ROBERT E PRICE & CO ACCOUNTANTS
Robert E Price & Co are a firm of chartered accountants, in business for over 25 years, with a varied client base from small self-assessment individuals to long established limited companies. Providing a full range of bookkeeping, payroll, tax and business advisory services, they have particular expertise in the buy to let property market.
Being a relatively a small firm, they require IT systems that allow them to operate efficiently but with the agility to operate from multiple locations.
A longstanding client of Pro Drive IT, Robert E Price & Co agreed to make use of an opportunity realised by a change in their practice management software to refresh their IT systems and realise a ‘cloud first’ approach to operating.
KEY SOLUTIONS
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Mimecast advanced email security
THE CHALLENGES
Robert E Price were using a remote desktop based system for accessing their practice management and book keeping software. Whilst this had proved to be a reliable and secure solution for a number of years, it was in need of upgrading and was a reasonable cost overhead to the business. Additionally, with staff working flexibly both in and away from the office, any new system would need to be able to provide access to systems for them whilst keeping client data secure.
With the firm completely reliant on IT to provide their client services, the transformation had to be completed with minimal impact of business processes. Furthermore as the new approach resulted in a different end user experience, there was a requirement to provide remote training for staff whose place of work was away from the office.
THE APPROACH
A move to the TaxCalc cloud-based accounting software provided an opportunity for a different approach which would reduce operational costs of Robert E Price whilst providing greater flexibility.
Working with Pro Drive IT has been a real win for us. We’ve cut down on costs and now have a setup that just works.
All data was moved to the Microsoft 365 cloud, with files being accessed from SharePoint and OneDrive and an appropriate system for data backup integrated. New desktop and laptop hardware was purchased which were connected to the Microsoft Entra ID cloud and new security policies designed and enforced to protect data stored on them, as well as on mobile devices. Finally, best-of-breed security solutions, including Mimecast Email Security, were deployed to secure confidential and sensitive client data.
Switching to the new cloud setup has made a big difference to how we work. Everyone can log in and get things done no matter where they are, and the support we had made the whole change really smooth.
THE RESULTS
As a result of the changes, Robert E Price realised lower operational costs for their IT systems as well as a consistent experience wherever staff are working from. With the system being primarily cloud based, updates are applied continuously, ensuring it is future proofed and that new features can be used as they are released.
