Is cloud computing for legal matter management right for you? Legal Files explains
Now that you know what cloud computing is, you might be wondering if it’s the right option for legal matter management deployment. If you are thinking about moving your legal work to the cloud, you aren’t alone. More businesses and organizations, including legal departments, government agencies and law firms of all shapes and sizes, are buying into this now-mainstream technology; although many government agencies and corporate organizations have security concerns and policies that prevent this.
Cloud-based legal matter management is allowing attorneys and their teams to respond to the ever-changing needs in the IT space while also fostering innovation. However, those aren’t the only benefits. Businesses are also finding that the cloud can improve accessibility, provides an emergency backup plan, and eliminate the need for having your own computer servers, maintaining your own database or having responsibility for backup of your precious data resources.
Before investing in legal matter management that can only be hosted in the cloud, you should explore some important considerations to determine whether it is right for your organization. The team at Legal Files Software has created a guide that includes details about the advantages of cloud-based legal matter management as well as some considerations for your organization. As always, Legal Files gives you option to have your system in the cloud, or deployed on premises.
The advantages of cloud computing for legal matter management
You can probably already sense that cloud computing comes with many unique benefits for legal departments, law firms and related organizations. However, you still might not realize how these advantages can work for you and your team. Here is just a taste of what cloud computing has to offer in the legal matter management space:
- Cloud computing is renowned for its accessibility. With standard software and file storage, you can only access it from specific computers, which is frustrating when you need to work remotely. However, a browser-based software or web-based software like Legal Files allows you to access your important files and work anywhere that you have an Internet connection, regardless of where your data is. Working from home, on vacation or in the courtroom has never been easier. It also makes it a snap to share information between colleagues and collaborate with other members of the team.
- No one likes to think about losing important information and files, but this worst-case scenario can occur if your technology fails and you don’t have a backup plan. As a result, every office needs a plan for disaster recovery. If you only store files on a local computer or drive without backup, you risk losing them if this method fails.
- Scalability is an important benefit of cloud computing. Instead of paying for too much storage and capacity that you may not need up front, cloud-based storage allows your organization to only pay for as much as you need. It also gives your organization the option to add more storage and features later, but at a cost, if you experience growth or changes. This type of flexibility can be invaluable.
- Many people worry about maintaining a legal matter management program, that without new releases or upgrades, will become obsolete. But Legal Files works with either your cloud provider or your internal IT team by offering ongoing scheduled upgrades that allow your program to keep up with the latest technology and developments.
- Who doesn’t want to be able to access their information and files faster? Many tests have shown that software hosted in the cloud (when supported by the right technology) offers faster speeds than onsite programs. This means less waiting when you want to be working. But can also mean that someone else has control of if, when and how you access your data.
- We all like saving money and cloud computing can be an excellent way to do it because most of the savings are up front, eliminating the costs for computer servers and your IT team and deferring costs for additional users or storage until you need them.
What to consider when purchasing cloud-based legal matter management?
You’re probably getting excited about the advantages of cloud computing. After all, who does want technology that’s more effective, efficient and affordable? However, before taking the plunge and investing in cloud computing for lawyers, be sure to think about the following considerations:
- Certain organizations have strict compliance requirements when it comes to information sharing, storage and security. For example, government and healthcare organizations might not allow certain types of cloud based legal software. Because of their highly sensitive information, they may worry about the security and privacy in the cloud. However, this issue is generally not a concern for most law firms.
- Related to security issues are concerns about vulnerability to online attacks. We all know that the Internet is not a completely secure place, so there can be some risk of experiencing an external hack attack. However, choosing a reputable cloud-based hosting service can greatly reduce this risk. Additionally, advances in technology and security have greatly reduced this threat.
- Before selecting a software system that is only available in the cloud, you’ll want to make sure that it will be compatible with your existing hardware and software. You wouldn’t want to encounter a situation where you purchase a program that won’t work with the technology you use every day. Thankfully, Legal Files can easily integrate with many programs, file types, and email and calendaring systems. Best of all, it offers true two-way integration, which means you can access and update information both in Legal Files and a program like Outlook or Word.
Weighing the advantages and considerations to choose a program
As with anything in life, cloud-based legal matter management comes with benefits as well as some important considerations. For many legal departments and law firms, the advantages like cost savings, disaster recovery and increased accessibility outweigh any of the potential concerns for their organization.
If you think that cloud-based software is the right fit for you, that’s great. If you think that on-premise software is the way to go, that great. Because whatever you decide, Legal Files can meet your needs. If you have questions about Legal Files, one of our experienced team members can provide the information you need.