One of the trends in multiple industries, including the legal profession is to move documents and workflows to the cloud.
For years, law office IT has been largely done with on-premises equipment. Law firms would have one or more servers on-site that everyone in the office would connect to via a local area network or their local Wi-Fi.
But this made it cumbersome trying to get documents when and where you needed them. Additionally, as technology progressed, the business world became much more mobile, and cloud applications like Microsoft 365 and MS Teams flourished.
Lawyers are now working from home, the office, and other places like the courtroom. In order for a firm to stay up to date and ensure business continuity, they need to transition to cloud-based environments.
Reasons Law Offices & Lawyers are Transitioning to the Cloud
There are several benefits of moving to a cloud environment for your applications and data.
What is the “cloud,” exactly? It basically means using software and file storage that is hosted in a large data center by a cloud provider. This allows that application or data to be available on-demand from any location and from any device.
Most cloud software also gives you the option between using a desktop or mobile app or accessing their platform through a web browser.
Here are some of the key reasons that lawyers and law firms are moving to the cloud in droves.
Lawyers Need Access to Information in the Courtroom
Approximately 50% of lawyers surveyed say they regularly use their laptop in the courtroom. In order to access more information and things like email, they need the cloud.
Top activities that lawyers use their laptops for while in the courtroom include:
- Access to email (32%)
- Legal research (32%)
- Access to key evidence & documents (29%)
- Access to court dockets & documents (25%)
- To deliver presentations (21%)
The more of your technology infrastructure you have that’s based in the cloud, the more vital data can be accessed during a critical time.
Maintaining On-Premises Equipment is Expensive
Hosting your own on-premises server can get expensive fairly quickly. Servers need constant admin and maintenance to ensure they’re properly configured, secured, and updated.
There are also activities like configuring remote connections that can be time-consuming. Servers also have a lifespan, like computers do, and they need to be replaced when they get old and can no longer support newer operating systems.
Using cloud software as a service (SaaS) tools is much more cost efficient and law offices can save quite a bit on their annual IT costs by moving to the cloud.
The Cloud is More Secure Than On-Premises Equipment
Some law offices are unsure about moving to the cloud because they’re worried about the security of all the sensitive files they work with. But it turns out that cloud assets are actually safer.
According to the 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 70% of all data breaches involve on-premises data, just 24% of the breaches involve cloud assets.
So, data is actually better protected in most cases when you host it with a trusted cloud provider.
One reason this is the case is that cloud providers like Microsoft, Amazon, and others spend a lot of time and money maintaining the security of their platforms and have teams that keep a watchful eye out for any potential breaches 24/7.
We’ve Moved to a Mobile and “Work Anywhere” Society
Even before the pandemic happened, mobile devices were taking on more of the office workload due to their flexibility to be used anywhere. Likewise, lawyers were already working from home more often.
About 77% of law firms offer flexible working hours for their layers and over half of lawyers say they telecommute between office and home. (pre-pandemic)
Using cloud-based applications makes it easy for lawyers to work from anywhere and have access to all the same tools and data that they do in the office.
Most Efficient Law Office Software Is Now Cloud Based
Increasingly, any new technology that makes it easier for law offices to do their work is going to be cloud based.
Applications like Clio, MyCase, Litify, and more take advantage of cloud database technology and time-saving automations. These cloud tools streamline much of the behind the scenes workflow in a law office and represent the future of what a technology workflow looks like.
Law Firms Need to Be Prepared for Anything
As 2020 showed us, organizations of all types need to be prepared for anything. This includes being able to run your business from any location.
When the pandemic lock-down orders went into place around the country, many Chicago firms had to quickly figure out how to stay in business if they couldn’t work in their office.
Using cloud technology ensures business continuity, no matter what may occur. It keeps your data and workflow infrastructure in a place that’s accessible from anywhere and not tied to a physical office.
Get Help Transitioning Your Office to the Cloud
Successful cloud transitions take strategy and knowing the right tools and integrations to use. ProdigyTeks can guide your firm every step of the way, and help you become more productive while saving money.
Schedule a free phone consultation today! Call 312-600-8357 or reach us online.
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