The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/34686
ASK THE EXPERT AN EVOLVING IT OPERATION’S FORECAST Indemnity Insurance should demand it, and clients will continue to insist on tighter security. Marcus: One would hope. Recently, four firms in Canada were hacked into. That type of thing often causes firms to re-evaluate how they’re handing certain types of technology, with some of these discussions often driven by clients asking for security audits. And I think that’s only part of it, because lots of law firms don’t really go through all the processes they should with regard to security. And then there’s legislation; it’s inevitable that the government will enact laws that require all professional services firms to have in place certain levels of security. These practices and policies will cause an inconvenience, but firms will have to continue to adjust because the trend of attempted break-ins will surely continue. Judi: I’d say if you don’t have a security policy in place today, you’re facing some very difficult challenges. Marcus mentioned firm hacking from outside, but it’s long been said that there’s more risk from the inside. Right now there’s a case pending in which an attorney in a large law firm was recently charged with insider trading — essentially selling information internal to law firms he worked for. It will be interesting to see if the SEC brings charges against the individuals involved, and what the impact will be in terms of how firms and clients respond. Eric: It’s because of these issues that many firms have dedicated security departments that continue to expand. Obviously, the more we extend the office the more important it’s going to be to make sure the security is there, and coming up with new ways to ensure that security will always be at that forefront. How will technology department staffing look in 2020; will there be an IT department? Judi: Let’s start by saying that there will always be an IT department. On the business side, you need a strategist — someone who has a solid understanding of the technical landscape and how it impacts the business. From a department perspective, I think you will see a blend of internal and external resources. Eric: I definitely think there’s going to be an IT department. It’s like in the ‘90s when everybody talked about a paperless office. We’ve come a long way, and much of what we do is electronic, but we’re still working with lots of paper. Clive: The IT department will still exist, but as we move to the cloud, there will be no need to have large IT staffs. And the role of the IT manager will change — he’ll need to have business skills. Marcus: The cloud will certainly affect things; however, everything we read shows us that in five years cloud services within our client base will be less than 10 percent. Although it’s a big buzzword, it’s going to be very slowly adopted. So what you’re going to see is a continuation of what has been standard within firms. That said, with the consumerization of IT, more end users are going to dictate and mandate the types of devices they want to use in order to do their jobs. As that happens, firms are going to have more headcount, I believe, and more skills on the support side. I’m not talking about more support for the applications themselves, but rather, for how the user gets to the applications. The headcount within law firm departments may shift and push more people down into this type of role than we currently see. Do you have any other forecasts about the future of the IT department? Eric: I really think aligning with the business is critical, and I see that becoming a stronger focus over the coming years. Things will be more about how to enhance and simplify the technology that’s used by the business and ways they can use it for strategy. Clive: The main message here is that there will still be a need for the IT managers, but they will require fewer IT skills and more business skills. They’ll need to challenge the business; they’ll need to take a more strategic role. That’s going to be a big challenge. Marcus: Cloud technologies continue to be the single hottest topic. While that will retain its momentum, it’s still trending to have little impact on our client base and to the world as a whole for the next five to 10 years. A lot of this has to do with security, accepted best practices and descrease in configuration or customization of applications. So the trick is going to be to figure out the best way to leverage the cloud and which ways to do it. In addition, I really think the consumerization of IT, as I talked about earlier, is going to be huge. Judi: I agree with Eric and Clive in that the IT Manager, CIO, CTO must be focused on the business, not necessarily just on keeping the lights on. Having someone who is in a leadership position, who can look at various technology trends, have good communication skills, able to work closely with the business leaders, able to partner with those on the operational side of the house like your COO, CFO and your directors of business administration and HR. And last but not least, he or she must have the ability to work very closely with the attorney to understand what really helps them get their work done and serves their clients at the highest level. ILTA Peer to Peer the quarterly magazine of ILTA 41