Toronto firm Bales Beall LLP had a professional IT setup: a server room with a solid network of servers supporting a reliable LAN—most of the time. Like all in-house systems, it was aging: remote access was cumbersome, software crashes were frequent, and the network was slowing. One option was to replace the servers, but Partner Karon Bales wondered if moving to a Private Cloud might be a safer, more reliable solution.

Before Uptime Practice

When Karon and her team approached us, Private Cloud was still a relatively new concept in the legal industry. Security was their top priority—they needed assurance about where their clients’ data would be hosted. Hosting data abroad posed risks, requiring careful navigation of international privacy and security laws.

Karon was also concerned about business continuity. Handing over their virtual operations to another company raised a critical question: if disaster struck, could Bales Beall maintain operations and continue serving clients?

The Solution

Security of data and mind
Unlike most Private Cloud providers, we use our own system. Because we own our equipment, we have control over our clients’ security and system performance, and we know our servers are 100% housed on Canadian soil. We built the system from the ground up – you won’t find a more knowledgeable Private Cloud team, or a team who better understands the technology needs of lawyers.

Our hardware is hosted in a state-of-the-art data centre that has better building and data security than is possible with an in-office system, and our team regularly deploys up-to-date security patches to ensure threats are minimized.

Our clients can rest assured their data is securely housed, and business can continue in almost any event.

Better business continuity
In-house servers require a lot of maintenance. For one, they need to be housed in a secure room in a firm’s office space. The servers generate heat, necessitating a cooling system be installed and maintained.

Ensuring Bales Beall’s data was backed up every day and the backup tapes sent home with a reliable person became another chore that required thought and coordination – a chore that just isn’t necessary with a Cloud system, because all backups are regular and automatic.

The Result

Although she says they didn’t switch for cost reasons, Karon reports that moving the firm to the Cloud brought budget savings on hardware.

The firm would never consider buying an in-house system again. With its hassle-free security and enhanced business continuity, being in the Cloud has brought Bales Beall LLP the most valuable benefit of all – peace of mind.