hosted it solutions for law firms

8/12/2019 Hosted IT Solutions for Law Firms

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CAPITALISING ON THE CLOUD

WHY LEGAL FIRMS SHOULD

CONSIDER HOSTED IT SOLUTIONS

October 2013


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Hosted IT Solutions

Designed for Law Firms

DPS Software are one of the longest standing legal IT

solutions providers in the UK, catering to the needs of law

firms small and large across the country.

DPSCloud is a fully-managed hosted IT solution,

offering a cost-effective and scalable network hardware

infrastructure and IT management strategy to your law firm.

From servers to personal computers, anti-virus solutions to

practice management software, we provide all things IT

required by your law firm.

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www.dpscloud.com
http://www.dpscloud.com/http://www.dpscloud.com/http://www.dpscloud.com/http://www.dpscloud.com/


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General opinions on cloud

computing

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In their June 2013 issue, the Legal IT Insider introduced its readers to a recent study

conducted by the English Law Society on the use of IT in small-to-medium law firms.

The study reveals the great progress made by the industry in the last 10 years, and

presented a few eye-opening statistics about the legal sector of the 1990s:

- 34% of firms were still running stand-alone PCs, lacking any type of computer

networks;

- 51% of firms provided PCs to just a fraction of their staff;

- 16% of firms werentoffering any form of IT solution to their fee earners.

The legal industry has come a long way since then with forward-thinking practices

embracing the latest technologies available in order to automate processes and

eliminate manual, repetitive tasks. Advances in IT have made technology once only

available to large organisations accessible to nearly every law firm. An example of such

an advance can be found in cloud computing which brings tech benefits in cost-

effectiveness, ease of deployment and scalability.

The main advantages of cloud are greater business agility and flexibility. They are

scalable and transcend geographical separationand support mobile and flexible

working.

Joanna Goodman, The Law Society Gazette

Wehave moved very quickly from a situation of if cloud computing ever takes off for

law firmsto one of, whenfirms switch to the cloud.

Charles Christian, Editor, Legal IT Insider
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Chapter 1

The myths surroundingcloud computing


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Cloud computing is a very popular topic in

our industry. Many providers have been

keen to highlight the technologys

shortcomings if this suited their interests,

sometimes exacerbating these limitations.This exaggeration created many myths,

untruths that affected the image of the

cloud, giving it an aura of unreliability. So

here are just a few of them followed by their

corresponding counter-arguments.

The internet is not a reliable

infrastructure for delivering IT

solutions.

In the past this may have been true but

internet connections have improved rapidly

and substantially over the last few years in 4

key areas Capacity, Reliability, Availability

and Affordability. High-bandwidth lines have

become cheaper and more accessible and

the internet service providers, operating in a

hugely competitive market, now need to

offer near-bulletproofSLAs to customers.

There have also been concerns raised over

remote working capabilities due to the

availability of internet connections on the

move. However, finding a reliable Internet

connection is far easier than it once was.

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The transition to cloud-based

computing will be disruptive to our

work.

Persuading people to alter the way

theyve done things for years is hardly

ever a straightforward task and when

convincing key decision makers to make

the switch and embrace cloud computing

a common objection is that change will

just be a disruption to their work. While

minimum disturbances are unavoidable, it

is the suppliersresponsibility to make the

transition as smooth as possible.

My firms data wont be as secure if

we move to a cloud solution.When data is being looked after by

another party, its right and proper that

security issues are raised but in reality

hosted IT can be a more secure option.

With a bit of extra care, firms would

actually benefit from more robust security

after the move to The Cloud. With DPS

your data is held in a secure data centre

being regularly backed-up and stored off-

site. You also benefit from top of the

range antivirus software and 100% secure

remote working capabilities.


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Chapter 2

Why should your firm beconsidering the cloud?


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With security and reliability-related concerns

eliminated, cloud-based solutions regain

their appeal and relevance for the legal firm

that wants to simplify its IT infrastructure and

keep costs under control. So consider the

following advantages when thinking about

embracing Internet-based applications and

hosted IT solutions.

