Earning a (Jurist Doctorate) JD degree is a challenging feat. It takes a sharp mind, mental fortitude, and perseverance. However, while studying law is a rigorous endeavor, you can only prepare for certain things. For example, did your law professors teach you how to secure a website and data caches from hackers or unauthorized users? What’s required to scale your law firm’s digital operations to create bandwidth for more clients?
Law is a highly specialized discipline, just like IT, and a competent IT department is integral to a prosperous law firm. However, many law firms struggle to find affordable, effective, and holistic approaches to IT management, protection of Intellectual Property (IP), and management of current AI tools. Thankfully, a relationship with an augmented or fully managed technology solutions and consulting provider helps solve this issue for law firms by bringing in professional resources who specialize in technology management, operations, and compliance. Below, we’ve provided a rundown of what outsourced IT for law firms looks like, the services offered, and the resulting benefits.
What Are Outsourced IT Services for Law Firms?
Law firms are often awash in IT-related challenges. First and foremost, massive amounts of data and paperwork swirl all day, making it hard to stay organized. As a solution, firms may try cloud-first strategies, which can leave them vulnerable to threats of digital attacks, internet dependence, and expensive cyber insurance policies. For example, the rate of cyberattacks on law firms is staggering, as about one in every 40 cyberattacks now targets legal entities. Even worse, only 42% of law firms have an incident response plan, mainly due to an IT department that’s either not properly equipped or insufficiently staffed. Partnering with a technology solutions provider means hiring specialists to identify and eliminate problems that threaten the firm’s operations, finances, and reputation. So, what exactly do they do? The answer looks different depending on your unique circumstances, but there are a few significant categories where outsourced IT offers proven value.
Cybersecurity
Regardless of the sector, digital security becomes a greater concern with each passing day, but law firms constantly find themselves in the crosshairs of cybercriminals.
Strong and consistent IT support can help thwart these attacks and prepare law firms with different defense tactics, including:
- Network management: Implement proactive network monitoring for performance and security to minimize network disruptions and support dependability.
- Business Continuity and Data recovery plans: Create an automated backup recovery process for complete data restoration in the case of a breach or system failure.
- Security and compliance: Complete a routine to-do list, ensuring firms remain compliant with all relevant regulations concerning data protection and confidentiality agreements.
- Help desk and software support: Process and update incident reports, resolve help-desk tickets, and manage application and security updates.
- Product discovery: Research and recommend next-gen tech products that could help support cybersecurity and organizational efficiency.
Cloud Services
At this point, 81% of law firms use cloud computing software. However, this doesn’t mean the software is used as efficiently and safely as possible.
If your office hasn’t migrated its services to the cloud, an outsourced IT team can handle the entire cloud migration process, streamlining the transition of your applications and data caches. Even better, the right team does it strategically to minimize workflow downtime and disruptions and improve security with SSO and MFA (Single sign on and Multi Factor authentication).
Outsourced IT can also optimize cloud hosting services, providing the flexibility you need to scale your cloud computing model while remaining in step with best practices.
Legal Technology
A managed IT services provider can examine the current state of your firm and identify specific legal technology (LegalTech) that can dramatically improve its performance. IT teams may introduce technology solutions that bolster cybersecurity or assist with operational processes like digital asset protection. The options are limitless, but LegalTech can be especially critical on the fronts of:
- E-discovery and social discovery software
- Conflict checking software
- Legal research and legal hold discovery software
- Billing software
- Communication channels
Once in place, these tools reduce the daily stress involved with managing a fast-paced firm, saving time and energy. This allows you to dedicate your time to the tasks that demand your learned expertise.
Benefits of Outsourced IT Services for Law Firms
On any given day, law offices face numerous challenges, and many smaller firms have found that transitioning to remote and hybrid settings presents even more operational hurdles. However, outsourcing your IT can act as a catch-all solution, helping busy lawyers optimize their operational efficiency and manage key responsibilities like payroll, scheduling, and tax preparation. If you do choose to invest, here are some of the key benefits you can look forward to.
Cost Savings
Investing in IT assistance comes with a price tag, but it’s not a sunk cost; it’s an investment that yields significant returns. For one, it can help you avoid the steep tolls of cybersecurity incidents. Did you know that the average cost of a data breach falls at $4.45 million?
Additionally, managed IT brings financial consistency, usually with a monthly payment that covers an entire package of services.
Improved IT Efficiency and Security
An alert and aware IT team can be worth its weight in gold. Outsourced IT means having a group of proactive professionals who are dedicated to safeguarding your firm. To start, they examine your current security landscape and perform a gap analysis to determine vulnerabilities. From there, they create a plan to protect your assets and data, improve your access controls and password management, identify potential threat actors, and protect the sanctity of clients’ confidentiality and intellectual property
Boosted Productivity
Outsourcing IT responsibilities ensures attorneys are able to focus on core legal services. As a result, cases move along faster and with less stress, which can also increase your billable hours.
Regulatory Compliance
Compliance is all about due diligence, something that IT teams have down to a science. Outsourced IT dissolves the looming fear of the rules and regulations around data privacy and confidentiality, meaning you’re always on the right side of the law.
Ability to Scale
One of the main issues preventing lawyers from expanding their scope isn’t their skill or drive; it’s an outdated IT infrastructure.
Managed IT services allow law firms to adopt solutions that promote growth and adapt to the unfolding tech landscape. As a result, your systems grow gradually instead of dilapidating and forcing you into a complete overhaul every couple of years, which can lead to massive downtime.
Find the Best Outsourced IT Services for Law Firms
Investing in outsourced IT comes with massive benefits. However, it’s your responsibility to invest wisely because any old IT service team isn’t enough. It’s up to you to do your research and partner with a team with a proven track record and willingness to deliver the full range of services and benefits you need.
Start your discovery process by browsing ISOutsource’s full list of managed IT services and cybersecurity solutions and products. We have a best-in-class team of 100-plus IT professionals who are ready to build your firm a dedicated technological road map to success, one that considers your specific needs, surrounding market conditions, and plans for expansion and growth.
Then, once the plans are laid, it’s our responsibility to manage the systems and processes that are critical to your business’s success. Best of all, we’re flexible, meaning no multiyear contracts, and we have a pricing structure through which you pay only for what you want.
To learn more about how we can help launch your law firm into the future, feel free to contact us today.