ILTA’s published their 2015 Technology Survey back in
December, which reports the input of 420 firms representing more than 88,000
attorneys and 185,000 users. In this
article we highlight the finds we think are most important, and discuss the solutions
to resolve common problems raised in the survey.
Security issues
The survey asked firms what the top 3 technology issues or
annoyances are within their firms, security/risk management was at the top of
the list with 42%. However, when asked what large file transfer or host file
sharing solutions does your firm all or provide to attorneys, Dropbox came in second with 18%. This is surprising because it
is a consumer base solution which does not provide the levels of security that
firms need to share sensitive files and confidential data. Firms should be
looking for an enterprise solution that provides levels of security appropriate
for their law firm’s security policy to resolve the issue of sharing large
files.
Mobile Working
ILTA’s survey asked ‘Does your firm provide any firm-owned devices
that provide wireless access when travelling while away from the office?’ 21% of
firms answered with none or N/A. Additionally, when asked about which hosted
file sharing solution their firm uses, 7% answered with none or N/A. In order
for people to work remotely, it would be essential to have a file sharing
platform agreed to by the firm, to access files the necessary files to work on.
This is interesting, as the stats suggest many firms are not encouraging employees
to work whilst away from the office. However, more and more people need to work
remotely and whilst on the move, with the enhancement of technology to make
this easy why are firms not making the most out of this? This indicates that
firms are limiting employees by not providing them with the appropriate tools
to work whilst away from the office.
Improving Client
Relations
Furthermore when asked; ‘Does your firm have an extranet?’
44% answered none or N/A. As well as providing a space for internal
collaboration, an extranet provides a place for clients to access documents and
files related to their case. Additionally, along with many firms lacking an
extranet 54% do not use any enterprise social networking tool for internal or
client communications. Firms do not have the right tools to communicate internally
and with clients, whilst out of the office. Firms should look for a tool that
will encourage collaboration and enhance communications both internally and
externally, to help improve client relations.
Cloud Technologies
ILTA found 51% of firms predict their adoption of cloud-based
solutions will increase over the next year. Security is the biggest barrier for
firm’s moving technology to the cloud with 44% of the vote, whilst cost comes
in second (36%). Therefore firms should
be looking for a cloud-base solution that fits inline with their security
regulations, encryption, two factor authentication and audit trails are just
some features that they should consider. Moreover, to ensure security protocols
are kept to, firms can choose to have data in the cloud hosted by a vendor, or
on premise in a data centre run at the firm. With affordable cloud solutions
available for firms of all sizes cost should not be considered a barrier.
ILTA’s survey has brought attention to some of the key issues
law firms are facing today, with security at the top of the list. Law firms
should look to technology made specifically for them to comply with their
strict regulations, rather than using consumer based goods, which could result
in breaches. It would be beneficial for firms to encourage mobile working, and
provide their employees with the right tools to do so. They also would give
themselves a competitive edge by providing clients with a secure tool to
communicate and access data on demand, without having to go through the firm.
The adoption of cloud-based solutions in law firms is predicted to increase
over the year, selecting solutions that provide proper levels security will
ensure that this is not a barrier restricting the adoption of cloud-based
solutions for firms.