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Client
Growing Vancouver law firm
Industry
Legal Services
Application Stack
NetDocuments
Soluno
ACL + SQL Express
Everlaw
Adobe Acrobat
Microsoft 365
Challenge
Expensive Citrix virtual desktops with intermittent reliability issues, expensive provider, delayed projects, and inability for lawyers to work effectively from anywhere.
Solution
Full migration from Citrix to native cloud-first laptops with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Entra ID, Intune, and a targeted RDS server for the one legacy application that still required it.
The Challenge
The firm had been running its entire desktop infrastructure through a third-party Citrix virtual desktop provider for approximately three years — a period during which the firm was young and growing rapidly. What initially seemed like a flexible solution had become a bottleneck.
The problems were compounding:
- Intermittent Citrix failures — virtual desktops would freeze, disconnect, or lag during critical work, directly impacting billable hours and client deadlines
- Rising costs — the existing provider was expensive, and the firm was paying for infrastructure complexity it didn't need
- Limited collaboration — the existing IT structure made it difficult for employees to share client data and collaborate efficiently across the firm
- Location-dependent access — server issues and latency meant lawyers couldn't reliably access files and applications from court, home, or client sites
- Delayed projects — IT initiatives were routinely pushed back, hindering operational efficiency and firm growth
- Maintenance burden — ad hoc workarounds and support were consuming hours of employee time that should have been spent on legal work
With most of the firm's applications already cloud-native (NetDocuments, Soluno, Everlaw, Microsoft 365), the Citrix virtual desktop layer was adding cost and complexity without delivering value. The only application that genuinely required server infrastructure was ACL with SQL Express — used by roughly four people.
The firm knew it needed to make a change if it was going to continue growing. They needed an IT partner who could execute a clean migration without disrupting client service.
The Real Cost of "Good Enough" IT
When a Citrix session freezes during a client call, or a lawyer can't access case files from the courthouse, the cost isn't just the IT ticket — it's the lost billable hour, the missed deadline, and the client who starts wondering if they chose the right firm. For a growing practice, unreliable IT is a growth ceiling.
The Solution
Cloud Collective designed a phased migration plan that would move the firm from a Citrix-dependent environment to a modern, cloud-first infrastructure — without a single day of downtime for the lawyers.
The Approach: Eliminate What You Don't Need
The key insight was simple: the firm was paying for virtual desktops to run applications that were already cloud-based. NetDocuments, Soluno, Everlaw, and Microsoft 365 all run natively in a browser or desktop app. The only thing keeping the firm on Citrix was ACL — and only four people used it.
The plan: give everyone native laptops with direct cloud access, and stand up a small Remote Desktop Server exclusively for the ACL users. No more Citrix. No more paying for infrastructure you don't need.
The Migration — Phase by Phase
Phase 0 — Discovery
Before notifying the existing provider, we ran a quiet discovery process: a quick session with the team, an on-site closet inspection at their Vancouver office, a sample workstation audit, and a full ACL topology review — server location, VM specs, domain configuration, ODBC connections, and port dependencies.
Output: Preliminary IT Assessment + Migration Plan with options, delivered before any provider notice was given.
Phase 1 — User Experience First: Desktop Migration & ACL Hosting
The biggest phase — and the one users feel immediately:
- Migrated all users off Citrix to native desktop workflows (Soluno, NetDocuments, Everlaw, M365)
- Deployed Microsoft 365 Business Premium baseline — Intune device management, Defender endpoint protection, BitLocker encryption, MFA, and Conditional Access policies
- Moved email and collaboration to native M365 — OneDrive and SharePoint for document storage
- Migrated Active Directory to Entra ID (cloud-native identity) with hardened access controls, per-user MFA, least-privilege permissions, and full audit logging
- Replaced Citrix with a targeted Remote Desktop Server for the ~4 ACL users and 1 PC Law user only — not as a desktop replacement, but as a focused application host
- Migrated PC Law and ACL to the RDS server
Phase 2 — Stabilization & Onboarding
With the migration complete, we focused on building the operational foundation:
- Comprehensive IT assessment and full documentation of the new environment
- Established service protocols, escalation paths, and SLAs
- Monthly on-site visits at the Vancouver office for quick wins and change management
- Network upgrade with firewall implementation for perimeter security
Phase 3 — Governance & Resilience
Long-term stability requires ongoing attention:
- Annual IT assessment (included) plus quarterly business reviews with a living IT roadmap
- Security awareness training program with phishing simulations for all staff
- Proactive monitoring and patch management across all endpoints
Phase 4 — Minimize Complexity
The final phase looks ahead: evaluate whether ACL can be retired or replaced with a vendor-supported cloud alternative. If viable, the RDS server gets decommissioned entirely — leaving the firm with a fully cloud-native infrastructure and zero on-premise dependencies.
The Results
Zero
Citrix Dependency
100%
Cloud-First Laptops
Lower
Monthly IT Costs
Anywhere
Access to Files & Apps
By eliminating the Citrix virtual desktop layer and moving to native cloud-first laptops, the firm saw immediate improvements:
- No more Citrix freezes or disconnects — lawyers work on native desktops with direct access to cloud applications
- Reduced monthly IT costs — no more paying for virtual desktop infrastructure that most users didn't need
- Work from anywhere — court, home, client sites, or the office, with the same seamless experience
- Better collaboration — SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams replaced the siloed file access of the old environment
- Hardened security — Entra ID with Conditional Access, MFA, BitLocker, and Defender for Endpoint — a significant upgrade from the previous posture
- Proactive support — monthly on-site visits, dedicated service protocols, and an IT partner that picks up the phone
The Takeaway
Not every firm needs virtual desktops. If most of your applications are already cloud-native, you may be paying for complexity you don't need. A clean migration to native laptops with proper security — Intune, Entra ID, Conditional Access, and endpoint protection — can deliver better performance, lower costs, and happier lawyers.
The key is having an IT partner who understands how law firms work, what your applications actually require, and how to execute a migration without disrupting client service.
Cloud Collective provides managed IT services for law firms across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. If your firm is struggling with virtual desktop performance, rising IT costs, or an infrastructure that doesn't match how you actually work, let's talk or call us at 604-239-2174.
Stuck on Citrix? We can help.
Start with a free IT assessment. We'll review your current environment, identify what you're overpaying for, and show you what a modern cloud-first setup looks like for your firm.