ConVEYANCING COMPANY MOVE FORWARD WITH VIRTUALISATION AND MICROSOFT OFFICE 2010
Lyons and Company are Licenced Conveyancers based in Knaphill near Woking, and offer all conveyancing services for residential, commercial and development property in and around Woking and Guildford.
NEEDS AND CHALLENGES
As a forward thinking practice, Lyons and Company believe in making full use of the technology available to expedite their services and to keep their customers informed.
Lyn Lyons, Owner, consulted her outsourced IT Partner, Dunston IT, to review their current IT system and infrastructure:
“I was concerned about the age of our server and the speed and efficiency of our IT system.
I was also concerned about the back up and recovery of our important data.
Some staff required 2 screens however our PCs and monitors took up quite a bit of our office space.
Another important issue was that our staff needed to work away from the office but weren't able to access the systems and the internet secruely.”
Lyn Lyons was keen to ensure that the installation of equipment and any changes to software had a limited impact on the day to day work of her staff.
THE IT SOLUTION
Virtualisation was the chosen technology for the IT solution. More than one server can run on one piece of hardware (a VMWare box), allowing a reduction in investment of hardware, energy consumption and heat output.
The latest version of Small Business Server addressed email, file storage, printing and user access and runs software that backs up data regularly and automatically onsite. With the addition of a Terminal Server, users can now access the IT system when out of the office.
An external hard disk was installed that mirrors the servers. This means that a full copy of the overall IT system is at hand to act as onsite disaster recovery solution.
All Microsoft Office licences were upgraded to the 2010 version, providing consistency in all files and documentation.
The Thin Clients chosen take up less space (even for those with dual screens) and contains no moving parts. They have a longer life span and reduce energy consumption.
Dunston IT provided a tailored Microsoft Certified Training course at its centre in Aldershot. This demonstrated the new features and changes in the 2010 version of Microsoft Office and took place whilst the new IT system was being installed.
BENEFITS FOR THE CLIENT
SAVING MONEY AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION
With the servers located on one piece of hardware and the introduction of thin clients, power consumption, heat output and energy consumption is reduced.
LATEST MS OFFICE SOFTWARE & STAFF ABLE TO UTILISE TO THE MAXIMUM
Office 2010 Training allowed staff to utilise its new features effectively and avoid delays in day to day work.
CONSISTENT, BRANDED COMMUNICATIONS
Exclaimer’s Mail Disclaimer and Auto Responder ensures email is legally compliant, branded consistently and can be used for promotions.
HEIGHTENED SECURITY
A state-of-the-art Firewall was implemented which can perform multiple security functions and has raised the level of internet security.
FASTER, RELIABLE SYSTEM WITH REMOTE DESKTOP FACILITY
The new server provides a more reliable and robust IT system that can be adapted as future requirements change. The Terminal Server allows staff to work remotely and be more mobile.