KennethWorking in the legal industry means you have to be ever-vigilant about protecting client information, so it’s no wonder that moving your applications to a cloud environment could be a bit anxiety-inducing. The consequences of any mishap involving your data could be disastrous - and while the thought of a total migration may seem like it’s inviting unwanted hurdles, the truth is that with the right cloud provider, a successful and smooth transition to a cloud environment will set you up for long-term success that can allow you to focus your time on other revenue-generating endeavors without worrying out security risks.
Benefits of a Cloud Hosting Provider for a Law Practice
The goal of a cloud service provider who works with a legal firm is simple - let them handle the cloud-specific tasks, while you focus on what you do best: practicing law. Migrating to a cloud environment with the assistance of a hosting provider can allow for some pretty desirable outcomes, such as:
- Seamless maintenance/upgrading of data servers, ensuring optimal performance
- 24/7 IT team of experts who can jump into action at any sign of an issue
- Flexibility of applications - not limited to one specific access point
- Low cost of entry, reduced overhead & lower overall costs
- Scalability planning for future forecasting
Expert Team Who’s Always on the Clock
Historically, many companies have gone with utilizing internal IT systems and teams. While this has been a tried-and-true method for years, times are changing - and IT needs are becoming more demanding than many in-house applications can accommodate. By working with an established cloud hosting provider, you gain not only the expertise needed to ensure ongoing security measures but disaster mitigation strategies that can keep your data safe in the event of a breach. Additionally, unlike internal teams, your cloud provider oftentimes offers 24/7 monitoring to ensure optimal performance at all times, address any downage or issues immediately, and have a rapid-fire response to security interruptions.
Scalability Authorities
Your data solution should always be primed to grow with your business. Having a team who is well-versed in assisting companies with growth strategies in conjunction with the cloud is a crucial step to continued success with your applications. Having that wisdom on your side can help not only solve your “right now” problems but put plans into place to avoid “later on” problems as you continue to scale your business.
Cost-Effective Guidance
Most law firms don’t have a huge budget for their IT needs - and unfortunately, this often results in having sub-par security for their data, or sub-optimal server performance.
Choosing the Right Cloud Platform for Your Legal Firm
Once you’ve made the decision to migrate to a cloud environment for your legal practice, your due diligence isn’t over - now you must choose what type of platform to utilize. While this decision can certainly be made in-house, it is recommended to utilize a cloud hosting provider to assess your current corporate applications to help you determine what environment would be best suited for your business. While it is certainly important to make sure your current applications are supported, you must also keep future growth/needs in mind when making the decision as well.
You may come across a few different types of cloud platforms that can be utilized by your legal firm, such as:
- Public Cloud
- Not largely utilized in the legal industry due to its lack of customized privacy measures
- Private Cloud
- Oftentimes used by legal teams as it is fully customizable, completely private, and allows for the adherence to specific security & compliance protocols
- Hybrid Cloud
- A mix of Public and Private cloud platforms that allow for different applications to live within multiple environments depending on their privacy/security needs
Security and Compliance with Cloud Computing for Legal Firms
Utilizing a cloud environment is available for use within a legal team, as evidenced first by the New York Ethics Committee’s Opinion 842 (and supported by multiple other state’s Ethics Committees as well). The caveat to this is that lawyers and legal teams must take “reasonable care to ensure that confidentiality is maintained.” Reasonable care can be attained by utilizing a professional cloud service group who have evidenced experience in understanding and deploying cloud compliance measures.
For example, Wowrack’s team has worked with healthcare groups, financial firms and legal groups alike - all industries that have strict standards of compliance regulation and necessary security protocols.
Law Firms are Using Cloud Computing - And You Should, Too
Studies have been coming out for years showing the prevalence of use for legal firms who are already or will be utilizing cloud computing within their company. In fact, the ABA Legal Technology Survey released in January of 2019 reported that while the pace of adaptation has been slower in the law industry than others, 54.6% of polled lawyers reported cloud usage. While not a new adaptation in the slightest, there are still privacy/security concerns that are holding a lot of these firms back. As provider reputation seems to be one of the driving factors that mitigate these anxieties, those who are looking to migrate to a cloud platform should contact Wowrack today to discuss their needs and see how this highly-recognized team of experts can help.
