Offering a first-class user experience and maintaining high customer satisfaction has always been a strong focus for Mills & Reeve and the firm recognised a need to upgrade its existing wireless provider to offer customers more robust, reliable and faster connectivity. The firm also required wireless capabilities that would allow employees and customers’ access to roam freely around different sites and an infrastructure that was strong, rugged and performed to a consistently high level, with zero downtime or loss of productivity. Security was also an important concern, as the amount of sensitive information that the company holds and transfers means that no mishaps can occur. Dave Bradshaw, Technical Support Analyst, Mills & Reeve, comments on what made Meraki the unanimous choice:
“After discussions with Vcentral we recognised that Meraki’s technology is truly light-years ahead of anything else on the market. It’s out-of-the-box enterprise security capabilities ensure that our network remains secure from attacks and enforces the right policies for each class of users – adding double the protection to an already robust network. The technology’s ease of installation and deployment has also allowed us to establish a robust network within thirty minutes and have applications working straight away. Adding extra networks after the initial set-up process was an easier activity; with all three MR16 access points up and running in under an hour. The reporting capabilities of Meraki and the ease of use and visibility on the network enables us to be aware of exactly what is happening and why.”
Previously Mills & Reeve had a centralised controller that hosted all of the information on the its network, making it difficult to access and use. As a cloud-based infrastructure, Meraki is very scalable and the reliability of the wireless makes the chances of the website crashing very minimal. The management of Meraki also takes place in the cloud and the remote hosting of the network servers and services means that this process is simple and uncomplicated. Scott Dobson, Managing Director, Cloud Distribution, comments:
“Since implementing Meraki, we are delighted to hear that Mills & Reeve has received a positive response from its users, who have commented that the wireless offering is excellent and offers a faster, easier and more reliable experience than previously. With marketplace perception being so critical, technology is no longer only the concern of the IT department, so being at the forefront of leading technology is important and we are delighted that with Meraki Mills & Reeve can achieve this.”
Meraki’s solution also has a consistent and recognisable interface, which ensures that when customers log on they are aware of the site they have entered. In a crowded market it is difficult to stand apart from your competitors and not fall behind and Meraki’s ability to allow customers and staff to enjoy a familiar interface is a useful tool for gaining competitive advantage and creating brand recognition. Mills & Reeve plans to work with Vcentral and Cloud Distribution further to deploy Meraki in its last two remaining offices and whilst currently only providing wireless for client access, it will also be looking to WiFi enable every office with full wireless away from desks. Richard Bateman, Technical Director, Vcentral comments:
“I am one hundred percent confident that Meraki will make this a seamless transition and judging by the firm’s experience so far, they are confident that if they do have any problems, our team and Cloud Distribution will be there every step of the way. Thanks to Meraki and the support from Cloud Distribution, we have a very satisfied customer in Mills & Reeve.”
Mills & Reeve is one of the UK’s leading law firms and has been ranked number one by Chambers UK in 26 of its practice areas, which is the highest percentage of any top law firm. The company has many commercial clients including Global and UK based businesses, FTSE and AIM listed organisations, private companies and start-ups; and has always been particularly client-focused. Boasting over 800 staff, 96 partners and more than 360 solicitors, the firm has 6 offices based in Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London, Manchester and Norwich.