Client Overview
- Client: Global Intellectual Property Law Firm, name withheld
- Sector: Legal, patents, trademarks, technology and IP portfolios
- Services: Data protection modernization, DLP, secure collaboration, backup and recovery
Modern Data Protection, DLP, and Secure Collaboration for High‑Value IP Matters
The Challenge
A global IP law firm that manages sensitive patent, trademark, and technology portfolios needed to modernize how it stored, shared, and protected confidential matter data. The firm relied on aging Windows file servers, DFS shares, and inconsistent backup tools.
Key Pain Points:
- Matter files were scattered across Windows shares, DFS namespaces, and local silos, which made access controls and retention difficult to manage.
- Legacy Veeam backups did not cover the full environment and did not provide immutable or air gapped protection, which increased recovery time and ransomware risk.
- Corporate clients began sending detailed security questionnaires that required evidence of encryption, auditable access, and tested recovery, but the firm could not easily produce this documentation.
- IT staff spent too much time on restores, DFS permission fixes, and supporting remote users, which limited their ability to drive modernization.
The firm needed a governed, zero trust ready data platform that could satisfy demanding corporate counsel requirements and reduce operational risk.
Z7 Solution
Z7 designed and delivered a modernization program centered on FileCloud for secure collaboration and data governance, paired with Commvault Metallic for hardened, immutable backup and recovery.
- Detailed analysis of storage usage, DFS layout, backup coverage, access patterns, and client expectations
- Future state design with FileCloud as the primary collaboration and file services platform and Metallic as the data protection backbone
- Redesigned matter centric folder structure with permissions that match legal practice roles
- Document level DLP policies controlling download, print, copy, and external sharing
- Encrypted access across devices and locations
- Real time blocking of unapproved sharing with automatic link expiration
- Full audit history and chain of custody visibility
- Ethical walls and fine grained permissions based on matter assignments
- Multi factor authentication and identity based access control
- FileCloud replaced email attachments and personal cloud tools with encrypted, governed sharing
- Attorneys now share with clients, co counsel, foreign associates, and experts through traceable portals
- Web and mobile access allows work from anywhere without exposing data to uncontrolled environments
- Metallic configured to create backup copies that cannot be altered or deleted, even by administrators
- Backups isolated from production, with separate encryption keys
- Coverage for FileCloud repositories, virtual machines, Microsoft 365, and SAN hosted legal applications
- Quarterly recovery validation with documentation aligned to client audit and outside counsel guidelines
Results and Impact
Improved data protection
- End to end encryption for data at rest and in transit
- Strong DLP controls that stop unapproved sharing attempts
- Complete audit history for file activity
- Zero reported incidents of unauthorized data leakage since deployment
Stronger cyber resilience
- Clean room restores reduced from hours to minutes
- Immutable copies available for every critical system
- Multi tier backup architecture aligned to NIST and CMMC guidelines
- Tested, documented recovery posture suitable for client security audits
Stronger security posture
- Significant reduction in manual restores and DFS permission fixes
- Consolidation of scattered file shares into a single governed structure
- IT staff freed to focus on higher value initiatives rather than constant firefighting
Enhanced client trust
- The firm now meets or exceeds typical corporate counsel security expectations
- Demonstrable chain of custody for matter data
- A stronger position in RFPs and security evaluations where data protection is a differentiator
Want the full secure collaboration and data protection architecture?
Read the full Global Intellectual Property Law Firm case study for deeper details on governed file collaboration, matter-centric DLP controls, immutable backups, and audit-ready recovery designed for high-value IP and client security requirements.
Download the full case study to see the detailed FileCloud and Metallic architecture, DLP policies, and recovery program that support this firm’s global IP practice.