IT
Team - Cornerstone director Chris Bibby ( right ) with Toby Joel of Jacksons Law Firm .
SMOOTH OPERATORS
PICTURE : TOM BANKS
How Cornerstone helped 80 Jacksons Law staff switch to homeworking
Perhaps “ We won ’ t make a drama
out of a crisis ” should be the slogan of Cornerstone Business Solutions . Such has been their success in helping clients ’ smooth transitions to a “ new normal ” since the pandemic first hit back in March . A perfect example is Jacksons Law Firm . Cornerstone has provided a detailed IT service to Jacksons for four years … however , it was the hectic few weeks of the first lockdown that truly cemented their relationship .
Toby Joel , Jacksons Law Firm ’ s partner and head of dispute resolution and debt recovery , is also the firm ’ s IT partner . He has nothing but praise for Cornerstone ’ s handling of their call to action when the government announced that people should work from home if possible .
“ We knew in advance that the lockdown was coming and that we would have to close the office doors and work from home ,” recalls Toby . “ However , it was essential we continued to provide our clients with the high standard of service they are used to , pandemic or no pandemic .
“ It was key that we retained the same connectivity and full functionality of our IT systems . Our staff had to be set up to work from home remotely and continue to work in the same way they do when working in the office .
“ The week before the first lockdown , Cornerstone ’ s engineers were in our office working on our laptops and PCs to prepare them for homeworking . Once they set everything up from the homes of our staff , we were good to go .”
Cornerstone ’ s engineers were available remotely to help with day-to-day IT issues .
“ I have to admit , before lockdown , I wasn ’ t confident it would all work out ,” he adds . “ However , the team at Cornerstone guided us through the whole process – and it worked much better than I anticipated .
“ Of course , we had some technical issues during lockdown , but they were resolved quickly and efficiently .
“ I ’ ve dealt with Cornerstone for the past four years and they ’ re a professional , forward-thinking business .
“ We are lawyers , not IT technicians , but with Cornerstone on hand , we can concentrate on what we do best , with the reassurance that their IT experts are on hand whenever we need them .”
In preparation for homeworking , for around 80 Jacksons Law staff who are usually based either at the firm ’ s Teesside or Newcastle offices , Jacksons purchased the required hardware , including new laptops , monitors and wi-fi dongles from Cornerstone .
All staff also needed remote access software to enable them to log onto Jacksons ’ network , retrieve files and utilise case management systems . Cornerstone ’ s solution was to provide remote desktop protocol ( RDP ), an office-based server that acts like a second desktop when staff log in .
Cornerstone director Chris Bibby recalls : “ When lockdown became inevitable , Jacksons was the first client to get in touch and ask us to prepare them for working from home . They were the first of many in what was one of the busiest periods in our history .
“ They wanted to leave their busy offices and switch to working from home within a very short space of time , naturally with the minimum of interruption to their business .
“ They ordered laptops en masse and we had to get them configured and ready to use urgently . We pride ourselves on being able to meet customer demand and that ’ s what we did .
“ It has worked brilliantly . They can do everything from home now so I imagine they ’ ll adapt elements of what we ’ ve put in place going forward , regardless of lockdowns and restrictions .”
In a further demonstration of the strong relationship between the two firms , Cornerstone Marketing Solutions , sister firm to Cornerstone Business Solutions , is developing a cybersecurity video to guide and inform all staff , particularly new staff , about the dangers of cybercrime . It ’ s an idea Cornerstone plans to roll out to other clients .
Chris adds : “ We have worked with Jacksons Law as they ’ ve grown , recruited , moved offices , upgraded case management systems and moved to a home working situation . I think the key is that they really get what we do .”
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