CARET Legal recently commissioned a survey of law firms’ activity and decisions about practice management software. The survey reveals that firms today certainly understand and appreciate the benefits of cloud technology.
Well over half – 65% – of firms name improved data security as an advantage of cloud practice management.
About 49% of firms recognize that a cloud application can cost less than a VPN solution, and 36% appreciate that cloud practice management systems would be less affected by power outages or other local issues.
Also, 39% of respondents see cloud applications as easy to use, and more than one-third appreciate the flexibility in a work from anywhere/any device model.
53% of Your Peers Can’t Be Wrong
Cloud solutions are in use by 53% of firms, according to the survey.
So, the question is: Knowing all the advantages of the cloud in terms of security, cost, reliability, and convenience – why are many firms still using a VPN solution or, in some cases, no practice management system at all?
Of course, moving from an on-site server or a hosted VPN to a true cloud practice management platform involves some planning. Still, the cloud is proven. On the whole, cloud practice management users express high levels of satisfaction, and getting started with a cloud application is fairly simple.
Following are the top three challenges of moving to the cloud, as cited by law firms in the sponsored survey. For each of these fears, we offer some tips for shaking it off and moving forward.
Fear #1: Difficulties with Data Migration and Setup (67.09%)
Shake it off: When you are selecting a cloud practice management system, the list of features and functionality is an important place to start. But be sure to talk with platform providers about their support for implementation, migration and onboarding, particularly:
- Checklists and tools for migration planning
- A cloud migration guide
- A knowledgeable support team familiar with the data sources you plan to migrate data from
- Service offerings to support the migration of your firm’s data
Check out our post on Preparing for Legal Practice Data Migration
Fear #2: Costs of Onboarding (52.99%)
Shake it off: A successful onboarding process starts with well-designed, easy-to-use software! Onboarding provides attorneys and staff with the information and training they need to effectively use the new program. When the practice management system is user-friendly, everyone can become proficient with minimal training.
In the software selection process, seek to understand:
- How intuitive are the user interface, menus and navigation?
- Are detailed training sessions available via videos, webinars and self-help learning resources?
- Are other client firms willing to share their experience with onboarding?
With CARET Legal, you can take advantage of our 100% free self-help knowledge bases and training webinars. Attorneys and staff have round-the-clock access to high-quality training materials and knowledge base content – at no cost.
Full-service options are also available. Take advantage of our 1:1 advanced training and consulting, best practices, hands-on installations by experienced technicians and application experts.
Fear #3: Data Security (50.43%)
Shake it off: Understandably, one of the biggest concerns law firms have with using a cloud service is confidentiality and data security.
Making the shift to the cloud can actually increase organizational security and reduce risk of loss. This is because many larger cloud service providers have the resources to invest in more robust security than an individual firm can, so their service is a secure and reliable choice. Examples of these security features include top-of-the-line perimeter firewalls, intrusion detection systems, internal firewalls for individual applications and databases and data-at-rest encryption.
It’s time to let go of fear and embrace all the advantages that cloud-based practice management offers!
