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The conversation about cloud computing for law firms has changed, according to a recent panel at LegalTech NY. It’s no longer a question of is the cloud secure, but rather a question of how we can make it more secure.
In order to improve on an idea, small law must have a baseline understanding of the cloud. We recently spotted a solid presentation by Network 1 Consulting, which will be the second such presentation we’ve seen and published as part of the Friday Share series.
Cloud Best Practices for Small Law Firms
The presentation defines small law by count the number of attorneys employed by a firm, which it puts as ranging from 5 to 55. It also points to typical services lawyers already use – file sharing or email services for example – as a mechanism for defining the cloud.
Benefits of the cloud include the ease of keeping software updated, better security and price and flexibility, according to the presentation. Drawbacks include examining the long term viability of the service provider, where for example, a business acquisition or even bankruptcy could impact service.
The most useful section comes in the form of best practices for selecting a cloud provider and includes (among others):
- What are the stated service levels?
- How do they back up your data?
- How will you get your data if they go out of business?
The full presentation is embedded nearby. It runs just 16 slides and may prove to be a handy checklist for small law firms considering moving to the cloud.
Related content on law firm and cloud technologies:
- Leaked! Supreme Court of Legal Tech: Cloud v. Premise
- Practice Management: Should Law Firms Go Cloud or Premise?
- 5 Reasons to Try Cloud-based Practice Management, Free!
- Infographic Friday: Cloud vs. Premise Software
