Solving sector specific challenges with Azure expertise

At Shaping Cloud, we understand that no two cloud journeys are the same - especially when navigating the complex, high-stakes environments of sectors like legal services.

Our Azure specialists combine deep technical knowledge with industry insight, enabling us to pivot quickly and design solutions that solve real-world challenges - including the safe handling of critical line-of-business applications such as the firm’s Elite 3E finance management system.

In this case, a leading UK law firm needed to regain control over spiralling cloud costs following a rapid disaster recovery-driven migration. Our team delivered a targeted, scalable solution that not only cut storage spend by 75% but also created a blueprint for future optimisation across the firm’s IT estate.

Scalable & DR ready

75% cost reduction

Repeatable optimisation model

The Problem

A Top 20 UK law firm faced a critical deadline to exit its disaster recovery (DR) data centre. To meet this requirement, the firm rapidly migrated its Thomson Reuters 3E financial and practice management system to Microsoft Azure using a lift-and-shift approach. While the move ensured business continuity, it carried over an unoptimised database server architecture, leading to excessive operational costs.

The firm’s SQL Server environment in Azure was consuming disproportionately high storage resources, resulting in unsustainable monthly costs of around £10,000. The existing infrastructure also lacked the flexibility to scale efficiently, posing financial risks during normal operations and potential performance limitations in a disaster recovery scenario. With SQL underpinning critical business functions, the firm needed a more cost-effective and scalable solution that could also serve as a blueprint for optimising similar workloads across its IT estate. 

The Solution

To address these challenges, Shaping Cloud deployed Azure NetApp Files (ANF) as a high-performance storage layer, replacing costly Premium Managed Disks. A dedicated landing zone was created to ensure governance and security, while a scalable storage model was implemented to balance cost efficiency with the ability to rapidly scale during DR events. The solution was rigorously tested with finance batch processing and reporting workloads to ensure compatibility and performance. 

The Outcome

The results were outstanding - an immediate 75% reduction in monthly Azure storage costs, down from £10,000 to approximately £2,500. The new architecture also provided the flexibility to adjust storage resources dynamically, ensuring efficiency in normal operations while maintaining high performance during DR events.

Beyond cost reduction, the approach established a scalable and repeatable model for optimising SQL Server workloads across the firm’s IT estate. Ongoing monitoring and fine-tuning continue to enhance efficiency, reinforcing this progressive firm’s long-term cloud strategy.