Foot Anstey Uses ntl:Telewest Business Network To Support Rapid Regional Expansion
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the Virgin Media group, is enabling leading south west law firm Foot Anstey to make its communications systems simpler and more resilient as it expands rapidly in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.
• IPVPN infrastructure introduced to provide seamless and robust communication between four existing sites
• Network architecture means it is easily scalable to connect new Cornish office following planned merger on 1 December
• Risk of lost client casework and operational information mitigated by enhanced back-up architecture
The company is using an ntl:Telewest Business Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IPVPN) to provide a single, modern communications environment that links its offices in Exeter, Plymouth and two in Taunton with data and internet services. The network renewal ensures that the offices of Hancock Caffin, the respected Cornish law firm which merges with Foot Anstey in December, can now be brought into the same communications environment.
Foot Anstey is one of the largest law firms in the south west of the UK and has grown by 40 per cent in the past two years, prior to its planned merger with Hancock Caffin and its recent merger with Plymouth firm Serpell Eaton. The combined firm will employ more than 400 people.
"Our commitment to offering a ‘buy local’ option for legal services throughout the south west means we have to enhance our communication links across our office network," said Jane Lister, managing partner, Foot Anstey. “Our investment in the ntl:Telewest Business network means that we provide our lawyers with the communication and information infrastructure they need to advise our clients effectively, irrespective of location."The ntl:Telewest Business network has replaced previous separate data networks and internet services at each site, reducing management overheads. With email being a critical application in the legal sector and an ever-increasing volume of casework relying on it, it was critical that the IPVPN ensured it was always available. The network operates at speeds of 10 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) in Exeter and Plymouth, and 4 Mbps at other offices.
It was important that the investment ensured every employee had equal quality of service and performance when accessing the core practice management system, which holds information on every aspect of Foot Anstey’s business. The IPVPN provides network speeds that ensure high performance access to the system across each office and every user. The network also supports videoconferencing between offices.
“While we needed to introduce a single, robust network that provided a platform for further business growth and ensured operational continuity, we also had some more day-to-day needs to meet,” said Paul Huxham, Information and Communications Systems Manager at Foot Anstey. “Every solicitor and every one of our back office team expect and need the same level of high performance from our information and communications system, whether that be the software applications they need to access or simply using the internet. The IPVPN has delivered that, so that anyone in the company can work from any of our offices and access information and services in the same way.”
Andrew Beckhaus, Business Sales Manager in the south west for ntl:Telewest Business, said: “Information in the legal sector – and its immediate availability – is critical each and every day. More and more law firms are starting to take the single network approach with services like IPVPNs and Ethernet networks. It means that they have a single, powerful information architecture rather than a multitude of services that can only deliver variable performance and requires more complex management across multiple offices.”
