The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/4983
www.iltanet.org 56 Peer to Peer Microscope on Wireless Technology I LTA's 2009 Technology Survey gives an in-depth look at how law firms are utilizing wireless technology. There are a few surprises, such as the strong presence that iPhones have shown in the short period of time that they've been on the scene. There are also many points of interest focused on how many IT departments are reacting to recent squeezes in their budgets. Technology, by its nature, is a quickly evolving and growing arena. Those making technology purchasing decisions in the legal field, however, are cautious and wait until available tools have proven to be reliable and efficient. Let's look at what 455 participating law firms said about the wireless technology that they use. This is just a taste of the vast amount of data that can be found in the technology survey. The complete survey has more details and many more areas of technology, such as virtualization, e-mail and records management, softphones, green initiatives and much more, to investigate. With 175 "data points," the survey's scope and illustration of trends is a valuable tool of shared knowledge. ILTA In law firms, multiple types of wireless devices are being supported, but BlackBerry is still the king. Regarding wireless e-mail devices in use based on their imbedded OS, the clear leader is BlackBerry OS (89%). The tried-and-true has competition this year, however, from the iPhone. This is the first year that the Apple device was included in the survey, and it made an impressive second-place showing at 50%. To put the iPhone's position in perspective, third place went to Windows Mobile 6 ( e.g., Motorola Q9, Mogul, i760) at only 30%. Firms generally provide financial support of some type for wireless e-mail devices. 87% of respondents said that their firms help pay for the devices versus 13% who said that their firms do not.