In the white paper, Law Firm Management in the Cloud, Mr. Andrew Adkins III explores the value of the Cloud. Below, we have featured his explanation on how the Cloud can help reduce IT costs.
Reduced IT Costs
Most legal specific software follows a traditional client-server
model: attorneys purchase software licenses and install it on their in-house
computer servers. Users access the software through a local area network and
data is stored on these computers. Updates are applied on the firm’s computers
by in-house IT or outside consultants. Vendors often release a major upgrade
which may be offered to the firm at a reduced cost or may be provided as part
of the annual software maintenance cost. The client-server model puts total
control in the hands of the firm. Data is stored internally and access is
controlled by the firm – all residing within the technology walls of the law
firm.
Software as a Service, or “Cloud-based computing,” differs
from the traditional client-server model. Instead of installing the software on
your firm’s in-house computer servers, the application is hosted on the cloud-based developer’s servers and accessed through
the Internet using a standard web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox,
Chrome, or Apple Safari) over a secure Internet connection. Your firm’s data is
stored on the cloud-based platform rather than in your firm’s office. Instead
of paying an up-front cost, which in the client-server model may be a hefty
investment, the firm pays a monthly per-user fee. The cloud-based model puts
the data in the hands of a third party (the host). The law firm has access to
the data, but it resides outside the
technology walls of the law firm.
