In fact, leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey from the American Bar Association, almost half of all law firms operating in the United States did not utilize cloud software in management of their firm. This means that nearly half of all US law firms were ultimately blindsided by the unprecedented shutdown of all in-person businesses at the beginning of last year. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that cloud computing is the way of the future, something that must be capitalized upon sooner, rather than later. Firms that utilized cloud management of their business were exponentially more prepared for the instant shift to remote work than firms that did not- going forward, it may be wise to consider cloud computing and management as necessary insurance to run a business.

Let’s compare the benefit of the cloud to needing a grocery list for shopping. How many times has something unexpected happened- your child or spouse throws away the list on accident, or you lose said grocery list in some other way. If you only keep a physical, one-copy record of your grocery list, it will be lost to the ages. However, if you happened to jot down your grocery list onto your iPhone notes (thus utilizing the cloud), not only would it be impossible to lose the grocery list- you would be able to continue to add or otherwise edit your list at any time, from multiple different platforms- from your phone, tablet, or computer.

This is the benefit that the utilization of cloud computing can provide. Who knows what can happen- maybe you’re forced to stay home from the office on a sick day, or need to access relevant casework from somewhere other than your office. Having the cloud as a practice management resource allows you to be able to access your firm from anywhere in the world. By using the right type of cloud-based software, not only will your work become all the more accessible at any time, but it will also become more secure than ever.

This is where NuLaw becomes all the more relevant. Powered by Salesforce, and as one of the most all-inclusive practice management software providers on the market, NuLaw is able to handle everything- from intake, prospecting, and matter planning, to reporting, billing, and scheduling. Additionally, NuLaw integrates with a laundry list of third party software while keeping everything under wraps with the same top-notch security measures utilized by the United States Department of Defense. As the working world moves to the future, help your practice stay prepared for anything that may come it’s way, and invest in cloud computing sooner, rather than later.

Every internet user owes it to him or herself to protect precious data while traveling. As an attorney however, you have an extra responsibility to your clients. You are obligated, both professionally and legally, to ensure that all the information you have pertaining to client accounts and cases remains private. You have to protect that data at all times.

Below are some suggestions for improving data security while traveling. They are based on the assumption that you will not be using your smartphone to do a lot of work in the airport or at your hotel. It assumes you will be using a laptop computer.

Turn Off File Sharing

Right off the top, go into your computer’s network settings and turn off file sharing. Having file sharing activated makes transferring files to various devices around the office a breeze, but it also leaves your laptop vulnerable outside of the office. Turning file sharing off makes it harder for hackers to steal data from your laptop.

Encrypt Your Home Folder

The next tip is to encrypt the home folder on your computer. The home folder is the folder that pertains to your individual identity. It contains all your documents, pictures, program files, etc. Encrypting it prevents hackers from easily stealing information from it.

Your Mac or Linux home folder should have the same name you use to log on to your computer. If you are running a Windows system, there is no home folder per se. Instead, you will have to encrypt all the appropriate folders individually. That means encrypting your documents folder, any program folders that might contain information about your clients, and any shared folders you use for in-office file sharing.

Use a VPN Service

A virtual private network (VPN) is an excellent tool for fighting hackers. When you access the internet through a VPN, you are connecting your computer directly to a secure server. From there, you are able to access the internet by using the VPN as a launching point.

VPNs protect privacy in two ways. First, they hide your true IP address while broadcasting a fictional address. Second, they encrypt data in both directions. The combination of these two features makes life very difficult for hackers. A good hacker can still break in, but it takes a lot of work. There are easier targets for them to spend their time on.

Run Your Antivirus Software

Before you log on to any public network, you should run your antivirus software. Do a complete scan that looks for everything: viruses, trojans, malware, etc. Repeat the scan before you shut down your computer to end the session. The goal here is to catch any suspicious software before it has time to do any damage. Also note that in order for your antivirus software to be effective, it has to be kept up to date.

These are just a few suggestions for keeping your data secure when traveling. Remember that while NuLaw is a secure legal case management application hosted in the cloud, it cannot do anything to prevent hackers from targeting your system over a public network. You have to take the necessary steps to prevent that yourself. Never forget you have an ethical and legal obligation to do so.

Would you believe that law firms are a prime target for hackers? According to a 2017 study by the American Bar Association, 22% of America’s law firms were victimized by data breaches that year. The total number was up 14% from the year before.

Bad actors target law firms because they are a treasure trove of information. Their networks and servers are rich with personal client data, case data, and proprietary business data. All of those data streams can be leveraged by hackers for financial gain. The smartest law firms know this and take appropriate steps to keep hackers at bay.

Software in the Cloud

Here at NuLaw, we are doing our part by moving legal case management software into the cloud. The cloud is a much more secure environment today than it was just a decade ago. It is increasingly more secure than local networks. According to a 2018 report from Gartner:

• The 60% of enterprises that embrace the cloud each year will experience 33% fewer security failures.
• By 2020, public cloud environments will be subject to 60% fewer security failures than traditional data centers.
• Between 2018 and 2022, 95% of all security failures will be attributable to customers rather than the cloud environment itself.

Cloud technology has improved vastly since it was first introduced at the turn-of-the-century. If your law firm is looking for the best way to secure data in the environment in which it exists, moving case management software to the cloud is the way to go.

Other Strategies to Implement

Moving software into the cloud is a good starting point. Yet cloud technology alone will not protect sensitive data from every kind of attack. As such, law firms have to implement other strategies if they hope to meet their professional and ethical obligations.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Better Training – Not all security breaches are the result of autonomous computer systems hacking into unprotected networks. Many times, breaches are the result of human error. Better training reduces the risk of threats like phishing, malware, and computer viruses.

• Mobile Security – With cloud software comes more mobility. However, individual devices may pose a risk because they are not optimized for mobile security. Law firms should put their ID departments on the task of mitigating said risks as much as possible.

• Data Audits – Data breaches can go from relatively minor to quite severe if not caught quickly. Moreover, the best way to catch early stage breaches is through regular data audits. Data and data security should both be reviewed by qualified experts on a regular basis.

• Encryption – All data should absolutely be encrypted before leaving the cloud environment. This includes e-mails, file transfers, and so forth. Encrypted data is protected from prying eyes by requiring both sender and receiver to have the appropriate key to unlock it.

The four suggestions offered here do not constitute the totality of what law firms can do to improve data security. But they do provide an introduction to the concept of proactively maintaining security. In a world where data is becoming increasingly more valuable to those who would steal it for their own advantage, law firms cannot afford to turn a blind eye. Even the slightest data breach could cause big problems.

Sources:

1. Lawyers Mutual – https://www.lawyersmutualnc.com/blog/one-in-5-law-firms-hacked-in-2017
2. Gartner – https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/is-the-cloud-secure/