How Cloud Can Help Law Firms in Challenging Economic Times
In a special feature on cloud computing for law firms, the Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer magazine focuses on the business partnership between LawCloud and The Cashroom, which has harnessed the latest IT to offer a platform for law firms facing the challenges of the 21st century.
Following the driest April on record it may seem a little odd to be talking about clouds. However, there has probably never been a better time to discuss cloud computing: a buzz phrase blown into the marketplace in recent months on the back of gathering concerns about the future of legal services.
Alternative business structures will come into being on October and already one major firm, (Irwin Mitchell) has confirmed plans to attract outside investment in an effort to expand. In the meantime, and with the spectre of Tesco Law looming large over the high street, smaller practices continue to collaborate, join forces and prepare for the future by going down their own route.
Whether new entrants to the market or new-look existing firms, the likelihood of increasing competition means that there has never been a better time to consider the key issue of costs. Outsourcing functions like HR, finance or IT is a serious consideration for all practices and this is where am specialist service like cloud computing can begin to make sense. Put simply, the term explains the outsourcing of IT services through the internet instead of physically investing in the staff and infrastructure required to carry out those vital functions in house.
Bridging the gap
“The phrase cloud computing is used to describe a new way of delivering IT software and services by simplifying technology so that the end-user no longer needs to worry about issues like backup, availability, performance, security and robustness,” explains Warren Wander, Managing Director of LawWare.
“Rather than having applications and data held in your premises, they are delivered from state-of-the-art data centres in the cloud. In reality, cloud has been around for a long time but under the guise of hosted services. Essentially, the technology provider is responsible for delivering its software as a service over the internet and usually at a low fixed monthly cost. At the moment both Microsoft and Google are investing enormously into their cloud facilities.”
LawWare, through an initiative known as LawCloud, offers such a service to firms in Scotland and is set to roll out its offering to the North of England in the coming months. LawWare itself has been around since 1998 and over 190 firms north of the border presently use its case management software.
Click here to download the full, original Leeds and Yorkshire Lawyer article and visit LawCloud’s Outsourcing section for further information on outsourcing for law firms.
Upcoming Leeds Events on Outsourcing
Further, LawCloud is hosting an exclusive legal event focusing on Law firm management, outsourcing and technology on 21 June 2011. The event is a must if you want to find out more about new technologies, outsourced services, better financial management and internet marketing.
On behalf of LawWare Ltd, The Cashroom Ltd and Moore legal Technology, we hope you can join us for what promises to be another exciting and informative few hours.
I very much look forward to the prospect of meeting you in person at the event.
Warren T Wander
BSC(hons) CEng MBCS CITP
Managing Director
LawWare Ltd
PS places are limited so we suggest you book early!
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[…] Wander then presented on the benefits of cloud computing for law firms, explaining how LawCloud has enabled over 170 lawyers across the UK to improve their legal practice […]