As new cloud-based systems are announced each day, law firms are balancing the responsibility to keep client data secure with the need to make documents and other information accessible remotely.
In this article, we will show that the choice is not always as simple as either moving entirely to the cloud or choosing to forego remote access. Here are two sample pairings of traditional server-based systems with cloud add-ons.
Document Management Software
- Local: Worldox document management
- Cloud: Worldox web mobile hosted by World Software
Time & Billing Software
- Local: Timeslips time and billing system
- Cloud: Sage e-Center for Timeslips (or iSlips for Timeslips)
Worldox GX3 is a well-established document management system that is installed in a typical client/server environment. World Software launched its WebMobile service a few years ago, in response to the common need to read, draft, correct and email documents while out of the office. To run Worldox WebMobile locally, however, Internet Information Services (IIS) must be enabled on the server, and some firms feared exposing the firm’s data if IIS is not configured correctly.
World Software now offers the WebMobile service hosted through Worldox, at a cost of $25 per user per month. The pricing is based on the users who want to use WebMobile, and not the entire number of users at the firm. The WebMobile iPad app is available for free. Any device with a browser, including Macs and smartphones, can access the Worldox document store through WebMobile.
Turning to time and billing software, Timeslips also offers a hybrid server and remote solution for firms who wish to provide access to time and expense entry from anywhere, while maintaining control of their data on a traditional server environment. The Sage Timeslips e-Center allows users to enter time and expense slips from any device that has a browser. The office administrator can “pull down” the time entries as needed into the main billing database. E-Center is a subscription service, priced at $19.95 per month.
For those looking to pay a one-time fee for a similar capability, there is iSlips by Brain Freeze Software, which for $64.99 allows entry of time from an iPhone or an iPad. which is then synced, either wirelessly or via USB cable, to the billing computer where Timeslips is installed. This can be a good choice for a sole practitioner who is often not in the office, and who enjoys using an iPad for emails and document drafting.
So with the right selection of products plucked from the ever-growing array of choices, it is possible for a law firm to “stick its toe (head?)” – tentatively – into cloud computing, while still keeping its “feet” firmly planted on the client/server environment with which most of us are more familiar.
Thinking about putting your head in the cloud? Give us a call at 877-357-0555 to discuss your needs (and your apprehensions) and we can help you make wise choices for your practice.
Jack Schaller has been active in the field of law office technology since 1989, and has worked with a variety of commercial accounting, legal billing, practice management, and document management software products during his twenty plus years in the software consulting field. During his tenure as a software consultant he has garnered many sales and service awards for his work with legal software products. Jack is a frequent presenter at legal conferences and seminars, and is a regular contributor to TechnoLawyer and other technology publications.