publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/306297
ILTA WHITE PAPER: APRIL 2014 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 20 Infrastructure security concerns include things like share permissions, SQL privileges and access to the operating systems. Within the system, review the appropriateness of logins and who has administrator capabilities. More strategically, validate that DMS security follows stakeholder expectations (e.g., are ethical walls and confidential matters secured to the satisfaction of the risk partner or committee?). WHAT SHOULD BE AUTOMATED, AND WHAT SHOULD BE MANUALLY EXAMINED? Peter: Without continuous DMS health check automation, IT departments will get overwhelmed quickly. Most aspects of the system monitoring can be automated, including server and client error reporting. With the multitude of automated alerts and notifications, the most important manual aspect is handling the output from all the automated reporting! Mark: You'll need to develop some SQL scripts for the capacity planning, but otherwise most of the health check can be conducted interactively. If you consistently find the same problems as you repeat the health check over time, consider automating the monitoring. For example, it might be useful to develop a script to mail yourself a list of users with administrator privileges regularly so this can be monitored. THINKING AHEAD FIVE YEARS, WILL THE SAME DMS CONCERNS STILL APPLY? Cindy: Many of the same concerns will apply, but TIME FOR A DMS HEALTH CHECK evolution of both business needs and technology will introduce the need for new preventive measures. This is why the health check process should continue to be scrutinized and fine-tuned. I expect we will focus even more on the security and encryption of documents at rest on the DMS file-share and in transit to the workstation or mobile device, and on further locking down the ability to work with documents outside of the DMS. Synergy between the DMS and records management will grow as clients demand timely production of their records/destruction of their documents. We will continue to work through the complexities of integrating paper management, electronic document management, and email into a simple and mobile user experience. Mark: The general trend is toward the cloud, which means there will be less need to do capacity analysis. Never run out of space unexpectedly again! Peter: Looking forward, three trends stand out: • IT must further grapple with including multiple application types, particularly video, pictures and sound. Both vendors and IT departments will need to adjust to this shift, make it more streamlined in saving, searching and handling these large and altogether different application files. • One size will not continue to fit all, and there will be thinner and more variety in client interfaces. IT staff should prepare to offer a variety of document management application options. For instance, a part-time attorney who primarily works remotely might only interact with the DMS via the folders in a browser or a file-sharing app. • I'm with Mark on the move to the cloud. Imagine focusing on only client-oriented areas and devoting little effort to these other health-check items, or perhaps a future where a DM SaaS vendor allows users to choose their DM experience level — extreme, medium or light. Cloud offerings have the promise of allowing IT departments to focus on the client experience — a major shift for DMS health checks and for changing the focus for document management-related IT efforts. SHOULD THE HEALTH CHECK BE OUTSOURCED TO A CONSULTANT OR COMPLETED BY INTERNAL RESOURCES? Cindy: There are benefits to either approach. Most consulting companies that work with large DMS vendors offer a health check engagement that delivers most of what is needed. There are at least two advantages to outsourcing this work to a consultant. • A consultant, having the benefit of experience and visibility into implementations at multiple organizations, might catch something an internal resource would not.