Like all other sectors, the legal services industry is also undergoing a sea change. New technologies are changing the market landscape, which in turn are changing customer expectations as well as regulatory requirements. Law firms need to not only tide over the current challenges but also have to become technologically nimble to anticipate future challenges brought about by new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Extended Reality (XR), etc.
In this blog post, we discuss the key challenges law firms face and how an experienced managed IT service provider can help them effectively navigate the dynamic technology landscape.
Top IT Challenges That Law Firms Face
1. Securing Client Data
Since law firms handle highly sensitive client information, maintaining confidentiality and data integrity is of utmost importance. Any security breach resulting in data loss can cause irreparable financial and reputation damage to the firm.
The boundary between data security and privacy is becoming increasingly blurred with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the state of California, US. Under the data security regulations, organizations are required to demonstrate they have adequate security measures in place to protect consumer data.
As the collection of consumer data and the number of data breaches continue to increase, we can expect the data security regulations to continue expanding their scope and authority, compelling organizations to continuously improve their data protection systems and processes. Achieving and maintaining compliance with these data protection and privacy regulations can be challenging due to the complex interactions among the legal, technological, and threat landscapes.
While not all firms may need to comply with such data protection regulations, it is still a good idea to ensure compliance because it helps enhance the overall security of the organization. Compliance with regulatory as well as industry standards demonstrates your organization’s commitment to security and data protection. Additionally, compliance results in enhanced security posture, which makes your organization better positioned to efficiently navigate the changing regulatory and threat landscapes.
A capable managed IT service partner can help law firms secure their client data by implementing and maintaining a variety of administrative and technical controls, including data security policies, proper encryption of data, Access Control List (ACL), Network Access Control (NAC), and robust Data Loss Prevention (DLP) measures.
Managed IT service providers experienced in compliance can help your firm design and implement security controls as well as fulfill many of the security requirements necessary for achieving and maintaining compliance.
2. Cybersecurity
Due to the sensitive nature of their work and client data, law firms are attractive targets for cybercriminals. Most firms are well aware of cybersecurity threats and have data security systems in place. However, these systems are often rudimentary and incapable of mitigating all the vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.
Although cyberattacks, such as phishing, ransomware, and malware get the most attention, more often than not, human error and insider threats are the real culprits causing data breaches. But these threats are not static. They are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated by leveraging new vulnerabilities and technologies. We have covered this dynamic nature of cyber threats in our earlier blog posts that you can access using the following links:
Cybersecurity is a wide, complex, and dynamic field, which makes it difficult to master. If your organization doesn’t have a dedicated systems engineer or security specialist, it is advisable to outsource your cybersecurity to a managed IT service provider. An experienced IT partner will not only design and implement security controls to mitigate the risks associated with targeted hacking attacks, malware, etc. but also help create a security-conscious culture by providing comprehensive training and raising awareness among employees about security best practices.
3. Business Continuity
What happens to your business operations if something unexpected happens—like a natural disaster or a cyberattack?
What happens if there is a power outage or hardware failure?
Will your operations come to a grinding halt or continue to function normally?
Every modern business relies on data—things like customer records, financial documents, or product information. Losing important information will disrupt your operations, lead to financial losses, and even harm your relationships with customers. Often businesses will have a data recovery system in place thinking it will be sufficient to protect their business.
However, data recovery is simply a method of getting back important data if it gets lost or damaged. It doesn’t cover IT infrastructure and technology systems that support business operations. Business Continuity is the capability of your business to continue its operations at sustainable levels even in the event of a disruptive event. In other words, business continuity helps keep your business going during events that would otherwise bring operations to a stop.
Business continuity is crucial because it prevents financial losses, maintains customer trust, and protects your firm’s reputation. Without a business continuity plan, you might struggle to recover from unexpected events, and your business could suffer.
A competent IT partner can help create a robust business continuity plan by gathering requirements, identifying risks, and selecting the right combination of data recovery solutions to ensure that your business operations continue uninterrupted even in case of disasters.
4. Video Conferencing Infrastructure
Whether you are a local firm with global clients or one with distributed teams around the globe, video conferencing has become a necessity, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to traditional tele and video conferencing, businesses use video conferencing technologies for various collaborative activities, including peer-to-peer web meetings, webinars, and webcasts. It has become such an important part of modern organizations, that it’s difficult to imagine an office without a dedicated conference room.
