Employees are often considered the weakest link in the security chain. For this reason, many organizations focus their efforts on educating, training and implementing protocols for their own staff when evaluating data privacy plans. While internal threats are certainly a tangible concern, this internal-focused approach fails to recognize another leading cybersecurity threat: vendors.

As the Director of Client Services at Ricoh eDiscovery, I consult with clients on the best method to manage their litigation databases. While each firm differs in how they operate (and with which tools), there is always one question that comes up: is it better to use a desktop or cloud solution?

By 2025, it is reasonable to assume that the digital tools emerging in legal practice will have advanced to the point there all legal services involving the standard application of legal knowledge will be delivered by technology.” — Cambridge Strategy Group

 

It’s Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., and you’re sitting in a meeting with four other employees in your department. Each colleague is giving a short update on their respective projects. “Couldn’t this have been done via email?” you think to yourself. Or better yet, could this meeting have taken place online?

As a vendor in the eDiscovery and Data Management space, we are always conscious of the need to be “flexible”. Often times we hear our clients say, “yes, we want to try new technologies, but the new technologies have to serve multiple needs.”

Every company with an online presence is a technology company doing something else at the same time. In the digital age, shifting your company’s mindset to “technology first” is crucial — and, in some cases, can be a sink-or-swim process.

The Global Legal Post recently posted the article Law Society Urges Firms to Harness the Power of Automation written by Kathryn Higgins, Corporate Counsel Writer and Editor for The Global Legal Post.

“Technology by itself will not bring innovation to a firm. What will is a better understanding of business issues and the points where technology and business come together, and how that can be better understood and developed".

In today's world we are constantly surrounded by the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and of course "All Things Social". But is technology alone the driving force for innovation?

AdvocateDaily.com reaches out to Commonwealth Legal's Vice President, Jennifer Johnson, for what makes for an effective ediscovery managed services offering.

Rather than just an add-on to its main business, 'managed services' should be at the core of an ediscovery firm's offering, as expertise, flexibility and a well-established technology toolkit are key to excelling in this area, says Commonwealth Legal vice-president, Jennifer Johnson.

In the managed services area — which is a sophisticated combination of evidence management, the cloud, and reactive service needs for litigation, regulatory matters, inquiries or investigations, means that only hands-on experience and a proficient team can set you up for success.

“This is not the kind of business where you can get away with doing a satisfactory job. Infrastructure costs, security risks, an efficient approach to managing the data and enabling your clients to really master the technology is what makes us successful,” says Johnson.

“The reality is that anyone can buy a tool. But we know from experience, and law firms have learned this too as they work to evolve their in-house capabilities, that it takes a village to support these applications and the teams that are using them. There is a lot at stake and highly responsive, first-hand expertise is critical to the successful management of cases in the cloud,” says Johnson.

Read the rest of the article on AdvocateDaily.com.