The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/163881
Communication is the imparting or exchange of information, and technology has transformed these exchanges, making them easier, more collaborative and increasingly dynamic. However, not all communications technologies are adopted quickly, and some never make it to the floor. Some of those that have taken off have been dubbed "disruptive," i.e., they've created a new market and affected or displaced earlier technology. What disruptive communications technologies have landed in legal, and what additional changes can we expect? Thought leaders from ILTA's member and vendor communities have gathered for a virtual roundtable to share their insight in this area. Each person's interview can be heard in its entirety on the accompanying podcasts. LISTEN TO THE RECORDED INTERVIEWS ONLINE: www.iltanet.org/podcasts What has been the most significant disruptive technology in the area of legal communications technologies this past year? Mike Russell: From the corporate legal standpoint, we've seen a significant increase in the use of the Microsoft Lync technology. So what was once known as Microsoft Office Communication Server and was perhaps just an instant messaging sort of collaboration tool, has really come into its own. Lync technology has enabled us to eliminate traditional analog or digital telephones by conducting all incoming or outgoing calls via the Lync technology, supplanted our legacy vendor-provided bridge lines for conference calling — which was a significant cost savings for the company — and brought us additional functionality in terms of sharing screens, video on demand and file transfers. Rick Varju: The consumerization of technology and bring your own device (BYOD) are changing quickly and dramatically the way we work. Personally owned mobile technology and an ever-growing list of available consumer apps and services have been the most disruptive technologies or technology influencers during the past year. Enabling the use of personally owned and managed devices to connect to firm resources and information presents challenges that can't be ignored in device connectivity, enterprise application usability and security and data privacy. Personal choice and ease of use consumer apps and services now rule the day. They can certainly bring great efficiencies to our highly mobile attorneys. But delivering a seamless, effective and secure mobile work experience in this new consumer technology landscape is no small order. Some firms have deployed or are now considering virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) as a way to deliver the desktop to any mobile device. Some are providing access at the application level via Web browser, VPN or Citrix. Donald Sternfeld: The real challenge isn't necessarily a technology, it's the ever-increasing, overly pervasive reach of communication outside the walls of the law firm and into the personal lives of lawyers. Many lawyers still don't understand why they need passwords on their desktop computers, let alone their laptops or smartphones. Yet clients have heightened requirements for security and do not feel it is appropriate for us to commingle their confidential information onto what might be a lawyer's personal device, over which the firm has little if any control. This is creating a huge disruption and a disconnect between what lawyers are demanding and what clients are expecting. Dean Leung: A single technology hasn't created a quantum leap of disruption, but the evolution of consumerization in the legal space has certainly disrupted the status quo. Gone are the days when you could issue a standard BlackBerry, which people accepted happily. With new consumerization technology, it's not bring your own device, it's really choose your own device, where IT departments have to offer the ability for people to choose from a smorgasbord of accepted devices that meet certain tests for security, compatibility and supportability. What recent technology was initially interpreted as disruptive, but is being embraced by law firms and legal departments? Rick: The initial adoption of cloud-based services took a long time to evolve, primarily due to security concerns, but adoption seems to be picking up. The number of firms adopting or considering the use of the enterprise-friendly Box.com cloud service for file-sharing and collaboration seems to be growing. Moving key services such as the document management system (DMS), expense reporting/ Peer to Peer 105