The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/34686
ASK THE VENDOR Confidential data is constantly flowing through firm devices, and by 2020, the “virtual practice” will most likely be a common business model. Remember that security is a discipline, not a project or a product. name .......... Jim Haviland company ......... Vox Mobile website ....... voxmobile.com The most important thing about maintaining security levels as the context for work changes is realizing that the security and privacy threats will change as well. Increasingly, everyone will have to use some of the time they have saved by being able to work remotely or while being mobile to reconsider policies, procedures and technologies in light of the changing threats and requirements. Remember, security is a discipline, not a project or a product. We see a lot of clients outsourcing maintenance of their mobile environment, not because they can’t do the day-to-day work of managing servers or addressing handset issues, but because they recognize that having a clear sense of the threats and concerns is a lot of work. It is part of the cost of being mobile. ILTA 44 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer How can firms prepare for the levels of security that will be required to support these practices? Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud computing is the answer. name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leonard Johnson company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Netdocuments website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .netdocuments.com In today’s economic environment, the prime directive for organizations is to do more with less — more functionality, more computing power, better security, higher availability and business continuity, better global accessibility and more storage capacity. The need to have more predictability with overall IT costs is a must as well. At the same time, there are demands about cutting IT expenses as it relates to the demands of less maintenance, less hardware and software purchases, reducing the overall total costs of ownership, consulting services and capital investments. In summary, it’s providing more with less. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud computing is the answer. However, the key to running a successful virtual practice and ensuring a high level of service will depend upon the vendors you choose to work with and the education you provide your users. Any SaaS and cloud computing platform should provide customers with detailed information about service availability and performance in real time, including information about maintenance activities and updates, service performance data, as well as making available user-activity data. As a firm, you should continue to own your data. You should continue to manage and administer your own data and be able to import and export your information at any time. Your information should be encrypted in storage and during transmission. The cloud service should ensure backup and redundancy to protect themselves — and you as their customer — against emergencies and disasters. There should be trust and transparency about service performance, management and availability. With the increasing use of mobile devices and the Internet to access and work with confidential information, you can prepare by optimizing your broadband performance and utilizing the latest browser technologies. You can educate and train your users on how to best secure their data while using a mobile device or tablet and when at home using their personal computer. Embracing the latest technologies provides many benefits, and attorneys are quickly discovering how flexible and productive they can be anywhere, anytime by having access to their information. As IT departments and management embrace these new technologies and become prepared and educated, they can better service their attorneys and staff — and, as a result, provide better service to their clients. ILTA