The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/116777
• The ability to define persistent tags • Streamlined interaction when sending outbound messages due to the processing of email composition prediction algorithms and automated filing options • Tag encryption to prevent sensitive information from being exposed to external recipients • Distributable configurations that facilitate consistent behavior and enhance productivity for a firm's knowledge leaders and practice stakeholders • Dynamic background email deduping to optimize storage and future email management ACCEPTANCE WITHIN FIRMS With maturity comes understanding. Cultural acceptance of proactive email management has followed this philosophical belief. The improved features and functionalities provided by new email management tools provide capabilities firm management can use to implement actionable email policies that support overall records management strategies. These policies can be enacted with minimal user workflow process impact, resulting in a higher adoption rate and an altogether more attractive long-term solution. Of course, achieving higher user adoption rates cannot be mandated. Adoption occurs when users decide the solution provides increased benefits. Previously, technology and training professionals have highlighted information and benefits about email management products in order to get users to adopt, but this almost always fails as it doesn't alter behavior. Oddly enough, modeling an adoption strategy after Mother Nature's flu epidemic can attain better success. An epidemic has three primary characteristics: • It's contagious. Create an environment where the technology's use is self-promoting through positive experience, and adoption will become contagious. • It's characterized by small, incremental changes. Initial adoption can be sluggish due to low user confidence. However, the slow incremental deployment of automated processes is often preferable. 78 Peer to Peer • It eventually brings about a sudden change. A sudden environmental change may or may not be evident to the end user, but requiring email filing can be perceived as positive by the firm's risk management and records management personnel who "suddenly" find overall risk factors greatly reduced. COMBINING CALCULATION AND CREATIVITY "Comparing the capacity of computers to the capacity of the human brain, I've often wondered, where does our success come from? The answer is synthesis, the ability to combine creativity and calculation, art and science. . . " — Garry Kasparov (former chess grandmaster) Data analytics are only as valuable as an organization's ability to interpret and take action on the relevant data. Good, relevant data have the ability to empower organizations to act on a tactical and global scale — controlling behavior, processes, operations and service delivery. Using data for a competitive advantage is important, but the most exciting data opportunities arise when firms take data analytics and re-establish a cornerstone of their growth strategies. This happens when firms develop insights that lead to novel data techniques which provide competitive advantages. The firms that strategically invest in advanced content management software will position themselves to take advantage of their most precious resources — their data. Finding additional areas of improvement in processing email messages is key, and email is one major area where overall data management and understanding can be improved to reap great rewards and company insights. Neglecting to manage email appropriately can affect the performance and stability of your systems, and consume the firm's time and resources. Through trial and error, we have learned that email management policies must be proactive instead of reactive. Firms must be confident their solutions employ the latest techniques in true real-time analytics and early metadata management to support large data volume intake and processing from many disparate sources. We are fortunate that developers have achieved dramatic improvements in the ability to analyze data rapidly and accurately and make available real-time predictive suggestions. These solutions also learn and improve over time. The real question is how quickly these new technologies will be adopted by the legal profession.