How a 60-Person Chicago Law Firm Replaced Its Network Across Four Offices with No Downtime
36 devices, four deployment days, and one standard, cloud-managed network.
Summary: A 60-person law firm in Chicago ran separate, aging Fortinet networks in four offices, and its licensing was close to expiring. CIO Landing replaced 36 firewalls, switches, and access points with Cisco Meraki. We moved one office per day, with all cutovers after hours. The firm saw no downtime and now manages all four offices from one cloud dashboard.
At a glance
| Client | 60-person law firm, Chicago, four offices |
| Starting point | Aging Fortinet firewalls, switches, and access points, with a different setup at each office |
| Challenge | Expensive license renewal, outdated access points, no central view of the network |
| Solution | Phased replacement with Cisco Meraki, standard network design, rebuilt VPNs, full documentation |
| Result | 36 devices replaced, 4 offices migrated in 4 deployment days, no downtime |
The challenge
Each office had grown its own network over time, and the Fortinet licensing was about to expire. The renewal cost was high. Fortinet charged a full license for the second firewall in the high-availability pair, while Meraki charges for only one. The access points were also out of date, which gave the firm another reason to replace them. Renewing would have kept four separate networks that were hard to manage and harder to troubleshoot.
The offices depend on firewalls, switches, Wi-Fi, VPN connections, printers, and security devices. Attorneys need constant access to legal applications and files. The main office also holds the firm’s data, so a problem there would affect every location. Undocumented cabling and device connections added risk to any onsite work.
The assessment
CIO Landing reviewed every office’s configuration, devices, internet circuits, VPNs, racks, cabling, and Wi-Fi coverage. We then designed one standard Meraki setup for all four locations.
| Area | Decision | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Hub-and-spoke, with the main offices connecting the branches and Azure | Simpler support, predictable connections |
| Segmentation | Standard networks for staff devices, guests, printers, servers, and security devices | Better security, faster troubleshooting |
| Internet | Tested primary and backup internet at every office | Lower cutover risk, faster recovery |
| Scheduling | After-hours cutovers, one office at a time, with a rollback plan | No interruption to attorneys and staff |
| Documentation | Updated diagrams, addressing, VPN details, and photos after each office | Faster support for every future change |
The solution
- Prepare. We claimed, licensed, and configured every Meraki device before arriving onsite: firewall rules, switches, Wi-Fi, VPNs, and monitoring.
- Cut over one office per day. After hours, the team removed the Fortinet equipment, installed the Meraki hardware, and brought each office online with a network engineer connected remotely.
- Protect the main office. We moved remote-access VPN to the new platform before taking down the main office network. Remote users kept working without noticing the change.
- Test everything. Internet, Wi-Fi, printing, applications, VPNs, security policies, and connections between offices.
- Adjust and document. The day after each cutover, the team fine-tuned the setup and updated diagrams, device records, and photos.
The results
- 36 devices replaced across four offices.
- Four deployment days, one per office.
- No downtime for attorneys and staff. All cutovers happened after hours.
- Lower licensing cost. One Meraki license covers the high-availability firewall pair.
- One dashboard to monitor and manage every office.
- Consistent security at every location.
- Ready for growth. Adding an office or changing a site now follows the same standard.
How we run every network migration
- A discovery visit before install day to map patch panels, ports, cabling, and access point locations.
- A step-by-step runbook, an onsite lead, and the field and remote engineers on one live call.
- Ports tested before production devices connect.
- Access points stay in place until connectivity is confirmed.
- A standard install kit with spare parts on every job.
- The project closes only when all documentation matches what is running.
Is your network due for replacement?
CIO Landing can review your current setup and plan a migration your team won’t notice. Call (312) 858-8886.