It's About Time

Can Law Firms do Business without a File Server?

Can you move your business to the "cloud"?  I just read an interesting article written by Seth Rowland for Technolawyer.  He gives a good overview of cloud computing and how it might impact your practice.  I'm going to try to give you a synopsis of what he had to say.

File Server Costs

When you look at the total cost of ownership, you need to include ongoing operational expenses, maintenance and support agreements.  Factor in the costs of software along with the installation, configuration and training.  The average costs breakdown something like this:

• $8000.00 - Server Hardware
• $6000.00 - Server and Network Configuration
• $3000.00 to $8000.00 - Software for 5 users
• $17000.00 to $22000.00 Total initial costs

• $1000.00 - $3000.00 - Annual Software maintenance
• $2000.00 - $4000.00 - Server Maintenance

• $3000.00 - $7000.00 Annual Recurring total

These fees do not include the intangibles such as security, administration, daily backups, test restores, application of updates and patches and a host of other tasks.

Alternatives

Practice Management:  There are currently four good hosted options:  AdvologixPM, RocketMatter, Clio and HoudiniESQ.  You can try these for free and then pay a monthly fee for each user.  The prices range from $50 to $100 per user per month.

Online Backup:  You have consumer products like Carbonite, Mozy and IDrive.  Business-level software includes JungleDisk, Barracuda Backup Service, Iron Mountain and Rackspace Backup.

There are also hosted options for online document management as well as hosted Exchange server with Blackberry and SharePoint.

So what's the downside?  Security is one of the big concerns everyone has about moving to online data storage.  The reality is that most service providers provide secured encryption data transfer.  The security of a cloud provider is far greater than the network security found in most small law firms when it comes to protection from hackers and intruders.

Data ownership is the other issue.  Your agreement with your service provider specifies your rights to data ownership.  You should read this carefully.  Most provide a mechanism for local backup.

Access Risk:  What if the Internet goes down or the service provider is offline?  The reality is that if the Internet goes down, you will have difficulty conducting business, since so much is done via email.  If your server goes down you could be out of business for hours or days; if your server hard drive fails and you can't recover your backups, you've lost a lot more than just time.  It can take several days for a retrieval service to recover data from a crashed hard drive and there is no guarantee that they will restore everything.  

On the other hand, cloud service providers have up-time commitments that range from 99.9 to 99.999%.  Some even support off-line mode if you are in transit without an Internet connection.  Remote access to the cloud is generally far superior to remote server access.  

CONCLUSION

Cloud computing isn't for everyone, however there are very real benefits:  freedom of movement; pay only for the processing power and storage you need; add up to 100 users; grant secure access to clients via custom portals; there is no need for disaster recovery in the event of a fire or other natural disaster. 

I think most firms will start by trying one or two applications and gradually move more and more of their operations to the cloud.  I encourage you to try out one of the free trials that are offered. 

ZOMM | Alarmingly Smart | Features

Losing your phone can be a nightmare. With ZOMM, never lose or misplace your phone again. When activated, your ZOMM alerts you anytime your phone is more than 30 feet away. Using Bluetooth technology, ZOMM will vibrate, flash and sound an alarm letting you know that you are leaving your phone behind. No more leaving your phone on airplanes, in taxicabs, restaurants or movie theaters.

via www.zomm.com

I've misplaced my cell phone more than once. This little device would have saved me hours of "hunting" while I continually call myself and then try to figure out where the ringing sound is coming from.

Lose Your Desktop and Print From the Cloud — Lawyerist

Lose Your Desktop and Print From the Cloud — Lawyerist

Work Smarter, Go Home Sooner « The Last Word

I've been recommending a second monitor as an inexpensive productivity tool with instant results. Here's another affirmative opinion:

If you’re not already doing so, one of the most productive (and cost effective) technology changes that you can make is to add a second monitor to your computer.  Adding a second monitor is inexpensive, (generally under $200 for the monitor and an additional video card, if you need one).  If you already have an extra one lying around the office, so much the better.  And unlike lots of other technology upgrades, adding a second monitor won’t tie up a whole afternoon – or longer – and make you want to pull your hair out.  Read more:  asblastword.wordpress.com

Managed IT Services

Do you wait until something breaks before you fix it?  I'm actually a strong proponent of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" idea, except when it pertains to the lifeblood of your business:  your networks, hard drives, servers and workstations.  Most people wouldn't think of waiting until their car breaks down before getting the oil changed, however there are still a large number of small and medium-size companies and firms that wait for a disaster to happen before they call a hardware technician. 

