Lawyers, law firms, and other businesses in the legal industry work around the clock to help their clients. No matter what type of law their case pertains to, lawyers must handle sensitive information appropriately and work efficiently to ensure the success of their clients and practice. Small mistakes or hold-ups can seem like insignificant inconveniences, but they can make or break whether a case or suit reaches a favorable outcome if they happen at the wrong time.
When time is of the essence, IT problems can throw a wrench into business operations, and law offices are no exception. IT vulnerabilities that range from internet outages to cyberattacks can happen at any time, and staying on top of these issues can create significant distractions and obstacles for legal professionals.
The National Law Review reported that 84% of law firms saw increased efficiency when using technology more often. With that significant of a rise in implementation, legal offices are bound to experience increased tech-related issues hand-in-hand with improved efficiency. Working with a managed services provider (MSP) can be an advantageous partnership that helps legal offices perform more effectively while avoiding IT headaches and roadblocks.
Why should law offices work with an MSP?
Stronger security
While implementing legal and office software in law practices offers increased efficiency, it also boosts the possibility of security issues if not implemented and maintained correctly. Legal professionals work with incredibly sensitive, personally identifiable information in assisting their clients. The shift from manila folders and paper forms to more accessible digital alternatives increases the odds that mistakes or malicious acts can occur.
While recent cyberattack trends have largely targeted businesses in the entertainment industry, the costs of poor IT security have also had significant impacts on the legal sector. In an article from the Florida Bar, the First Judicial Circuit chief judge shared how the court system fell victim to a cyberattack in October 2023 and lost everything: its phone network, computer network, files, and even personal employee data were compromised. Brian Schlechter, Director of IT at Bit-Wizards, says this cyberattack notably showcased the importance of proper backup storage.
"The court had its backup system connected to their main system, meaning the hackers had access to everything they had," he explains. "Instead of restoring a backup and resuming operations, the recovery took significant effort over a few months."
In addition to ensuring backups are stored properly as part of a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan, MSPs can ensure that each person and program involved in a law office operates within consistent security standards. Professionals in the legal sector must stick to security measures, even in more simple operations like sending emails. Schlechter shares that many of our clients in the legal industry found the most benefit from a commonly unknown feature in Microsoft Outlook.
"With email security being something that needs more attention, we introduce our clients to features like email encryption," he says. "We show our clients how to identify and leverage these built-in security tools while combining them with our multilayered approach to protecting their IT security."
Increased flexibility
While law offices may be well-versed in laws about the technology industry, they may not have an employee in their practice whose position is dedicated to fixing common IT issues that businesses experience. Whether it's a printer that stops working or a Wi-Fi network that loses its internet connection, a minor problem can create a butterfly effect of interruptions for everyone involved. Schlechter says these issues can strike at notoriously inconvenient times, especially because a lawyer's role is rarely limited to in-office work.
"Whether lawyers are taking depositions out of the office or working remotely between hearings, they need to depend on their office's servers and networks to stay operational and connected," he states. "If a network issue happens at the office and can't be fixed, that's money out the door for any remote or in-office personnel thanks to lost productivity."
With the flexibility that comes with an MSP, any employee at a firm can operate from wherever they are. Help desk team members are committed to resolving all sorts of IT issues, so your team can get back on track and resume normal operations quickly. Schlechter especially feels that the team at Bit-Wizards is a cut above thanks to the extended hours that match our clients who operate outside of a traditional 9-to-5 schedule.
"Our legal industry clients often have to work outside of normal business hours, especially when their clients have to meet with them after they get off work," he emphasizes. "At Bit-Wizards, we have extended hours and on-call assistance to ensure our clients are connected and efficient whenever and wherever they need to work."
Outside of a responsive help desk, MSPs can connect you with the best cloud model for your business to ensure your team members can access their documents and programs wherever they are. Employees and clients can stay interconnected and secure by combining cloud storage with cloud-based programs, like Microsoft Loop for collaboration or Clio for case management. Schlechter stresses that the switch from on-premises options to the cloud is a significant strength that promotes a firm's flexibility to work anywhere.
"Through SharePoint, cloud servers, VPNs, and other tools that connect remote and hybrid employees with on-site team members, we can help businesses in the legal industry store their information securely and accessibly," he says. "That way, anyone can safely connect to in-house resources, whether it's a printer or a server, even if they're on the other side of town."
Cost-efficiency
Whether you're a solo practitioner or you own a law office with dozens of attorneys, making the most of your time, personnel, and resources is paramount to the success of your business. Hiring an IT professional for your business is critical to ensuring your operations are efficient and keep your business open and running. Still, searching for a qualified jack-of-all-trades prospect can take significant time, money, and effort. IT problems can send operations to a screeching halt if that person is unavailable, and the process starts from ground zero the second that employee leaves.
Instead of dealing with the expensive headache of equipping your business with its own IT department, partnering with an MSP gives your team the cost-effective solutions and expertise needed to succeed. Experienced MSPs have a team of professionals who are experts in varying subsects like firewalls, network security, Office 365 migrations, and more. Whenever your business has an issue, we have the right person to help fix it and return your operations to normal.
In addition to helping you avoid hefty personnel costs to hire experienced in-house IT professionals, working with an MSP helps your business to identify and avert outdated hardware and software expenses. Keeping an inventory of your office's hardware and tracking when each item needs to be replaced can be a time-intensive task. Without knowledgeable IT personnel on your team, that often starts earlier than required, meaning your business spends more money in the short and long run.
MSPs help their clients with a network and hardware deployment plan to optimize the cost-efficiency of their current assets. MSP personnel also track every piece of equipment through inventory management to ensure it runs optimally in its lifetime and is replaced on time, not after its performance declines past repair. By proactively keeping your hardware and software updated and running, an MSP frees up time clients would otherwise spend dealing with technology hassles and unknowns.
The Bit-Wizards appeal
Thanks to its many pros and few cons, the decision of whether to work with an MSP is far from a difficult decision. With benefits in security, flexibility, cost-efficiency, and much more, IT services for law firms offer more efficient and successful operations thanks to reduced IT-related hassles.
Just as finding the right attorney takes careful consideration, finding the right MSP for your practice means looking for a team that can give your firm the extra edge. Thanks to our magical IT with a human touch, Schlechter believes choosing the Managed IT Services (MITS) team at Bit-Wizards is an open-and-shut case.
"We recognize that each client's information security and efficiency are vital to their success, and our Wizards strive to be the magic that propels them in the right direction," he says. "We treat each challenge and success with our clients as shared opportunities and achievements."
Ready to strengthen your case for better IT with Bit-Wizards? Contact us today.