Case Study - Milestone Wealth Management

Milestone Wealth Management

Milestone Wealth Management’s approach centres around their core philosophy of putting together all the pieces of the financial puzzle for their clients. For over 20 years Milestone been the choice of families, business owners, professionals and organizations, helping them to achieve their financial and investment goals. The Milestone team of financial specialists never lose sight of what matters most to their clients they value open and detailed conversations to develop a complete understanding of a client’s specific aspirations. They then use their proprietary processes and dynamic strategy to achieve those aspirations.   At Milestone they believe:  “Our clients are our greatest resource – we’re simply fueling their financial journey.” 

What were the business challenges?

Milestone Wealth Management’s business centers on effective document control and confidentiality.  Including the ability to collaborate with external parties in a safe and secure way. They were looking for a solution that allowed them to adhere to the guidelines of their industry and improve their own internal workflow and technology management processes.     We started with a review of Milestone’s technology and processes.  Milestone was using an on-premises server, that was coming to the end of life. As such they felt this would be the ideal time to move to a cloud-based solution. We outlined how this would provide cost savings and help with overall business continuity should there ever be a need for document recovery. Our review also showed Milestone employees using a mix of Windows 7 and Office 2010, which was causing inefficiencies in workflow.  Their final challenges centered around remote access and email hosting. Milestone’s solution for remote access relied on logon software and their email was hosted by an umbrella corporation. 

What were the results you achieved with Teknertia’s help?

Embracing Microsoft 365 has allowed Milestone Wealth Management to work anywhere and added the extra security they were looking for. As well as substantial cost savings and improved workflow.   This solution has made working remotely easy. When COVID19 hit, the Milestone team was ready to work from home.  Employees were able to make a seamless transition as they were already using SharePoint to access their files and content.   Thanks to their managed service contract all their devices are running the way they need to and making the best use of all that Microsoft has to offer.  Including a safe and secure system for backing up files and data.    Milestone is also pleased with the ease of access to email and are satisfied that all devices are secure and protected from, Malware, and phishing attacks.  Meaning that they can collaborate with the confidence that all data, documents, and emails are protected and aligned with the standards of the financial industry.  

Tell us how SharePoint, has helped with your teamwork and collaboration?

SharePoint was instrumental in Milestone’s move to the cloud, enabling them to collaborate in real time internally and externally on content and to allow remote work. Employees are effectively using SharePoint team sites based on security considerations and external access needed. They are also enjoying the creation of a home portal allowing for easy navigation of sites.  Helping with the overall collaboration and communication of the team.  

What difference has this new solution made on your work?  

Steve Nielsen, Portfolio Manager, Milestone Wealth Management Ltd. Had this to say:   “As for what we like now vs. old, firstly, I feel like there is almost no comparison. I feel we have upgraded significantly on pretty much every level when it comes to file management, collaboration and security, while saving on significant hardware costs and upkeep. Our ability to work remotely is now seamless, all in an extremely secure and collaborative setting. The ability to securely share files with clients and create secure portals to share folders/files with our back office is an immense improvement to our workflow. The full integration of SharePoint with all our other MS services and email hosting provides continuity and best-in-class security which is important for our financial business. We knew in advance of our move to being fully independent as a Portfolio Management firm in March 2020, that we needed the best cloud solution for business continuity, remote work, collaboration, workflows, and most importantly, security. We are happy with our decision to implement SharePoint into our business and the ongoing IT services of Teknertia who continue to stay at the forefront of the every changing IT landscape.”