Proven Plan
Our proven framework includes clear checkpoints, reference architectures, and specialized partners who know the path.
Build a faster, more profitable firm with SaaS.
The question to migrate is no longer if, but when — and the answer is now.
Why Law Firms Are Choosing Cloud Migration Now
Elite marked 125% growth in SaaS users and more than 100 cloud go-lives.
Demand keeps growing for multi-tenant cloud benefits — unified data, AI-powered workflows, automated OCG compliance, and hardware infrastructure cost savings.
“The Elite team guided us every step of the way, enabling us to go-live in under seven months. The transition was seamless, and our billing and finance processes are now faster and more reliable, making our operations more efficient, intuitive, and dependable.”
Julien Desmottes Global Director, Applications Solutions Consulting, Dentons
For law firm leaders, migrating to Elite 3E aligns technology investment with long-term operational goals, not just IT maintenance cycles.
Predictable Delivery
Defined scope, checkpoints, and validation cycles.
Measurable Impact
Faster billing and realization cycles, fewer write-offs, and freed IT capacity to focus on analytics and delivering client value.
Ongoing Innovation
Continuous improvements without the disruption of lengthy upgrades.
Operational Efficiency
Fewer internal resources tied to support, upgrades, and infrastructure management.
Improved Visibility
Unified data access across finance, matter management, and reporting.
Compare an on-prem upgrade and a strategic cloud migration
The process isn’t about starting over — it’s about carrying forward what works, modernizing where it adds value, and freeing your teams from infrastructure maintenance permanently.
Make This Upgrade Window a Migration Window
On-prem upgrades are rarely just upgrades. They become infrastructure projects — new servers, OS and SQL upgrades, extensive retesting, and coordination across multiple teams.
That adds up to significant time and expense simply to stay current. By the time the work is finished, the cloud version has already moved ahead with new capabilities.
Migrating to 3E changes the equation, with benefits now tested and realized across 100+ firms. Most firms complete their migration in just six to nine months, including testing and training.
Address risks of on-prem OS and SQL versions nearing end of mainstream support.
Meet growing demand for secure, cross-firm data access.
Create more agile reporting and analytics.
No hardware to purchase, no environments to rebuild, and no ongoing patching to plan.
Elite delivers continuous innovation in the background.
Your team can stay focused on validating data, reviewing configurations, and enabling integrations.
What does a 3E cloud migration actually look like?
Secure & Trusted
Your data, configurations, and approved customizations come forward.
They’re migrated, validated, and signed off in iterative cycles.
Review & Upgrade
We review older customizations compared to today’s product capabilities.
Replacing them where newer functionality (like our Proforma solution) delivers a better experience.
Modern APIs
Integrations shift from direct database access to modern APIs, using established patterns developed across dozens of previous projects.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How long does this really take?
Many firms migrate to 3E in the cloud in just six to nine months from kickoff to go-live. That timeline includes data validation, user testing, and training. The difference from a traditional upgrade is that we’re moving your system, not recreating it. No new hardware.
Q: What exactly happens during the migration?
Every project follows a structured, repeatable sequence:
- Assessment and planning – We review your current environment, versions, and integrations, and produce a scoped plan and timeline.
- Data migration – Data is transferred and validated.
- Customization review – Together, we determine which customizations should be carried forward, simplified, or replaced by newer, built-in functionality.
- Integration re-patterning – Integrations are mapped to modern, SaaS-native interfaces. Common partner integrations typically now follow established patterns.
- Cutover and go-live – The final data sync occurs, users test, and we transition operations to the live environment.
- Optimization phase – Post-go-live, we fine-tune performance and reporting and ensure users are confident in the new workflows.
Q: How much of our system actually changes?
Most firms bring across:
- Their data, fully validated
- Their configurations and rules
- The customizations that still add value
What usually changes are integrations (modernized for cloud standards) and outdated customizations that now have stronger native equivalents. The result is a cleaner system with less technical debt.
Q: What will our IT team still be responsible for?
Firm's IT team remains involved in:
- Providing access to the legacy environment for data extraction
- Participating in testing and validation
- Coordinating integration endpoints
Firm's IT team no longer needs to:
- Maintain or patch servers
- Manage OS, SQL, or hardware upgrades
- Handle system backups or disaster recovery routines
- Monitoring or maintenance of 3E
The workload shifts from infrastructure management to oversight and data quality.
Q: We have complex integrations and legacy custom code. How is that handled?
After 100+ completed migrations, we’ve documented patterns for nearly every major integration used across our customer base. Most integrations are rebuilt using modern APIs or connectors that provide the same data flow without direct database access. Exceptions are handled through a design review early in the process, so there are no surprises late in the timeline. While it can’t be guaranteed, it’s worth noting that to date, we haven’t encountered an integration that couldn’t be transitioned.
Q: How do I access my data?
There are a number of ways to access your data in our SaaS offering through a full suite of platform capabilities:
- Data can be accessed programmatically via our REST and oData APIs.
- We can create data feeds for targeted real-time integrations using our Webhook infrastructure.
- For deeper analytics and enterprise reporting, data can be accessed via Elite’s data platform on Microsoft Fabric.
Q: How disruptive is the cutover period?
Downtime is limited to the final data synchronization window. Most firms experience a weekend-length cutover. Parallel testing or a structured Dress Rehearsal ensures all business-critical functions are operational before final sign-off.
Q: What happens after we’re live?
After go-live, many firms enter a “hyper care” period with our Delivery and Support teams, with a focus on performance tuning and enabling your users to take advantage of new capabilities — reporting, automation, and AI features. Upgrades, patches, and maintenance are handled automatically. Your internal team moves from maintaining infrastructure to improving workflows and analytics. Our teams offer hands-on support from go-live through at least your first month end processing to ensure a smooth transition.
Q: Is it worth the investment compared to staying on-prem?
An on-prem upgrade now typically requires:
- Server and OS refresh
- SQL upgrades
- Application testing and redeployment
- Ongoing hardware and licensing costs
Migration to cloud replaces those costs with a single, planned transition — eliminating the on-prem upgrade cycles entirely. The result is a modernized environment, continuous product innovation, and predictable operating costs.
Q: What has changed since the early migrations?
The first wave of projects helped refine every step of the process. Today’s migrations benefit from:
- New streamlined documentation, cut over check lists, and methodology enhancements after 100+ successful migrations
- Established integration blueprints
- A deeper understanding of customizations
- Specialized partners who know the workflows and challenges
- Proven timelines and reference firms with similar profiles
In short, migration is a standardized process.
