in property, personal and family, employment and company laws.
They recently set up a new division Smart Move Conveyancing Centre that offers hassle free property services based on one fixed and affordable fees. This service is available to people who are buying, selling or simply remortgaging their properties.
The Challenges
Henderson Reeves' computer network was looked after by an independent contractor. Although he was experienced, the firm's IT requirements had grown so much that it was becoming difficult for their contractor to meet company demand. Henderson Reeves required high availability of its IT service provider when issues arose. In addition they also expected that proactive approaches were taken to prevent problems and productivity loss from occurring. Henderson Reeves' server was also a few years old and due for an upgrade.
The existing cabling infrastructure in the Henderson Reeves' offices was mixed with some over 20 years old Category 3 and some recently installed Category 5e cabling. To improve network performance and speed, the Category 3 cable needed to be upgraded to the latest standard.
The Solution
After consultation with Henderson Reeves, Northcom designed and project lead an infrastructure solution to upgrade the old Category 3 cables to the latest Category 6 cables for over 90 outlets. A full height rack cabinet was installed to accommodate the new patch panel and a fully manageable Cisco network switch. In plain speak, this meant Henderson Reeves had a new state of the art telecommunications system, supported by the latest cabling technology, ensuring reliability, efficiency and security.
The server was upgraded to a rack mount HP Proliant server with Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition installed. Northcom completed their project to transition all workstations to Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.
The key component of the solution was to provide efficient and proactive ongoing support. This is achieved by Northcom SelfCare IT managed services, which cover the server and all workstations. Northcom's SelfCare IT monitors Henderson Reeves' system activities and alerts Northcom engineers as soon as anomalies occur or when Windows patches (updates) are waiting to be approved and deployed. MailMarshal was also installed to manage email content and filter out spam, while WebMarshal was installed to control web browsing and Internet access.
The Outcome and Benefits
With the new computer hardware and software in place, and with ongoing support and maintenance from Northcom SelfCare IT managed services, Henderson Reeves management and staff can now rest assured that the technology driving their business is secure, constantly managed and future proofed for company growth.
The firm has become more efficient with their computer network as requests are being fulfilled promptly. Many issues that had been lingering without resolution for some time due to lack of resources were quickly resolved after Northcom took over the IT support. Staff are more relaxed knowing their computer network is more reliable and the support is more responsive.
As Pamela Lawson, Office Manager at Henderson Reeves says:
"Northcom were able to do everything we required including cabling and computer upgrades. I just want to congratulate Northcom for the wonderfully smooth transition to the new server. We can't believe how stable the system is now. It is a fantastic result for us. They now also expertly manage our systems so we can focus on servicing our clients."
