Law firms are constantly faced with regulatory improvements, especially since they deal with sensitive information. These improvements and changes also tend to bring about IT challenges because a lot of responsibility is assigned to IT providers to ensure that a firm’s data is protected but accessible. Good IT providers should be able to recognize these needs, particularly the following aspects of modern law practices that have proliferated through the years:
Compliance
Regulatory compliance can be demanding because not only are regulations evolving alongside technology, they are also exacerbated by the differences between federal and state regulations. For instance, federal regulations include rules for fair debt collection practices and fair credit reporting, while state laws include state taxes and labor laws. Companies should ensure that their managed services providers (MSPs) are capable of understanding the intricacies of local, state, and federal laws to ensure that the company does not miss any regulations. This complexity has already spurred many companies to employ compliance-as-a-service models, which outsources their compliance department to a specialist.
IT providers such as Arnet Technologies provide comprehensive managed IT services that include line-of-business software that is managed and maintained as required by law. This helps clients focus on their work, rather than worry about whether their client information is protected at all times.
Mobility
Today’s workspaces are no longer purely office-based, as many companies across all industries find ways to be more productive outside of the office setting. As cloud solutions further improve productivity and mobile internet becomes faster, cheaper, and more reliable, this culture of working on the go is projected to become an even more common theme.
An integral problem to this, however, is that IT infrastructures need to constantly adapt to the needs of the mobile workforce, as failing to do so will likely compromise security. One common trait of a mobile workforce is the concept of bring your own device (BYOD). This setup is becoming a common theme for smaller businesses, as it helps lower startup and capital costs.
Your IT provider should be able to help you migrate your systems to hosted and managed environments, so as to maintain security and allow your workers to fully harness the powers of the cloud. Hosted and managed environments are sanitized and controlled environments — such as sandboxes — that can be used to run applications or code without exposing them to external threats. Furthermore, especially with regard to BYOD, your IT should be able to exercise enough control over the sensitive information to ensure that it is kept safe.
eDiscovery
eDiscovery refers to any process of searching, locating, and securing electronic data for the purpose of using it as evidence in a civil or criminal case. Given the sensitive nature of evidentiary data, a recurring challenge for IT providers is its proper procurement and security, while providing secure access to authorized users.
This challenge is magnified by the growing preference for remote work, but competent MSPs such as Arnet Technologies are able to provide you with seamless, efficient, and secure data encryption and information storage and recovery.
Printing
Law firms tend to print out a lot of documents because courts are not yet paperless. Hence, more companies now rely on document management systems that allow them to account for both digital and physical copies of documents, and it takes a level-headed and organized IT provider to make sure that these documents are stored and can be accessed efficiently and cost-effectively.
Obsolescence
Obsolescence — the process of becoming outdated and unusable — is a common issue in business. Businesses often experience this through their assets, most especially computers and software. Most companies address this by strictly accounting for their equipment depreciation so that they can shift to up-to-date technologies as soon as these are economically viable. Many law firms, however, still fail to see the benefits of regular upgrades, no thanks to a misguided idea that equipment and software can be used until they break.
IT providers help deal with obsolescence by making updates a default part of their services. Arnet Technologies’ MSP offering includes round-the-clock monitoring and maintenance so that our services are always reliable.
Arnet Technologies, Inc. has proudly been serving Ohio businesses since 2008. Be a part of the growing family. Contact us today to learn more.