Focus on Legal Work

The days are gone when legal firms could

afford to employ entire IT departments

dedicated to supporting their systems. In

2013 firms and their staff must be focused

on their core legal work to achieve efficiency

and growth. IT is essential but not core just

like utilities in your office electricity is

essential but itsnot likely that you own your

own power plant! With your IT hosted and

maintained by an external provider like DPS,

your firm and its staff will be free to focus on

their core legal work, achieving new levels of

efficiency and client service.

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The Desktopin The Cloud

For most solicitors and staff at legal firms

there are certain software applications

that have now become essential to their

working day, for example, their practice

management system like DPS Outlook

Office as well as document-editing

programs like Microsoft Word and Excel,

and Outlook for their emails.

With hosted IT solutions your entire

desktop can be hosted on secure servers

and delivered through your Internet

connection. This option will enable you to

have the latest software versions

available at all times as updates are

applied automatically.

Learn more about our hosted IT solution

here.

The benefits of the cloud
http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpscloud.com/http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/casemanagement.aspx


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Scalability

The hosted models IT infrastructure offers

your firm a level of scalability beyond

anything that the traditional methods can

deliver. At any time, user licences can be

added and as the model is charged on a per

head basis increases in your fixed costs will

only occur as the company grows.

Business Continuity and Improved

Operational Capabilities

Business Continuity (BC) has become

increasingly important to all businesses and

law firms are no different. In fact, with time-

sensitive processes and clients placing a lot

of trust in their solicitor to deal with important

matters, legal firms are amongst those

businesses where a solid BC policy is most

critical.

Hosted IT solutions like DPSsenable you to

provide your staff with remote working

capabilities if weather or some other

unforeseen events means they cantmake it

to the office. If a lot of their work is field-

based, they can still access and work on

their case files thanks to your DPSCloud

solution.

You can also put your trust in the Service

Level Agreements (SLAs) we offer which

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range from between 99% to 99.9% uptime

depending on the options selected by the

client. Your data will be accessible and it

will also be protected by top of the range

anti-spam and anti-virus software.

Image credit: tempworks.com

Disaster Recovery

37% of the executives surveyed said

disaster recovery had a moderate or very

large effect on the decision to adopt

private cloud computing. showed the

Symantec Disaster Recovery

Preparedness Research, CRN, February

2012.

Going hand-in-hand with business

continuity are your firms disaster

recovery capabilities which determine

your firmsability to resume work after

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the occurrence of an unforeseen event.

Disasters are (thankfully) rare but you need

to be prepared for the worst and thanks to

our secure climate-controlled data centre,

regular back-ups and off-site storage of

back-up coupled with remote-working

capabilities, your firm has the infrastructure

needed to recover should disaster strike

happen.

Image credit: newrivercomputing.com

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Fixed monthly costseasy to budget

At any time, but especially during a period

of austerity, an element of certainty in

your overheads can allow for accurate

budgeting and cash flow planning.

Through DPS hosting you pay fixed

monthly costs and avoid the unexpected

costs that are often associated with the

maintenance of an IT infrastructure.

According to industry commentators,

cloud computing should be seen as an

utility- a resource that while not core to

your business, is instrumental to its

proper functioning.

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Chapter 3

DPS SoftwareYour one-stop shop for

hosted ITsolutions
http://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/OutSourcing.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/OutSourcing.aspxhttp://www.dpssoftware.co.uk/OutSourcing.aspx


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Unlike traditional computing technologies

whose pricing isnt necessarily aligned to

your needs, cloud-based solutions never

involve spending more than you have to.

With this in mind, its safe to say the

rationale for change is solid and obvious.

Having established this, the next step for

any firm is to identify a supplier you can trust

to deliver the service you need.

This is where DPS Softwares unique

offering comes in to the picture.

Imagine the things you could achieve if you

were able to avoid the distractions and

occasional problems associated with

managing your IT in house.

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Our DPSCloud solution allows you to

have the technology you need when you

need it- from digital dictation to case

management software. As its cost is

based on the number of users, this will

increase or decrease according to your

firmsrequirements and number of staff.