There's a better way to do things:  Managed IT Services.  Most of your better IT service firms will only accept clients that are will to sign a contract for managed services.  With this type of service, the IT firm will take a survey of your existing equipment and make recommendations for changes and/or point out potential trouble spots.  They will continually remotely monitor your hardware, networks and backups.  The importance of this monitoring is to assure that you will not be faced with unexpected hardware failures.  They will take care of problems before they become a disaster.  Here are some other reason you might want to change to Managed IT services:

- Control your Costs:  Managed services might cost more in the short-term, they cost much less in the long term if you take into account the lost productivity and customer/client satisfaction

- IT is becoming increasingly complex.  Most companies do not have the resources to maintain the in-house expertise that is necessary to maintain their equipment.

- Your business is more dependent than ever on IT.  A a one or two-person in-house IT department or consultancy cannot handle the occasional breakdowns that are bound to occur.  In many cases, employees have to wait to receive help, resulting in a significant loss in productivity.

How Much Technology Do You Need?

Bryan Sims is a commercial litigator and technologist who has come up with the list of 5 "Must Have" technologies for an attorney.  While his recommendations are geared toward attorneys, they can easily be applied to any type of firm or business. Click here if you would like to read more about Bryan's recommendations.

Adobe Acrobat and the Fujitsu S510 ScanSnap

The Fujitsu ScanSnap costs about $400 and comes with a full version of Acrobat Standard.  The Acrobat Standard sells for around $299.00, making the S510 a real bargain and the perfect choice for small offices that are making the move to a paperless office.  It doesn't have all the features of the more expensive scanners, but it is still does a very credible job.  This model has been recently replaced by the S1500.  To make the most of this scanner, you need to know how to set it up and use it. 

The good folks at Adobe have produced and article that explains all you need to know to successfully set up your scanner and use it with Adobe.  Click on the link below to download a copy.

Download Setting+up+the+Scanner

Get Paid for Your Old PC's

Some time ago, I mentioned a PC buy-back program between Greensight and Costco, where Costco would issue you an in-store credit for the value of your old PC's.  Apparently, that program is no longer in effect, however, I did find another program run by IBM. 

IBM will buy back your PC's, servers, printers, etc.  They can be either IBM or non-IBM.  If the equipment has no value, IBM will safely and securely take care of the disposal.  If you want more details, I've included a link in my GoGreen list, but here it is again:  IBM Buy-Back

Windows XP: Not much time left

Microsoft will end sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008, while it will still continue mainstream support until April 14, 2009.

What does this mean to you?

Well, the next workstation you purchase will probably come with Microsoft Vista preinstalled. It won't be a problem unless you are still running some old, legacy software that was released before Vista. As I mentioned in my previous article, "When Should you Upgrade", older software is almost never tested on new operating systems.

What should you do?

Before purchasing any new equipment, do a thorough analysis of all the software on your server as well as on the PC's. Make sure that you have a current version that is compatible with Vista before purchasing new equipment.  Don't make the mistake of purchasing the equipment first and then find out that it will not run some of your software. 

Get Paid for your old PC's

I like to start the new year off by cleaning out closets, shelves, storage areas and the garage.  One of the biggest nuisance items is old electronic equipment (PC's, printers, faxes, etc.).  Most cities and municipalities require that these items be dropped off at a special recycling center.  No one ever volunteers for this duty, so the old equipment keeps piling up.  Most of the time, I can't even donate to a worthy cause.  They simply don't want my old, outdated computers. 

I've just learned that CostCo will pay you for your old equipment.  Apparently, they have a contract with Greensight to recycle or recondition old computers.  You won't get rich, but Greensight pays the shipping charges and it saves you a trip to recycling center.  They also promise that nothing ends up in a landfill.  Click here to get more information.