The Top 9 Benefits of Managed Services for Law Firms
Tech is often one of the last things on a lawyer’s mind, but in today’s highly connected world, being tech-savvy and safe is important for the success of your law firm.
Hoping that the one person that’s really good with computers will be able and available to solve any tech issues your team may have isn’t the best IT strategy.
Luckily, it’s easier than ever to use managed services for law firms for every IT need you could ever have.
If you’re ready to manage IT the right way, you’ve come to the right place. Read on if you want to learn about the benefits of managed services for law firms.
9 Reasons Why You Should Use Managed IT Services for Law Firms
IT is important for every organization, but it’s difficult for people to find the right IT services for their needs.
Managed IT services can be the best solution for firms that haven’t had luck with having reliable IT help in the past.
There’s a reason why firms of all sizes tend to use managed services for their IT needs. Here are some of the main benefits that your firm will get from using a managed IT service.
1. Improved Security
Take a moment to think about all of the confidential information you come across every day at work. You have social security numbers of your clients along with access to addresses, phone numbers, credit card information.
On top of highly sensitive personal information, you also have access to confidential information related to individual cases.
Imagine what would happen if someone were able to access any of your computers. You could have a major security breach from just one person getting into your network.
When you’re living in a time where more than 100 law firms have reported a data breach, it’s time to start taking your cybersecurity more seriously.
There are so many ways someone could access your important information. A targetted cyber attack can cause problems, but so can viruses and simple employee errors.
Managed providers can give your firm the security and help it needs around the clock.
Whether they install secure programs, alert people of suspicious activity, or take swift action when a problem arises, they can provide true comprehensive cybersecurity help.
2. True Technical Expertise
Do you know how to set up remote access on every laptop and company distributed mobile phones in the office?
If an employee came in one day and said that they lost their company-issued phone, would you know how to remotely wipe it so people can’t access sensitive company information?
Could you easily name 3 top-rated anti-virus programs that are also in compliance with certain industry laws?
You may know how to do some basic things on your laptop and phone, but knowing how to operate a device isn’t the same as being a tech expert.
Your job is to be an expert in law, not in technology. This is why having managed IT services can be helpful for law firms. They’ll be able to be the actual technical experts you need on staff to keep everything safe.
3. Fill Gaps
You know that you have great anti-virus software for all of your laptops, but you still don’t have reliable anti-virus software for any of your mobile phones.
Despite switching e-mail providers and finding one that employees like, there’s still a huge problem with spam and inadequate filters.
Instead of trying to find ways to fill in gaps by yourself, it’s time to find an IT service that can do it themselves.
When you’re used to doing IT internally, it can be easy to be ahead in some areas and far behind in others. If you use a managed IT service you’ll have the help you need to fill in any important gaps in service.
A managed IT service can also be a big help to any internal IT staff. They wouldn’t be taking away any jobs, they’ll be able to improve jobs and make employees even more empowered to do their work properly.
4. Improved Access to Information
Have you ever received a frantic call from an attorney before (or during) an important meeting asking about a certain file or piece of paperwork?
In the past, an intern or clerk would have to race across town to deliver important information. Now they’d have to quickly sort through files on a laptop and hope that they picked the right one.
If you had a managed IT service in this situation, there wouldn’t be any need to have a chaotic chase or go on a fact-finding mission.
Your service provider may set up remote access for your employees so they can get to files even if they aren’t at their computers. Or, they’d have a cloud network set up so that people can easily access files.
The best part of this set up is that you don’t have to worry about security issues. They’ll be able to easily set everything up, and they’ll set it up so that everything is secure.
5. Get Ahead of Regulatory Compliance Issues
HIPPA isn’t just important for medical practitioners. If you take any cases centered around medical malpractice or fraud, your law firm needs to be in compliance with HIPPA too.
HIPPA has a lot of rules around sensitive patient data. If your firm doesn’t take the right steps to comply with rules, you could be setting yourself up for legal trouble down the road.
Health care isn’t the only field that has sensitive rules around data and sharing information. There are plenty of industries that have compliance rules, and if you want to handle any cases in them, you need to make sure you’re compliant.
A trustworthy managed IT service won’t have a problem being up to date on the latest compliance laws and rules around regulation. They’ll know everything your employees need to do to ensure that important data stays safe.
6. Manage Technical Growth
When your law firm first started there may not have been a lot of technical equipment. A few stationary desktop computers, a printer or two, and a fax machine were all you needed to do work.
Now nearly every employee has a laptop that can leave the office whenever they do. They have company-issued smartphones that contain sensitive client information.
Eventually, you could find that you need to buy technology you’re not even familiar with.
As your firm grows your technology needs to grow as well. Finding a way to manage everything can get to be tricky. The right managed service can give you the guidance you need as you bring in more tech.
They can help you find sturdy laptops that can withstand being frequently moved from place to place. They can help you find a mobile provider that gives you good rates and find secure phones you won’t have to worry about.
7. Link Every Location Together
Managing the technical needs of one office may have been easy for one in-house IT specialist, but things can get tricky when you have to take other locations into account.
If you don’t use the same IT services, every location could have different rules around managing devices.
Security protocols get more difficult to manage because there’s no consistency, and that can lead to difficult situations when simple problems arise.
This is where having managed services for IT can come in handy. They’ll be able to create a cohesive plan for managing all things related to IT for every location.
8. 24/7 Help
It would be nice if IT problems only happened from 9-5, but there are going to be issues that happen around the clock.
A major server could go down during a holiday weekend. An employee that’s doing extra work over the weekend could find that they need access to important files. There could be signs of a possible data breach at 11 pm.
You never know when you’re going to need IT help, and managed services can give you the help you need whenever you need it.
There’s no need to worry about off-hours, weekends, or holidays with a managed service firm. They’ll be able to give you any kind of IT support you need around the clock.
9. Lower Operating Costs
Having multiple IT specialists on staff may seem helpful, but it isn’t very cost-effective. There are some days where they may not have any work to do, or the work that needs to be done could be easily finished by one person.
Remember, the true cost of an employee isn’t just their hourly wage. You also have to consider health insurance, benefits, and equipment costs.
Instead of hiring multiple people to do a little work, consider cutting down your staff size and relying on managed services for extra help.
You can have someone in the office each day to handle small issues and work with employees, and also have round the clock help from a firm that can work on larger issues.
Better Help for Less
Managed services for law firms could be the best way for you to finally get the comprehensive IT help that your firm needs.
Aside from having help with your hardware and software, you’ll get extra help with security, compliance, and properly finding the right tech equipment for your needs.
If you have any questions about how managed services can help your firm, we’re here to help. Reach out to us today so we can give you the help you need.
