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It’s true that 81% of law firms are unprepared for digitalization, according to Gartner. Still. Now. In 2021. That means that most firms are not ready or not willing to move into the use of modern applications and tools.
But that does not have to be your firm’s story. Your law office is no stranger to risk reviews, processes and procedures, and technology reviews are the prime place to start. A technology risk review is a focused look at the current state of technology against a known set of best practices. It keys in on specific outcomes like security, compliance, and even the effectiveness of the IT group. A review provides firm partners with a snapshot of a point in time, indicating what may be out of balance. It’s important to note that regular, ongoing reviews of your technology are paramount to staying on top of not only your office’s efficiencies, but more importantly your security.
There are three major signs that you could be losing time and productivity: You’re not on the cloud, you don’t know if you’re cybersecure and you have no direction, strategy or guidance when it comes to your IT. If any or all of these signs point to yes, you can know without a shadow of a doubt that your firm could maximize billable hours through technology reviews.
Read the eBook: Managed IT Service: What Good IT Support Looks Like
You’re (Still) Not on the Cloud
Incredibly, the idea of “Cloud Computing” was conceptualized as far back as the 1950’s, according to IBM, and it’s no longer the buzzword that it once was. With remote work solidified as the norm, your team requires the ability to access tools and client information from anywhere, be it a remote workspace, a client meeting site, or while travelling. If you're still running on-premise technology alone, you run the risk of reduced productive time by not having the ability to access crucial files and information from any device while on the go.
Modern, web-based applications unlock efficiency, productivity and provide your practice with the best of breed technology – software that is built with your firm and your unique business needs in mind. Change can be hard, but adoption of modern technologies is, in actuality, the easier and more user-friendly option when compared to older methods and platforms.
You Don’t Know if You’re Cybersecure
With the ever-evolving landscape of technology usage and cybercrime, how can you avoid your firm from becoming a target of an attack? Your client’s information and trust are of the utmost importance to you and your firm, so are you able to assure them their data is safe? Multi-layer authentication, password managers, device permissions and regular data backups are essential to your information technology setup. Mitigate your risk through consistent reviews of your technology systems with Managed IT.
View the Webinar: The Business Leader’s Role in Cybersecurity for the Modern Workplace
You Have No IT direction, Strategy or Guidance
If you do not have a Chief Information Officer (CIO) that is taking time to understand your business, seeking to understand where the firm is headed in the next 3-5 years and informing you of opportunities where technology could help you increase billable time, you will want this level of CIO expertise to guide your multi-year roadmap.
Unfortunately, too many managing partners and firm administrators spend more time trying to figure it out on their own and without an outsourced CIO, they might be investing in business applications that are not right for their business. This setup can create a major issue that reduces efficiencies so when problems inevitably crop up, a reactive IT service is unavoidably required. An expert CIO from a Proactive Managed IT Services company will be able to effectively manage your internal systems, empowering your team to bill clients more efficiently and accurately.
It’s About Time
Technology reviews are effective tools that can be used to make well developed, grounded technology decisions for your law firm. Additionally, these reviews come back with a list of problems that now need solving. This sparks healthy dialog as partners now have better visibility and can oversee how they get solved and who is best to solve them.
Now that you recognize the three signs your firm needs a technology risk review, you can take the steps to get on track with a Managed IT Services partner to lead your office to higher productivity, data security and ultimately get your billable hours back.
