Today’s fast moving and highly competitive business environment demands leading-edge information technology. For a medium-size law firm, such as Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle, serving clients’ needs quickly and efficiently is paramount.

A well-designed computing and IT environment is at the center of success. For this, Meltzer relies on IT consulting firm Keno Kozie and IT solutions provider CDW. After the law firm opened a second office in downtown Chicago, it turned to the Chicago-area companies to help it improve its network infrastructure and boost overall performance.

Keno Kozie, which relies on a staff of 60 to provide IT services to an array of companies — ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms — essentially serves as the IT department for Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle. It manages the law firm’s two offices, located approximately 27 miles apart.

“The legal profession, like so many other fields, is now heavily dependent on information technology,” explains Brian Meltzer, managing partner for Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle. “It is essential to have reliable, state-of-the-art systems and a cost-effective IT infrastructure in place.” What’s more, security is a growing concern that factors into how an organization designs and uses its network.

Building a strong IT platform is essential. After examining Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle’s Wide Area Network (WAN) in 2007; Keno Kozie concluded that important upgrades and changes were in order.

The law firm uses a pair of redundant T1 lines to connect the two offices via WAN infrastructure. It has 10 dedicated Windows 2003 servers in place and approximately 50 Windows XP workstations and PCs.

“The firm faced a number of challenges and problems with its existing infrastructure,” observes Eli Nussbaum, senior manager at Keno Kozie. “There were important practical issues and security concerns that had to be addressed in order for lawyers and others to gather and share information effectively.”

An old firewall device was one concern — installed before Keno Kozie and CDW began working with Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle — as it frequently failed. These events would lead to downtime and sometimes force a network administrator at Keno Kozie to reinstall the operating system for the hardware-based firewall product.

“The situation was inconvenient and it drained time and resources,” Nussbaum explains. “The device was not up to task for what a law firm requires.”

Yet, downtime and erratic performance were only part of the problem. Attorneys also couldn’t access secure Web sites that are essential to their daily work. For example, the same firewall blocked the Federal Court System site, which attorneys require in order to file motions and memorandums online.

In many cases, Keno Kozie had to provide the law firm with temporary access through its own network and Internet connection. The manufacturer of the device, meanwhile, wanted to charge a substantial fee in order to fix the filtering problem.

Not surprisingly, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle opted to make a change and upgrade its firewall. The company, which uses four Cisco and 3-Com routers to manage data traffic across the WAN — began to explore its options.

The CDW-Keno Kozie team, identified a Cisco ASA 5510 Adaptive Security Appliance that fit the bill. The device provides a firewall, unified communications security, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) Virtual Private Network (VPN), Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and content security.

In addition, the Cisco device provides intelligent threat defense and secure communications services that thwart attacks before they affect an organization.

The Cisco ASA 5510 Adaptive Security Appliance provides Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle with a solid foundation for its network. Currently, most employees are accessing servers remotely using Microsoft Windows Server Terminal Services 2003.

It provides secure access to data from home offices and remote locations. It also provides the user interface for various applications while handling most of the processing on the server side. Nussbaum says that the law firm will migrate over to a VPN over time.

At present, “The firm’s culture is at the point where most users are comfortable with Terminal Server as a remote access application and there’s no compelling reason to change things,” Nussbaum adds.

Nevertheless, some of Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle users have tapped into the VPN. “They prefer to have more seamless integration between their laptops and the office,” Nussbaum explains. “They want to have access to specific applications and data whenever and wherever they need it.

They want their laptop to have the same data that’s residing on the central server, rather than a similar desktop,” he adds. In addition, the VPN offers more robust security features and improved integration with various systems already in place. “At this point it’s an individual decision.”

To be sure, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle’s relationship with Keno Kozie and CDW plays an important role in the firm’s success. “There is strong synergy,” notes Troy Okerberg, account manager for CDW. “We’re able to fill complementary pieces of the puzzle.”

The decision to use the Cisco ASA 5510 Adaptive Security Appliance was straightforward. “The engineers at Keno Kozie knew what Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle required,” Okerberg adds. “They brought us the specifics and provided general guidance.”

Along with input from Keno Kozie, the Cisco product solution resulted from Okerberg consulting with his CDW Security Specialist Josh Radlein. “We examined the requirements and the price range they were looking for and told him what they were hoping to accomplish. The Cisco device seemed like a perfect fit.

“Josh is Cisco-certified,” Okerberg adds. “And being fully immersed with the vendor, we were able to offer the best price. The entire process took about a week-and-a-half and involved only a few phone calls.”

While CDW account managers offer customers a single point of contact, they’re backed by a full staff of certified technology specialists in areas including networking, power, security, server/ storage and voice/data.

Keno Kozie also analyzes business and IT needs and makes recommendations about new systems and solutions. In addition to conducting an annual technology audit, Keno Kozie engineers constantly review Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle’s computing environment and make recommendations for updates, upgrades and wholesale changes.

Engineers also spend a day-and-a-half at each office location every week. “We’re in tune with their IT environment and their needs,” states Andrew Lunn, a senior engineer for Keno Kozie Associates.

The Cisco security appliance also provides strong support for several other technology options. Although the law firm installed a new Public Branch eXchange (PBX) just over five years ago, the next system will likely migrate to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and other IP communication tools, including video and unified communications.

The firm has already begun to look into videoconferencing solutions; attorneys would like to handle depositions and meetings between the two offices and other facilities and reduce travel. “The on-going goal is to make connections between the two offices as seamless as possible,” Nussbaum says.

Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle is in the early stages of selecting a videoconferencing system. At present, Keno Kozie is gathering technical specs and working with CDW to identify potential products.

In addition, the law firm is looking to upgrade its document management system to take advantage of more robust and streamlined technology. “There’s an on-going effort to adopt solutions that help the firm stay on the competitive edge,” says Meltzer. “It’s an ongoing process and it requires constant attention.”

It’s all part of the law firm’s focus on excellence. Several of its attorneys have received recognition for their work in real estate, finance, tax and corporate law. What’s more, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle’s is ranked among the best law firms in Chicago.

Building a successful and profitable law firm is no simple task in today’s crowded and competitive legal environment. However, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle has deftly combined legal and business savvy with a strong IT foundation.

A robust WAN using a sophisticated Cisco Systems security appliance is a centerpiece of the firm’s advanced IT capabilities and thriving practice. Recent network upgrades ensure that Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle will remain competitive, efficient and secure during the coming years.

In addition, the law firm is looking to upgrade its document management system to take advantage of more robust and streamlined technology. “There’s an on-going effort to adopt solutions that help the firm stay on the competitive edge,” says Meltzer. “It’s an ongoing process and it requires constant attention.”

It’s all part of the law firm’s focus on excellence. Several of its attorneys have received recognition for their work in real estate, finance, tax and corporate law. What’s more, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle’s is ranked among the best law firms in Chicago.