Cloud computing is now part of the legal industry. Law firms, as well as many other types of firms, are moving their applications and data to the cloud.
What is “The Cloud?”
Cloud based technology is a general term referring to information saved, but not on your local PC or server. A good example is Gmail where you log into Google to retrieve mail.
To further break explain what the cloud is, firms can have their own “cloud system” or they can subscribe to “cloud-based” products. Cloud-based products are programs that you access from an internet connection, and are collectively called an ASP type product. Examples of ASP software are Timesolv, NetDocouments, Clio, QuickBooks On-Line, and Dropbox, to mention a few.
Firms that choose to host their entire office will have all of their programs on a server located outside of their office. Each person in the firm would connect to that remote server where all of their own applications and data are stored. The company that owns the remote server (known as the hosting company) stores all of the programs and data and is responsible for all backups.
What Is Best For Your Firm?
Every firm has different interests, needs and requirements. Here are a few questions you need to ask to determine what works best for your firm:
- Do you want to keep your current programs?
- Do your programs interact with each other?
- What programs do you use, and are you interested in making changes to your current processes to incorporate cloud-based software?
- How do you feel about subscription software versus maintaining your own programs?
How Can TSR Consulting Services Help You?
Terry Rosenthal has worked extensively with various cloud vendors and has experience to share. Terry has worked with firms to determine their requirements, identify the right cloud vendors, and implement the cloud solution. She has managed firms’ migration of their programs and data, as well as train the staff on the new systems. We work very closely with the leading law firm specific hosting providers. Please take a look at this Cloud checklist which explains what to look for.
For firms that prefer cloud-based software, we work closely with Centerbase, Smokeball and Clio for case management and billing, TimeSolv for billing, and NetDocuments for document management. Click here to sign up for a trial Clio account, or contact us for a personalized demo and quote.
Whether you want a hosted office or to migrate to cloud-based software, Terry can help you figure out what to do, and how to get there.