Using Cloud Computing to Support Your Law Practice
Cloud computing is a topic that many lawyers are interested in and something that more and more are beginning to try out. A survey taken by the American Bar Association in 2013 showed that over 30 percent of lawyers rely on some type of cloud computing service to do their job. That’s a pretty big percentage and a major increase from just a few years previous to that survey.
For some reason some lawyers are still scared of cloud computing though. Either they think it’s going to be difficult to use, when the exact opposite is true, or they are afraid it represents a massive security risk, which is an exaggeration.
Cloud computing is a solid tool for lawyers and something that every firm should at least consider. It’s convenient, relatively safe and doesn’t put lawyers at risk of legal prosecution as long as it’s used carefully.
It is Convenient
74% of the lawyers that affirmed their use of some type of cloud computing service listed convenience as the major reason they relied on such services. It is highly convenient to have access to client data from any location with internet access.
Just imagine how nice it would be to pull up client files while at home, or while at a meeting at the local café. You will have everything that you need wherever you go, and no matter what system you are relying on. Not only is this convenient but it’s pretty reliable as well. Even if your main office computer goes down, all that digital data is going to be accessible from another system just as well.
It is Safer than You May Think
Cloud computing isn’t this huge risk and liability that many lawyers see it as. Sure client information is put out onto the Internet, but this information is very difficult to gain access to if you aren’t the owner of it.
It is because top cloud computing services are operated by highly skilled computer professionals and rely on some of the best industrial encryption and security protocols in the industry. These are the same tools that protect bank accounts from hackers, and that protect online transactions so the credit card numbers aren’t being swiped and used for no good.
With the professional IT technicians behind the cloud, your client data is very safe out on the cloud as long as you use the right service provider.
Lawyers Need to be Careful but Not IT Experts
Many lawyers are afraid that they put their clients and themselves at risk by putting delicate information out on the Internet. After all they can’t guarantee that nothing is going to happen to that information or that someone won’t be able to get their hands on it. The good news is that the American Bar Association realizes this and is pretty lenient when it comes to client security and cloud computing protection.
Any lawyers that decide to rely on cloud computing to store important client data are expected to take reasonable precautions to keep that data safe, but they don’t have to be IT experts to do so.
The American Bar Association simply wants to make sure that cloud computing services are chosen carefully and that they meet the strict security requirements that any other service entrusted with legal information would have to meet as well. This means cloud computing for lawyers must be a secure service and carefully chosen, but lawyers don’t have to be computer professionals to be in line with the law concerning client data.
Cloud computing for a lawyer is one of the biggest productivity tools available. It makes work done easier, and removes most of the constraints that a traditional lawyer has to deal with.
No longer are you locked to an office computer or even an office at all. It’s possible to work on important files from wherever you like with cloud computing, and in many instances just get more done in the process.
Contact NexStep, cloud computing Phoenix, to get the right cloud computing provider with professional IT technicians to make your data stay secure in the cloud and supports your law practice.