Case Study

How TLW Solicitors Protected Client Data With a Resilient Three-Server Setup

TLW Solicitors

Overview

TLW Solicitors is a North Shields law firm that has supported thousands of clients nationwide since 2000. Forward-thinking and client-focused, it has grown into one of the UK's leading litigation firms, with years of Lexcel accreditation behind it.

The Challenge

TLW's full client database ran on an on-site server due to reach end of life in January 2023. It was already slowing down, with longer waits affecting day-to-day work.

For a law firm, client data has to be secure and available at all times. TLW wanted to replace the server with something faster and more secure, with protection in place so that even a major server failure wouldn't stop the business.

Due to the nature of our business, we also felt that replacing our server with something that offered the highest levels of security would be wise.

Anthony Wight, ITC Manager, TLW Solicitors

The Solution

Our Business Development Manager, Steven, met TLW to understand its requirements and future plans, and recommended a three-node storage area network (SAN).

Rather than two high-spec servers, we used three lower-spec servers sharing the workload. Performance was unaffected and the cost was similar, but TLW gained much stronger protection against disruption: if one server fails, the others carry on.

Customer Feedback

Client service is a priority at TLW. Our new server solution means we can be sure our clients won’t experience long periods of down time and disruption. TLW would recommend Smart IT for any businesses looking to change their IT infrastructure. Although it can be a daunting prospect Smart IT ensured the switch was quick and stress free.

Anthony Wight, ITC Manager, TLW Solicitors

The Result

If a server ever fails, TLW's systems simply move across to one of the other two and work carries on as normal.

The new setup also delivered:

Faster, more reliable day-to-day performance
Improved data security
Reliable disaster recovery
Room to scale as the firm grows
Fewer network bandwidth problems

Since the installation of our new server we have had no issues. Our day-to-day work has greatly improved thanks to the increased speed and reliability of the server.

Anthony Wight, ITC Manager, TLW Solicitors