“Compared with the expense of a traditional IT infrastructure, we estimate we’ve cut costs by more than 60 per cent across the law firm.”

Alina Lefter, Partner, Dragomir & Associates

Romania-based law firm Dragomir & Associates needed to replace its open-source Linux messaging and collaboration system, which was no longer fit for purpose and lacked the security the company required. Working with Microsoft Partner PRAS Consulting, the firm migrated to Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite and the Active Directory service. Its costs have fallen by more than 60 per cent, and both security and productivity have improved.

Business NeedsDragomir & Associates, a leading legal practice based in Bucharest, Romania, specialises in corporate law, particularly mergers and acquisitions. Founded in 1996 and privately owned, it is now part of Geneva Group International, one of the world’s major networks of independent accountants, consultants, and law firms.

The practice was experiencing challenges in maintaining data security with its Linux-based email messaging system and file server, which was time-consuming to maintain. Dragomir also wanted to give its employees improved features for email storage, collaboration, and working with mobile devices—plus a stable infrastructure with maximum uptime.

Alina Lefter, Partner at Dragomir & Associates, says: “Our most important concern is data security. In our area of professional services, confidentiality is paramount. Having access to the email and collaboration infrastructure from everywhere is another consideration, because it avoids having to ask IT technicians to set up complicated configurations for accessing data.” Dragomir wanted to benefit from new information worker tools without making an upfront investment in hardware and software, while keeping maintenance costs

low. Lefter says: “Based on our previous experience with an in-house system, we decided that our best option was hosting for our email infrastructure. We wanted to work with a partner in Romania that could adhere to strict security and confidentiality policies, and offer training for users as well as assistance with the migration of data from the previous system.”

SolutionDragomir worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner PRAS Consulting, which suggested a cloud-based solution using Microsoft Online Services—the software-plus-services approach, with access to applications over the internet.

Andrei Suciu, Managing Partner at PRAS Consulting, says: “Dragomir deployed Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, which includes Microsoft Exchange Online and the Office suite of information worker products.”

The legal practice is also using the Windows Server 2008 operating system, Microsoft Office Outlook messaging and collaboration client, and Windows Server Update Services for security. For the internal network, PRAS Consulting migrated the infrastructure to Active Directory.

Customer: Dragomir & AssociatesWebsite: www.dragomirlaw.roNumber of Employees: 50Country or Region: RomaniaIndustry: Professional services—Legal servicesPartner: PRAS Consulting

Customer ProfileDragomir & Associates is a leading firm of corporate lawyers in Romania, founded in Bucharest in 1996. Specialising in mergers and acquisitions, it is now part of Geneva Group International.

Software and Services Services− Microsoft Business Productivity

Online Standard Suite− Microsoft Exchange Online

Microsoft Office− Microsoft Office Outlook − Microsoft Office Live Meeting

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Server 2008

Technologies− Active Directory− Windows Server Update Services

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies

Microsoft Online ServicesCustomer Solution Case Study

Law Firm in Romania Cuts Costs by 60 Per Cent with Cloud-Based Messaging Solution

Lefter says: “Initially, we evaluated the idea of an in-house messaging and collaboration system using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. But we thought it would be more flexible and cost effective to host our data with Microsoft Exchange Online and the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite.”

PRAS Consulting provides Dragomir with IT consultancy services and takes care of its remaining in-house infrastructure. Lefter says: “The partner provided training for our users on the Business Productivity Online Standard Suite, and how to get the most from Outlook. The expertise of Microsoft and PRAS Consulting in this market was a key factor in our choosing this solution.”

BenefitsBusiness Productivity Online Standard Suite is providing a secure and stable infrastructure for staff at the law firm, many of whom work remotely. With all communication being encrypted, Dragomir is highly satisfied with the level of security it delivers. The firm has also achieved considerable savings—IT infrastructure costs have been cut by more than 60 per cent.

Business Productivity Online Standard Suite helps firm cut costs. Lefter says: “Compared with the expense of a traditional IT infrastructure, we estimate we’ve cut costs by more than 60 per cent across the law firm.”

Microsoft technologies provide tight security. Both the cloud-based Business Productivity Online Standard Suite and Active Directory give the protection and peace of mind required by the customer. Lefter says: “The confidentiality of our data is not something we can express in figures. If we had an issue with it, it could close our business.”

Hosted Microsoft Exchange Online offers high availability. The hosted solution is improving performance, stability, and connectivity. Significantly, there has been zero downtime since deployment.

Productivity rises by up to 40 per cent. With the new information worker toolset, Suciu estimates that productivity at the law firm has risen by between 30 and 40 per cent.

Subscription licensing avoids the need for upfront investment. Lawyers can use the latest Microsoft Office information worker tools without the firm having to buy licences in advance. Dragomir is using a pay-as-you-go subscription licensing model with a Microsoft Volume Licensing contract covering Windows Server 2008.

Single console eases maintenance and administration. PRAS Consulting manages all network-related services, including software updates. Suciu says: “This is a major benefit because we can control everything through a single console. It means we become more of a business consultant than a systems administrator for our customers.”

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2011