Why Does the Cloud Matter to Law Firms?

Before we can answer that question, we must first understand what “the cloud” is.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines cloud computing as: “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”

Now, let’s address the question of the importance of cloud for law firms.

Moving to the cloud offers secure, remote accessibility with the advantage of more reliable, efficient, and collaborative workflows—often with less cost. Cloud is also easier to set up and use than older, on-premise legal software.

In the years to come, cloud computing will become the new normal among law firms of all sizes. Firms that will adopt the cloud-based legal technology sooner will position themselves ahead of their competitors. This will become critical as the practice of law transitions to a modern approach that rewards efficiency, ease, and client-friendly practices with the aid of a law practice management software.

Why Should Law Firms Move to the Cloud?

The answer to this question is, for the 3 main reasons as below:

Mobility

Access to important data, applications, tools, etc., at any time and from any location. If you use multiple devices—your computer, tablet, and phone, for example—to access your data, cloud technology allows you to synchronize information across all of your devices. It also empowers you to work with your team easily, no matter whether you’re all in the same place or scattered across multiple time zones

Costs

Cloud solutions cut technology costs by an average of 30% or more—with many of these savings from not having to set up internal servers and other on-premise hardware. Additionally, cloud technology usually does not come with any long-term contracts, nor does it require a hardware investment. Instead, you can use the technology you already have (in most cases, your laptop or phone) to start using the software, which in this case, is a law practice management software.

Security

Your law firm can get the benefit dedicated security teams, greater investments in security infrastructure, superior protection against network attacks, more efficient compliance analysis, low-cost disaster recovery and data storage solutions, real-time threat detection, and a number of other advantages.

How to Evaluate a Cloud Based Law Firm Practice Management Software?

The cloud offers many significant benefits to law firms but it would also be justified in asking, “What’s the catch?”

According to a legal technology survey by the ABA (American Bar Association) the most important functionalities for any cloud-based legal software to provide in order to be considered by the law firms are:

  • Time and Billing
  • Centralized Case Management
  • Scheduling/Calendaring
  • Document Management

We at AppleTech possess the experience and the expertise to help build a custom software solution for your organisation, be it a hospital management system, membership management system or a legal practice management system among others. If you have the concept, we can transform it into reality.