Cloud computing
Software as a Service – going mainstream in 2008
There are many words and phrases associated with Software as a Service (SaaS), including .net (dot net), hosted services, managed services, web-native, web services, browser based software, remote access software and outsourcing of IT. Whilst coming to the topic from somewhat different angles, all these phrases are really referring to the same central theme – […]
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Remote access and flexible working
Nowadays there is no reason why people can’t work remotely – or flexibly – if they have all their information stored electronically and the systems and security in place to support them. Remote access requires documents to be scanned on arrival, wherever they arrive, so they can be made available (electronically) at locations where the […]
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Online dispute resolution – is anybody there?
Like the paperless office, online dispute resolution (ODR) was an early goal of those embracing online communication. Unlike the paperless office, however, whose arrival has been somewhat delayed by the principle that anything made easier, eg printing, will be done many more times than otherwise would be the case, ODR has indeed arrived. “Where is […]
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Changing practice management systems
To understand the changes currently being made in practice management systems it is worth first having a quick run through the history of this type of software. The first PMSs differed from their predecessor, the humble accounting system, by being based around relational database management systems. This enabled law firms to produce more meaningful management […]
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Legal outsourcing trends and possibilities
I became involved in offshoring in the mid 1990s whilst practising as a solicitor. The aim at that stage was solely to outsource client firms’ typing and transcription requirements to Indian legal secretaries with a view to achieving guaranteed turnaround targets and at the same time reducing costs. The business worked well because it delivered […]
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Hosted email
You need electricity to run your business. You need a telephone. You need email. If I suggested you set up your own power station to generate the electricity needed to run your legal practice, or set up your own satellite to make and receive telephone calls, you would dismiss the suggestions as fanciful. This is […]
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Does IT matter?
“Does IT Matter?” is the title of a controversial 2003 article in the Harvard Business Review by technology writer Nicholas Carr and also of his follow-up book in 2004 which expands on the theme. The nub of his argument is that IT has become a commodity input and that for most companies there is little […]
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Who needs an IT department?
Whether you realise it or not, you are probably already outsourcing at least some of your IT via the Internet and it is likely that you will be outsourcing more and more in the future. In this short article I will show why it makes sense to give serious consideration to this form of outsourcing, […]
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Outsourcing IT for solicitors
Steven Bradley notes in particular a number of Hosted Chambers Management Systems, Hosted Email Services, Telephony Service Providers, and Online Backup Service Providers. This short note covers some other services used specifically by solicitors. Outsourcing accounts and practice management Solicitors can outsource their accounts and practice management systems thus avoiding the need to buy or […]
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