Moving – whether it’s to a new home or a new office – can be a nerve-racking ordeal. There’s a lot of pre-planning that must take place before the move is executed. If you’re a law firm or any other heavily regulated industry, there’s the added pressure of keeping your data secure during the move.
We recently received an email from one of our favorite clients, John Bedard of Bedard Law Group, thanking us for our assistance with the relocation of his office:
MIS,
This will not be my last “thank you” on this issue, but before this weekend gets away from me, I want to personally thank every person on the MIS team who helped me get my office moved. I know many more people are involved in a project like this than the few faces I see on “game day.” From ordering parts and equipment way in advance, to scheduling resources, to answering my stupid questions in the days leading up to kickoff – I know there are many hands coordinating the project by people I don’t know or see.
MIS Seal Team 6 could not have executed Operation Move Bedard’s Crap any better. No trial and error problem fixing. No band aid workarounds. No IT doublespeak to appease the client and not a single moment of uncertainty in what has been nothing short of a nerve-racking experience for me over the last two months preparing for this move. You created the plan. You clearly communicated that plan to me in layman’s terms. And then you executed the plan. Not a single casualty!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
John H. Bedard, Jr.
We wanted to know more about his move and what prep work is required before packing up the office.
MIS: I understand you specialize in credit and collection industries. What drew you to this area of law?
JB: I landed in this area of law mostly by accident! My first job out of law school was with a law firm which helped mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers stay in compliance with the myriad of state and federal laws which regulate their businesses. I got pretty good at it and then expanded the practice to include helping debt buyers, debt collectors, and lawyers with the same kind of help – compliance and defense litigation legal services.
MIS: Briefly tell me about your unique value proposition for your clients.
JB: Our firm has the experience and the expertise to handle client matters efficiently, which is what makes us the best value in the industry.
MIS: You recently decided to relocate your practice. Tell me about the motive for that.
JB: I did not want to be a tenant any longer! For years I tried to purchase our space from the landlord, who was unwilling to sell. So, we purchased a building and moved the office to larger space.
MIS: You mentioned in your email that the two months spent preparing for the move were nerve-racking. Can you expand upon that?
JB: When the only thing you sell is time – wasting it can be extremely costly. I literally created a checklist of everything that needed to be done to ensure a smooth transition. I spent a great deal of time checking and rechecking to make sure the list was complete, down to the last detail. Every room in the new space needed to be sketched out for furniture placement and wiring. From construction to painting, to wiring, to moving IT infrastructure, securing new internet service and utilities – it was a lot to manage. I was constantly in fear of forgetting something important.
MIS: What are some of the things a managing partner or business owner should consider before moving to new office space?
JB: If your business relies on an internet connection, then above all else make sure reliable internet service is available at your new space, and not just from one provider. It would be a mistake to assume reliable interest service is available everywhere you might want to move. Then, start planning long in advance. Plan every detail – every room, every computer, every network wall jack, etc.
MIS: Are there special concerns specific to attorneys’ offices that other types of businesses don’t have?
JB: Yes, the confidentiality of client files, which for our office means protection of our data. I was personally involved in moving the physical servers to our new office, and we treated that hardware like weapons-grade plutonium!
MIS: What was your biggest technology concern about relocating?
JB: My biggest fear was moving into the new office, booting up the PC’s and servers and having my entire office unable to connect to the server or even the internet. I worried about being paralyzed until the IT folks would troubleshoot and fix all the problems.
MIS: How was this move different from the move to your original office space?
JB: Much more complex. When I started the business in 2009, I had nothing! Two desks, two chairs, two PCs and a small server. The operation was simple. Today, we’ve got multiple servers, a network camera security system, multiple PC’s, network printers, scanners, VoIP phones, etc. We have a lot of moving IT parts now.
MIS: What were your expectations of MIS Solutions in regards to this relocation?
JB: I expected MIS to plan my move long in advance just like I was planning. Little did I know, MIS had done this many times before, so they knew exactly what needed to be done, when, and how.
MIS: How would you describe MIS’s execution of the relocation?
JB: MIS executed the move of my entire business IT infrastructure with the precision and focus of Seal Team 6. When the actual mission began, there was no hesitation, no indecision, no second guessing, and no trial and error problem-solving. MIS executed its detailed plan flawlessly. The very first time we booted PCs and brought the network back to life we experience not a single error. No glitches, no frozen screens, no inaccessible network drives, we didn’t even need a Windows update! MIS did not miss a single beat – which meant we had not one hour of unplanned downtime. My office returned to work Monday morning and everything . . . just . . . worked!
MIS: In terms of overall service, how would you rate MIS Solutions?
JB: On a scale of 1 to 10, MIS gets a 12! Many thanks to the MIS team for moving my office without a hitch.
MIS: Would you recommend MIS Solutions to other law firms or business owners?
JB: Without hesitation. MIS knows what I need and they know how to meet those needs – even when those needs change. MIS is responsive, experienced, professional, and most importantly patient with those of us who are not IT professionals. Thank you, MIS!
Bedard Law Group is a full-service law firm serving the credit and the collection industries. It was founded by John in September 2009 in response to the growing needs of corporate clients. John is experienced representing creditors, collectors, debt purchasers, and attorneys helping them stay in compliance with state and federal laws that regulate their businesses.
The firm also manages the nationwide litigation for several collection agencies and focuses its litigation practice on FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA defense litigation.