Hereswhat DPSCloud offers you:

All the applications your law firm

needs- fully updated and maintained-from Windows, Microsoft Exchange &

Office to Citrix.

DPS case management, legal

accounts and digital dictation

softwareso your firm is at the cutting

edge of technology.

DPSCloud

Your one-stop shop for

hosted legal IT
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Data management, storage and back

up. As we own our data centre, you will

always know where your data is stored

and this will never be dispersed across

different providers servers. As per Law

Societys recommendations your data will

never leave the UK, nullifying any

compliance issues relating to data leaving

the EU.

Thanks to our data security expertise and

capability and the measures and procedures

we implement, our DPSCloud solution is a

more secure alternative than an internally

managed IT system.

High level anti-spam and anti-virus

software that guards your system from

threats.

Home and remote access to your case

files from any device- 24/7. You can

carry your caseload with you, wherever

you are.

IT management with dedicated IT staff

at your service. Our help desk will

monitor, manage and carry out important

maintenance work on your behalf, and will

support your fee earners in making a

good use of the technology put at theirdisposal. Page 12

A sound IT infrastructure has become

crucial to the majority of successful legal

practices but an increasingly competitive

market demands they focus 100% on

their legal work. Allocating time and

resources to the continual maintenance of

systems means these needs clash, but

hosting allows your firm to cater to both.

The DPS IT department as a service

approach answers all the technical

requirements of a law firm and builds

them into a management structure that

allows them to focus on their core legal

business.

Our solution is characterised by:

Fixed monthly costs

Minimal initial outlay

Scalability

DPSCloud

Your one-stop shop for

hosted legal IT
http://www.dpscloud.com/


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Chapter 4

Case StudyStuart Miller Solicitors


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The firms emphasis on infrastructure,

processes and procedures combined with

energetic management has set up a

business that has gone from strength to

strength but is set to grow further.

There are many components needed in a

business for it to perform well; no one

thing can guarantee success; but the

combination of a DPSCloud solution and

the initiatives that the partners at Stuart

Miller have employed has certainly set

them up for continued growth.

Would you like to learn more about

DPSCloud?

WithoutDPS we would certainly have had

a far more difficult time achieving what we

have. Their software provided us with the

platform we needed to both increase

efficiency and implement initiatives that

helped the firm work in the way we wanted

it to work.said Director Majid Habib

Taking our IT hosted through DPSCloud

then made complete business sense as we

implemented a cost-effective and robust IT

infrastructure which carries none of the

hassle that maintaining on-premise IT

brings with it.

He continued:

Stuart Miller Solicitors-

Innovative practice

management in the Cloud

CONTACT US

REQUEST A

FREE

CONSULTATION

Learn how DPSCloud

can answer your

firms specific needs

and requirements

Ask us all you want to

know about hosted IT

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Chapter 6Conclusions


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Itsnot often that the IT world is unanimous

about future directions but on the subject of

the cloud and the move towards hosted IT

this does appear to be the case.

Indeed, due to the impact and benefits of

cloud computing, many IT experts are

predicting that businesses owning their own

IT infrastructure could become the exception

rather than the norm in the near future.

Some firms, as we have seen in the case

study focused on Stuart Miller Solicitors, are

already taking advantage of hosted IT from

DPS and of all the benefits that the cloud

can offer.

At DPS we have the experience to make

sure this transition goes as smoothly as

possible and through our one-stop-shop

approach to hosted solutions for legal firms

you can implement your firmsentire IT

infrastructure through DPS.

It really is that simple The Cloud was a

major sea change in the world of IT but

this doesnt mean your firms movetowards it has to bring a major disruption.

The Cloud is on th e horizon

Move you r f i rm ahead of the game and

take advantage of c loud comput ing

now.

Contact us tod ay to learn more about

DPSCloud www.dpscloud.com

Call us on 0208 804 1022

Conclusions

REQUEST A

FREE

CONSULTATION

Learn how

DPSCloud can

answer your firms

needs and

requirements

Ask us everything

you want to know

about hosted IT

solutions

See our case

management

software in action
http://www.dpscloud.com/http://www.dpscloud.com/

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