Discover why more legal teams are moving to the cloud
Moving to a cloud-based solution and abandoning on-premise software is a strategic move for your law firm or legal corporate department. As more and more organizations move to a remote work or hybrid work environment, the fact that on-premise technology was not designed for the mobile workforce becomes evident.
As confidence increases industry-wide, the next logical step for any legal IT professional is to make the business case for why the cloud is a necessity—they have the ideal role for leading this change to help their firms or corporate legal departments grow and become more efficient.
So, why move to the cloud?
Industry-leading security
Legal cloud computing has quickly progressed. And as it advances, more focus is placed on cloud security to protect the infrastructure, data, and applications that are cloud-based. It is designed to keep an organization’s information:
- Accessible to authorized users and authenticates role-base access
- Secure from theft, unauthorized deletion, and data leakage
- Protected from unlawful and illicit access and cyberattacks
- Private to maintain regulatory compliance requirements
As the cloud enables IT security professionals to emphasis greater attention on elements that matter (cyber intelligence, data security, governance, user access and management), users will adapt and embrace new technologies to enable them to experience the numerous benefits of working in the cloud:
- Increased security
- Improved flexibility
- Integrated functionality
- Better collaboration
- Control of data
- Improved productivity
- Cost savings
While security will almost certainly be the topmost concern for any client, overstated fears about cloud computing can result in lost opportunities and erroneous spending. Acceptance of the cloud and its standard of security will keep your law firm on the leading edge of technology. It will also help lighten the law-firm-data-security load (especially in light of changing regulations such as the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation). By working closely with a cloud provider, an organization can customize the security to meet its requirements.
Better understand how the relative security of an on-premise system stacks up against the cloud. Read “Why On-Premises IT is Riskier than the Cloud”
Several types of clouds to choose from
There are several types of cloud computing (public cloud, private cloud, hybrid clouds) and cloud computing services (Infrastructure-as-a-Service or IaaS; Platforms-as-a-Service or PaaS; Software-as-a-Service or SaaS) to consider. All of these types of cloud managed infrastructures are more likely to far exceed the quality standards of on-premise servers.
A public cloud is a third-party computing service accessed over the public internet for multiple customers on remote servers (each customers’ data and applications remain hidden and secure from other customers).
The advantages of a public cloud include cost savings, reduced server management by internal IT, and improved security versus on-premise servers.
A private cloud is cloud service that is not shared by multiple organizations, and the organization and its users have a devoted cloud. It is a customized, business-specific solution run by a third-party provider on behalf of the client with dedicated resources and provides complete control over data and security.
Another type of cloud service is a hybrid cloud which integrates public or private services with an organization’s on-premise infrastructure to create a single, flexible, and unified cloud environment.
Numerous advantages of the cloud make the move a smart choice
Many organizations, law firms and corporate legal departments alike, understand that upgrading to the cloud (and we sincerely mean that) will deliver benefits across the business. They are making the intelligent move to shift from legacy to modern platforms. And as cyberattacks become more prevalent and sophisticated, bolstering cybersecurity becomes paramount for safeguarding data. Quantifying and prioritizing the benefits of the cloud to management may also be a challenge. Here are a few more reasons to make a case for the cloud:
Better efficiency and more flexibility:
With remote work becoming more popular, and a necessity, cloud-based technology enables lawyers to access information and work on cases and documents, collaborate with colleagues, and communicate with clients.
Deliver better service to clients:
Your clients are already accustomed to using online services and many expect the businesses they interact with to provide the convenience of a digital experience.
Easier updates to software:
The implementation of software updates to improve performance and functionality continuously is easier done via the cloud. Updates can be performed automatically with no additional cost.
Integration and improved compatibility made easier:
Integrating software solutions on-premise can be time-consuming and costly. With cloud-based software, providers allow organizations to connect easily to other software, and can even build bespoke solutions.
Less headaches for IT and your budget:
Moving to cloud-based software will provide the support needed, with access to additional IT professionals, including live support. Unlike on-premise servers which are expensive to run and maintain, cloud-based solutions will reduce the stress on your internal IT resources and budget.
It’s time to move to the cloud. Consider the impact and opportunity cost of not migrating to the cloud, and with a compelling business case, it will be easier to secure buy-in from upper management. We can help you understand how migrating from an on-premises document management system to a cloud-based platform will simplify your data process and be a boon for your organization. As your competition advances, you can ill afford to fall behind with obsolete technology.
Read more about moving to the cloud: Moving to the Cloud. Is your legal Tech up to the Mark?
Let’s continue the conversation, so we can understand how best to help you with your cloud and legal document management system (DMS).