Many law firms think of IT as a cost of doing business rather than a strategic investment. As a result, their approach to IT tends to be reactive in nature. When problems occur, such as when the system repeatedly crashes or attorneys cannot access files remotely, the IT team troubleshoots and makes necessary adjustments – until the next issue arises.

With technology constantly evolving, problems can arise if your law firm fails to keep pace with the changes. The consequences of antiquated technology can adversely impact a law firm’s bottom line in multiple ways, from inefficiency and security concerns to dissatisfied clients and staff. Here are five signs that your firm’s technology may need attention. 

Cybersecurity attacks are becoming more sophisticated and rampant, so it is vital for law firms to take necessary precautions. But cybersecurity is not just a management or IT issue. In fact, everyone at your firm who has a computer needs to play a role to ensure your firm’s systems and data remain secure. 

About 60% of law firms partner with a cloud service provider for some or all their IT needs, according to the American Bar Association. Small and midsize law firms specifically see many benefits in working with a cloud service provider, from immediate access to the latest applications and updates and a stable of IT professionals with a wide range of technical expertise to scalability, predictable costs, and enhanced cybersecurity. But the fact is, some law firms benefit more from their relationship with their cloud service provider than others. Here are some ways to ensure you get the most out of your relationship with your cloud provider.

Cybersecurity attacks continue to rise, and law firms of all sizes have become a prime target. According to Coveware, 24.9% of all ransomware attacks in Q1 2021 targeted professional services firms, especially small and midsize law firms. With the surge in cyberattacks, firms have begun to shift how their IT is managed, with an increase in the use of managed IT services versus in-house IT professionals.

In this video, John Rock, Partner at DoxAdvisors, sat down with our own Darragh Fitzpatrick to discuss his whitepaper, What's Netflix Got To Do With It? They also cover several topics including cloud-based IT services, the end of working "remotely" and the transition to "mobility," and much more.

In this webinar, our panel discussed how you can have all of the benefits and security of the cloud for everything – your infrastructure, all your applications, and your data.

For the past several years, businesses have turned to cloud to store their data and applications.  More recently, firms are taking it a step further by moving their entire IT infrastructure to the cloud, fully ditching on-premise servers.  Cloud elevates a firm’s security, data accessibility, scalability, and IT flexibility.  Often, firms also realize financial benefits when moving to the cloud because they no longer need to maintain or purchase computers and servers every few years. 

Many firms are evaluating their technology to determine how to be even more productive, regardless of where they are working from. Employees need constant access to their network, applications, and files to work efficiently and best support their clients' needs; however, with increased accessibility comes increased security concerns. Cloud addresses these issues (and many more!), but we know that moving to the cloud is not a decision to be made lightly.  When is the best time for your firm to transition to the cloud?