Lightfoots Solicitors

CASE STUDY: Lightfoots are a progressive firm of Solicitors based in Thame, Oxfordshire who have been giving advice since 1853. They offer a wide range of legal services for both business and private clients. In addition, they offer a full independent estate agency, a letting agency and residential property management department.

Boffins Contribution

Boffins have been working with Lightfoots since 1998 when we were first asked to help the company develop an integrated networking strategy. Until that time, Lightfoots had relied upon a few separate systems for stand-alone applications.

Today Lightfoots have over 100 workstations and 9 servers operating in a single homogenous network over 3 main sites, and a number of home users using Microsoft Terminal Services.

This network provides the infrastructure for several key operating systems including databases and workflow for mortgage processing, conveyancing, lettings management, debt collection, accounting, electronic mail, and digital dictation as well as normal office applications such as Word and Excel and electronic document archiving.
Key issues that have been addressed by Boffins are network performance, network security, safe Internet access, data integrity, system resilience, and disaster recovery.

Outcome

Since discovering Boffins, Lightfoots have revolutionised their business. “We have improved efficiency and cut costs as a direct result of the technology Boffins has introduced. These systems have also allowed us to expand our business without increasing man power” said Gareth Compton, Lightfoots IT Manager.

“By investing in technology our staff have been able to process significantly more work than before. We have also been able to expand into additional sites without losing touch with the business.”

“The best attraction of using technology this way is that we have significantly increased our net profit. We really couldn’t have progressed our business without it.”

Wellers Accountants

CASE STUDY:  Wellers is a leading accountancy practice in the South East, with a seventy five strong team of experienced professionals based in four locations throughout Oxfordshire and London. Their innovative practice works for a diverse range of local businesses and organisations as well as for many private clients.

Background

Wellers are no ordinary accountancy practice. Although they share the profession’s traditional values of trust, knowledge and independence, they go much further, basing their business on a culture of accessibility and friendliness.

Their aim is to improve the performance and profitability of their clients’ business by helping them realise their potential.

Boffins Contribution

Boffins was asked to help the company improve communications within the team and with its clients. Until that time, each Wellers office had its own separate disconnected systems.
Today each member of the Wellers team is connected in a single homogenous network over the four main sites and a number of home users enabling them to communicate freely and share company and client data with ease.

Key issues that have been addressed by Boffins are network scope and performance, network security, safe Internet access, data integrity, system resilience, and improved communications.

Boffins have provided all the server hardware, system software, wide area networking, and the know-how necessary to support this dynamic services business.

Outcome

Since discovering Boffins, Wellers have revolutionised communications within their business. “We can now use electronic mail with confidence to communicate with each other and with our clients” said Andrew Dore, Senior Partner.

“Being able to view each other’s calendars and schedule meetings in Exchange has made us much more effective. The use of Terminal Services and Virtual Private Networking has also enabled us to easily access data in our other offices.”