Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/37773
• Purchase and separately deploy the more advanced FAST Search Server for SharePoint 2010. • Implement a third-party enterprise search solution (e.g. Recommind, Autonomy or Google) in conjunction with your SharePoint deployment. • If using a “single-source” SharePoint-based legal platform, leverage its embedded search capabilities across all data. Recommendation: Be realistic in determining your firm’s needs. As discussed above, the more your data is structured via a good taxonomy strategy, the more effective a basic search engine will be. Nevertheless, this is a good time to consider whether you wish to deploy a more advanced search model in the foreseeable future and, if so, to ensure its compatibility with your current deployment plans. 6. DECIDE WHAT DMS YOU WILL USE. If you’re planning a SharePoint intranet, chances are you already have a legal DMS integrated into your firm’s practice, such as OpenText, Autonomy/ Interwoven or NetDocuments. As part of their intranet plans, some firms are considering switching to native SharePoint as their DMS. Such a move can reduce licensing fees and support/infrastructure costs associated with maintaining a full-blown DMS. On the other hand, if your users are taking full advantage of the more advanced features of a legal DMS (version control, et al.) you may find a native SharePoint approach too limited without substantial additional development. Recommendation: Start by evaluating the perceived needs and current DMS adoption level 18 Portal Platforms ILTA White Paper within your firm and then estimate the cost of switching over the next several years. Realize that this may be one of those decisions you don’t have to make now. If you leverage a single-source SharePoint legal framework, you can start by porting documents from your current DMS without incurring additional licensing fees, and then consider migrating to native SharePoint or another supported DMS at a later time. Caveat: Implementing both native SharePoint document storage and a traditional DMS without proper integration is a serious mistake that should be avoided. It inevitably results in confusion as users try to determine which document version is the right one — the one in SharePoint, or the one in Autonomy. If you decide to deploy both, be sure to implement a solid DMS connector to keep the systems in sync, either from the DMS provider or a single-source accelerator platform. 7. ESTABLISH PROCESSES THAT SUPPORT LEGAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Your firm may now be doing a substantial amount of work on an alternative fee arrangement (AFA) basis, or leveraging external or even offshore attorney pools for legal process outsourcing (LPO). Your firm may also be taking a hard line on cost recovery by cracking down on premium content usage in research. For these, and other reasons, legal project management (LPM) is likely to be increasingly critical to your firm’s financial success. LPM assumes that case managers, lead attorneys and department heads have ready access to the information they need to manage firm resources — to keep teams from operating in the red on fixed rate AFA matters, overtaxing LPO budgets or running up pay-as-you-go research bills that could be avoided.