However, conference room equipment isn’t simply “plug and play”. It can get quite complicated thanks to a variety of components including video cameras, microphones, speakers, video displays, room schedulers, interactive whiteboards, 360-degree cameras, and wireless presentation systems.
Even when you get the conference room equipment to work seamlessly, you still need to overcome technical challenges such as ensuring your video conferencing gear gets sufficient bandwidth and platform interoperability.
We have discussed this in more detail in our earlier blog posts that you can access using the following links:
Conference room solutions, like any other technology, can experience breakdowns or malfunctions, requiring technical support from time to time. You wouldn’t want to keep your client or colleagues waiting while grappling with network connectivity or unsuccessful screen-sharing attempts.
Access to reliable IT support ensures that "technical difficulties" don’t overshadow your meetings and alleviate the discomfort of your audience waiting in anticipation. Your IT support experts should be able to pinpoint the issue with your conferencing equipment and troubleshoot it quickly to get your meeting on track. So be sure to augment your video conferencing solution with reliable IT support from conference room experts.
5. Technology Adoption
The legal sector hasn’t kept pace with the rapid changes in technology. Many law firms still use technology and software that are far behind the times. Often firms use legacy software running on outdated hardware and operating systems. Such legacy systems are typically slow to load and process data, which negatively impacts productivity.
Moreover, such systems are a drain on resources because they require a lot of maintenance to keep them running. But their continued use is even more concerning from a security perspective. The outdated systems are rife with security vulnerabilities, which make the security of the IT infrastructure and client data extremely difficult.
Instead of replacing their legacy systems with a newer version of a similar system, law firms may be better served by modernizing their infrastructure by, for example, migrating their infrastructure to the cloud. This is a better approach because it prepares them for the future instead of just meeting their immediate needs.
Migrating to the cloud can help bring efficiencies by facilitating a seamless flow of data among time and billing systems, CRMs, and document management systems. In addition, it also enables easier and more secure remote access, helping firms keep up with the growing trend of remote work.
Implementing any new technology or system needs careful planning because the security and control of client data are of critical importance. In addition to security, redundancy, and ease of access must also be built into the systems. This is again something that an experienced managed IT service provider can help you achieve.
6. Controlling IT Expenses
Controlling expenses is always a key consideration, no matter how large or small your firm is. For most business functions, the cost calculations are quite straightforward. But for IT, determining the budget requires a little more thought.
IT expenses encompass not just the costs associated with acquiring and maintaining IT resources but also those associated with optimizing them. Additionally, there are also the costs associated with downtime and loss of efficiency. This is usually the tricky part, which many organizations fail to take into account. We’ve covered this in more detail in our earlier blog post that you can access here: How To Calculate IT Support Cost For Your Business.
Another important consideration is predictability. Ideally, you’d want predictable monthly or quarterly expenses that would allow you to budget effectively. But IT needs often fluctuate, especially when your firm is growing or taking up IT projects like rolling out new software or setting up conference rooms.
Selecting a managed IT services provider that offers flexible plans will be of immense value in such situations as you will be able to easily scale up or down your usage without blowing up your monthly bills. We’ve discussed this in detail in our earlier post that you can access here: Comprehensive Guide to Managed IT Services Pricing, Plans, And ROI.
In addition to ensuring predictable monthly IT costs, a managed IT services provider also helps reduce your human resources and administration costs. They will also guide you on new technology adoption, helping you avoid accumulating technical debt in your IT infrastructure.
Conclusion
Like in all other sectors, changing customer expectations and evolving market conditions mean that businesses at the forefront of innovation will also gain a competitive advantage in the legal sector. As they look to keep up with the technological landscape, law firms can benefit from partnering with a capable managed IT service provider that can guide them through their digital transformation.
Does your law firm need help moving from firefighting issues to adopting a proactive approach to IT? Are you looking to bring new levels of efficiency and productivity with the use of technology? Do you want to gain a competitive advantage with the help of technology?
Reach out to us by clicking the button below to schedule a call with our IT experts who will build a customized, flexible, and scalable service plan for you.
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About The Author
Hari SubediMarketing Manager at Jones IT
Hari is an online marketing professional with a focus on content marketing. He writes on topics related to IT, Security, and Small Business. He is also the founder and managing director of Girivar Kft., a business services company located in Budapest, Hungary.