Hanson Woods is a legal practice operating from a single office and supporting a small team of fee earners and consultants. Like many professional services firms, it depends on reliable day-to-day technology to support communication, document handling, secure access to business systems, and the smooth delivery of client services. Its environment includes Microsoft 365 and specialist legal software used as part of its core operations.
Following the end of support from its previous IT provider, Hanson Woods needed a smooth transition to a new managed service arrangement. The immediate priority was to establish a clear understanding of the existing environment, confirm key contacts, and prepare for onboarding without disrupting day-to-day legal work.
The business appeared to be operating with a small user base, including full users and a consultant requiring email and mobile-only access, which meant the support model and licensing approach needed to reflect different working patterns. There was also an indication of an on-site server and reliance on specialist legal software, both of which required careful review during onboarding. The aim was to create a stable starting point for support, confirm what could be taken over directly, and ensure the business had appropriate visibility over systems, users, and ongoing service requirements.
Our approach focused on a practical and structured onboarding process designed to give Hanson Woods a stable handover into managed support. With a single office to survey, the onboarding activity could be centred around building a clear picture of the organisation’s current systems, user requirements, and support priorities, while keeping the process straightforward for the client team.
We began by identifying the core environment in scope, including Microsoft 365, the existing user base, and the likely presence of an on-site server. Particular attention was given to licensing and access needs, as the estate included six full users and one consultant who only required email and mobile access. This allowed the onboarding process to reflect how the business actually works, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all support model.
We also noted the use of Leap software for legal services, recognising the importance of understanding how specialist line-of-business applications fit into the wider support landscape. Alongside this, the onboarding plan included deployment of ScreenConnect for remote support and RMM coverage for servers, helping to establish visibility and management capability from the outset.
Where possible, the Microsoft licensing position would be reviewed for takeover, reducing unnecessary change and supporting continuity. Bigger Brains Training was also included as part of the service, giving users access to structured learning resources from an early stage in the relationship. Overall, the onboarding survey was positioned as a foundation exercise: confirm the environment, document dependencies, establish support access, and prepare Hanson Woods for a consistent and well-managed service.
The onboarding process gave Hanson Woods a clear route into supported IT services after the end of its previous provider arrangement. By defining the core environment early, the business was placed in a stronger position to move into a managed support model with better visibility over users, systems, and ongoing requirements.
A tailored view of licensing and access needs helped ensure that both full users and the consultant user could be supported in a way that matched their working patterns. The planned review of Microsoft 365 licensing also created an opportunity to streamline administration and improve continuity where licences could be transferred successfully.
By preparing for remote support access through ScreenConnect and management tooling for servers, the onboarding approach established the groundwork for faster support response and improved operational oversight. The review of the office environment, server presence, and legal software dependencies also helped reduce the risk of missing important technical details at the start of the relationship.
Including user training as part of the service added further value by supporting adoption, awareness, and day-to-day confidence with core Microsoft tools. Taken together, the onboarding activity created a practical starting point for reliable support, stronger service visibility, and a more structured IT footing for the business.
- Smooth transition planning following the end of the previous IT support arrangement
- Clear onboarding structure for a single-office legal practice
- Support model aligned to different user types, including consultant access requirements
- Specialist legal software recognised as part of the support landscape