Thackray Williams, a leading law firm, faced a critical infrastructure risk when their existing provider confirmed that delivery of their virtual desktop infrastructure would be ending. This created immediate exposure across desktop access, user productivity and business continuity.
For a law firm, system availability and performance are essential to client service. Any prolonged disruption to desktops, applications or file access would directly affect fee earners and support teams.
The firm needed a replacement platform and delivery partner who could move quickly, take ownership of the transition, and execute a high risk migration with minimal operational impact.
The requirement was not just a new provider, but a controlled, well executed platform replacement under time pressure.
a seamless transition
It was a seamless transition, we were fully operational the next morning with no impact to client work. They provided amazing support. The staff on-site had absolute confidence in the process.
For a law firm, the stakes are always higher because client confidentiality is non-negotiable. Atlas Cloud delivered a transition that not only protected business continuity, but gave us greater confidence in the security and resilience of our platform going forward.
Emma Thompson
Managing Partner, Thackray Williams LLP
The objective
The primary objective was to migrate seamlessly from the legacy hosted environment to a new Atlas Cloud hosted platform without interrupting day to day legal operations.
Success was defined by continuity of service, user transparency, technical stability and security built-in from day one of the new environment.
“The security focus was embedded throughout, not bolted on afterwards. The migration improved both resilience and governance, which is critical in a professional services environment.”
Paul Wilcox, Head of IT for Thackray Williams LLP
The proposed Solution
Atlas Cloud designed and delivered a dedicated hybrid infrastructure platform built for performance, resilience and future growth rather than a like for like replacement.
The solution included:
- Sourcing and procurement of new production hardware
- Build of a dedicated Nutanix based infrastructure environment
- Migration of servers and infrastructure from the legacy private data centre into the Atlas Cloud data centre
- Creation and rollout of a new VDI desktop image for users
- Deployment of a Nutanix Cloud Cluster instance in Azure for disaster recovery and future capacity flexibility
- Full network refresh using Cisco SD WAN technology
The target architecture improved resilience and scalability while maintaining compatibility with the firm’s applications and workflows.
migration execution
The migration cutover was tightly planned and executed within a controlled window.
Legacy platform usage stopped on week-day evening. Andrew Jacques, Technical Director at Atlas Cloud, was on site that evening alongside the delivery team to oversee the transition. Systems, desktops and core services were brought online in the new environment overnight.
By the following morning, users were live and working on the new platform.
On site technical leadership during the cutover reduced risk and allowed rapid resolution of any issues encountered. The approach focused on minimising user disruption.
“This was one of the smoothest migrations the team has completed under a constrained timeline.”
Andrew Jacques, Technical Director at Atlas Cloud
Outcomes & Strategic value
The migration was completed within the required timeframe and with minimal disruption to users. Core systems, desktops and network services were operational the next morning.
In addition to the technical outcome, the firm highlighted the quality of communication, planning and support provided throughout the project.
The new platform gives Thackray Williams a modern hybrid foundation rather than a short-term replacement.
With Nutanix based infrastructure, Azure hosted disaster recovery capacity, and SD WAN networking, the firm now benefits from:
- Greater resilience and platform stability
- Built in disaster recovery capability
- Flexible expansion into cloud resources
- Improved network control and performance
- A scalable base for future technology change
The environment is designed to support both current operational requirements and longer term growth.
Planning a VDI migration or hybrid infrastructure refresh?
Speak to our legal IT specialists about building a secure, resilient platform that supports your firm’s growth and client confidentiality requirements.
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