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10
A
s technolo has rapidly evolved, so
too has today's IT department. While
IT has long played an important role in
successful organizations, law firms are now asking
far more from their IT departments. The IT team
needs not only to provide the crucial framework that
supports your firm, but also to help the business
innovate and move into the future.
These two roles can often be at odds with each
other. On the one hand, core systems must always be
running, secure and easily accessible by end users. At the
same time, law firms and their clients are increasingly
expecting their solutions to be more dynamic and capable
of supporting constant change. This evolution is activated
by demands that are frequently unforeseeable using
historical planning and budgeting models.
This internal struggle presents a delicate balance
that firms must achieve – maintaining core systems
and end user requirements, including growth and
change, while also supporting innovation and rapid
evolution of technolo. Firms must budget for
traditional IT while also making sure they have the
necessary financial and human resources to address
the fast-moving and ever-changing needs of their end
users and clients.
As a result, many firms are realizing that they
need to make a significant management shift when
it comes to IT. These dual IT roles call for different
management strategies, and bridging the divide
requires the right strategic practices. For some law
firms, the answer is bimodal IT.
B Y E L I N U S S B A U M
Bimodal IT
Optimizing for Both Predictable and
Exploratory Goals
