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39 I L T A N E T . O R G not just about embracing technology but advocating for it. Lawyers need to think about how new technologies can improve their law practice while also bringing third parties like courts, insurance companies and government agencies on board with the advantages of innovation. The Unlucky Firm: Vulnerable to a Ransomware Attack In this example, an East Coast firm had to move from on- site to a remote workforce in March 2020. The decision was made to extend an existing VPN that had been used by traveling employees and occasional remote users. Within a week VPN access tripled, as all employees shifted to a work- from-home model. The catch is that VPNs are notoriously slow and cumbersome. In the scramble to accommodate remote work, the firm failed to stay current with security patches, leaving them vulnerable to a cyberattack. Using ad hoc systems that don't enforce security and operations best practices invites inconsistent or even rogue behavior, and insufficient solutions like VPNs can lead to access bottlenecks and even data exposure. All of this adds up to a very real risk of a ransomware attack or other cybersecurity breach, like the one suffered by this unfortunate firm. Because legal teams deal with so much sensitive and confidential data and are subject to specific rules around client-attorney privilege, data security and privacy are critical considerations for any technology and should be top of mind whenever you're implementing a new solution. Mistakes and misunderstandings of how to use technology before you have full adoption create vulnerabilities in solutions purported to be secure. Law firms must protect against data breaches, ransomware, phishing attacks and other cyberthreats by using solutions that offer strong encryption, intrusion detection and response, data loss prevention, identity access and records management and policy-based controls. Cloud-based LPM systems are designed to be more secure, and many offer employee training on the dangers of phishing and ransomware to eliminate any remaining weak links. Looking Forward Now that we're past the initial upheaval of the pandemic, it's time to ask: will attitudes toward technology truly change going forward? The simple answer is that they need to. The challenges of the last two years have demonstrated the substantial cost of doing nothing. March 2020 should go down in history as a time when law firms stopped lagging behind the technology adoption curve and started shaping the future of innovation. The conversation around technology has forever changed. Many of today's firms are more educated on how solutions benefit them, aware of the problems inherent in falling behind and familiar with their options for short- and long-term change. You can be one of them. To succeed, all law firms need to put in continued effort to keep the needle of innovation pointing forward or risk exposure from being caught unprepared when future challenges arise. ILTA Tomas Suros is a technology advocate working at the intersection of IT and client consulting. With AbacusNext since 2004, he currently ser ves as global product marketing director, guiding firms through the process of identifying for ward-facing technology options and ensuring the successful implementation of a tailored solution. Reach him at Tsuros@AbacusNext.com.

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