Peer to Peer Magazine

WWW.ILTANET.ORG 49 For example, if you are running late in the morning and have five meetings scheduled that day, you can say to Cortana, "Push all my meetings back one hour," and updates will be sent to all relevant parties. Microsoft found that the features that help users learn how to do things in Office are among the least used in the suite. Busy professionals seldom have time for formal training. In Office 2013, you can easily ask Word how to make a table; in Office 2016, you can ask it to make a table for you. Just tell Cortana, "make a four-by-four table," and voilà! This innovation could make for a leaner, more efficient law office if attorneys embrace it. They can turn to Cortana instead of asking someone else in the office for assistance. Type: A thin keyboard that doubles as a cover is available for the Surface. Flimsy in the first version of the tablet, it has become sturdier and easier to balance on a lap, which makes Surface a more viable contender against laptops. The docking station model is highly recommended for the workplace. Attorneys can take their laptop or tablet to the office and connect them to large monitors, keyboards and mice with one snap. Touch: Windows 10 has been designed for use with a touch screen, which provides an alternative to typing and clicking. The Surface has an on-screen keyboard to be used in place of a physical one. Write (and Draw): As with previous iterations of the Surface tablet, you can use a stylus to write into OneNote or any application using the handwriting panel, just as you would with a physical pen and paper. The Surface converts notes to typewritten format with surprising accuracy. For people who still prefer taking handwritten notes, this offers an efficient and organized way to store them. THE EVOLUTION OF BYOD The original vision of BYOD policies was to encourage productivity through increased enthusiasm for technology. It was supposed to get people excited about choosing and customizing their own devices to use at work (at the cost of extra work for IT teams, who had to learn how to manage a larger variety of devices). While attorneys have started to use their own phones, tablets and laptops for work, many do not have the time or interest to learn about computers. The learning curve is lessened, however, with tablet-laptop hybrids that run on Windows and function similarly to users' desktop computers. Windows now seems focused on helping users adapt. I have heard stories about firms buying laptops for their attorneys only to find the laptops left in the office as the attorneys carried around their much lighter iPads instead. This is understandable, but the device's business capabilities are limited, even with many law office programs now available as apps and with the release of Office for iPad. Flexible, easy-to-use tablets could bring the mobility vision to fruition. These devices allow people greater leeway to use them according to personal strengths and preferences. Above all, these devices are highly portable and functional. Microsoft's Surface is one pound heavier than the iPad, but a pound less than most laptops and just as powerful. The combination of Windows 10 and a tablet-laptop hybrid creates a paragon of work mobility and is an easy choice for law firms. About the Author Marcus Bluestein is the Chief Technology Officer at Kraft & Kennedy, Inc. He has extensive experience architecting and implementing systems at law firms of all sizes. In addition, he has actively led strategic consulting engagements in areas such as needs analyses, business continuity, data center consolidations and disaster recovery. Contact Marcus at bluestein@kraftkennedy.com. iPad Air 2 .96 lbs Surface Pro 3 1.76 lbs 2.87 lbs Lenovo X1 Carbon Gen3

• Cover