Is Your Law Firm Using Cloud-Based Or On-Premise Systems?

Is Your Law Firm Using Cloud-Based Or On-Premise Systems?

Have you found the right foundation for your law firm’s IT systems? Find out whether an on-premise or cloud-based system is right for you in the guide below.

Have you hesitated to invest in cloud systems for your law firm?

It’s understandable. If you’ve been using on-premise infrastructure and solutions for as long as you’ve been in business, then you may not be eager to make a change. That said, you’re likely missing out on a number of key advantages offered by cloud-based systems.

This is especially true of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions that support your overall firm management processes. This is a software licensing and delivery model in which the software is centrally hosted, licensed, and offered on a monthly or annual basis through the cloud. SaaS is the standard delivery model for most applications.

Do you know what you stand to gain by hosting your software and data in the cloud?

What Would Be The Advantage Of Using Cloud Servers?

By moving your data and apps off-premise through the cloud, you can get the freedom to clean out your server rooms and gain a number of key advantages:

• Reducing Hardware: As already mentioned, one of the key benefits of the cloud is how it allows businesses to get rid of their onsite servers. This lets businesses reduce the money they spend on office space.
• Fewer Expenses: By outsourcing your infrastructure to a third party, you offload a range of management expenses to them. Utilities like power and cooling, and continuity expenses for liability are all paid by them — you just pay a simple monthly fee.
• Comprehensive Dematerialization: The cloud offers a number of ways to substitute virtual options for their conventional equivalents. Whether it’s by storing data and apps offsite in a data center, accessing work at home instead of driving to the office, or by using VoIP and video chat to conduct meetings instead of traveling there in person, businesses can save money and reduce carbon emissions with modern cloud technologies.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Cloud Service Development?

• Lower Initial Costs: With a cloud service, you don’t have to pay for any of the hardware upfront. Typically, you’ll just pay a by-the-month rate based on the number of users, phones, and features.
• Scalability And Flexibility: Adding additional resources is often as simple as informing your provider.
• Outsourced Maintenance: With a third-party taking care of your cloud systems, you and your staff never have to worry about upgrades, patches, or any other maintenance tasks. Those tasks happen offsite and after hours, keeping your systems up to date on an ongoing basis.
• Better Hosting Facilities: The major cloud service providers will keep their equipment at a robust data center with redundant internet connections, power, and cooling. That normally provides a more reliable environment for the main phone system to keep your service up and running.

However, no model is perfect. Using cloud systems comes with potential drawbacks as well:

• Variable Service Quality: With your systems hosted in the cloud, your users will rely on an internet connection to access data and applications. That makes the reliability and quality of those services directly dependent on the speed of your Internet connection.
• Offsite Support: When something goes wrong with your cloud systems, the complexity of the support chain can greatly delay a fix. You often need to reach out to multiple vendors — the cloud service provider, your internet service provider, and possibly even the data center management company where the system is hosted.

That’s why having an IT company on your side can help — they can manage your relationships with technology vendors, and help facilitate the resolution process with any cloud-based issues.

Not Sure If The Cloud Is Right For Your Law Firm?

If you’re still undecided or would like help in your evaluation, please feel free to reach out to the TLC Tech team. We help our clients evaluate their options and determine which solution best meets their needs.

It’s never been easier to start moving your business to the cloud, and the benefits are clear: save yourself money that you’d otherwise spend to maintain a server room by transitioning to a cloud environment with TLC Tech.