Why All Legal Firms Should Seek Managed IT Support Services

In fact, according to the National Cyber Security Centre, 60% of law firms reported an IT security breach in 2017 alone. As a prime target for cybercrime, law firms should defend their IT systems against phishing attacks and intrusive malware to protect not only their reputation but also their clients’ right to confidentiality. 

There are also a whole host of other reasons why legal firms should take action and seek managed IT services, making it a priority for any involved in the industry.

So, whether you’re the owner of a law firm, an employee, or a potential customer, read on to discover 6 ways that IT support can elevate the legal sector to new heights. 

IT security services for the legal sector 

Depending on the size of your legal firm, the best managed IT services for you will differ. For a start, your employee base and budget will be unique. Also, larger firms might have multiple locations that require secure, fast communication pathways between them for data transfer.  

Regardless of the size, every legal team requires reliable remote access to client data and company files, stable file-sharing software, functional backup systems, and capacious cloud storage in order to operate successfully. 

Does your law firm have these IT necessities in place? If not, we’d strongly suggest outsourcing your IT support to a managed IT services provider like ITRM. And here’s why: 

1. Work from anywhere with cloud computing services 

To satisfy a client’s unpredictable needs, a good law firm should see that all its employees can access the data they need wherever they are. 

In order to respond quickly to client queries while working on cases fluidly without disruption, the employees of your firm should not have to be tethered to the office and it’s hardware. 

Instead, as enabled by cloud computing services, remotely-accessible data allows you to appease both the working needs of your staff and the ad hoc demands of your clients all at once. 

Not only do cloud computing services increase productivity and connectivity, but they also account for the natural mobility of your staff, helping your business to grow. 

Moving to the cloud has never been easier and is a surefire way to improve both your data security and customer service. For more information on which cloud-based service is best for your firm, check out our blog article all about the best cloud-based services.

2. Secure your data against cyberattacks

As we’ve established, law firms are extremely vulnerable to cybercrime due to the high-profile nature of the data they handle. In fact, according to research conducted in 2018, 81% of law firms in the UK have been exposed to at least one significant vulnerability. 

This makes it extremely important for your client’s safety and your integrity that your firm can guarantee safe data handling. 

The prevention of unauthorised access to client data should be at the top of your list of priorities as a legal firm. As data breaches are on the rise in the legal sector, your defensive technology needs to be equipped to handle increasingly-sophisticated attacks. 

Outsourcing your IT security to an expert like ITRM not only means that your data handling can be monitored, but also that it can be improved.

With endpoint, email, and web protection from a trustworthy service like ITRM Protect you can continue to run the legal business you love with the peace of mind that your client data is safe. 

3. Plan ahead & prepare for anything 

Even better than just defending against cyberattack when it happens, managed IT support services allow you to pre-empt attacks and prepare. 

Services like Disaster Recovery Planning allow threats to be identified and dispelled before they even develop into problems that could affect the security of your law firm. Though this type of protection is not unique to IT support for law firms, every professional setting in which data is vulnerable could benefit from it. 

With a team dedicated to identifying threats on the horizon and improving your software accordingly, you can operate with confidence, giving your clients the justice they deserve without fear of a breach. 

4. Streamlined communications 

The legal world can sometimes be a whirlwind of endlessly changing dates, times, and places. For this reason, it is essential that your legal firm’s staff are all on the same page with every case they tackle — and that requires effective communication. 

It is surprising how many businesses fail to invest in their communications systems, unable to see the value in factors such as broadband and CPNs (Converged Private Networks). But the truth is, these often-overlooked elements are what hold a firm together. 

Conducting important virtual meetings or client calls with poor connections and unstable networks is hardly going to look good, is it?

Allowing a communications expert to solve your IT support problems like communications cabling is the fastest way to elevate the connectivity of your business.

5. Maintain solid GDPR compliance 

As lawyers will well know, there are a whole host of regulations affecting the handling of sensitive client data which are constantly changing and often require renewal. 

All these virtual hoops that businesses have to jump through when storing and disseminating client data can seem overwhelming to those not adept to the digital world and may slow down a business’ output. 

That’s why managed IT support service providers like ITRM make sure they are always au fait with GDPR regulations pertaining to the legal sector and can advise your firm accordingly. 

Without the fear of IT-related GDPR violation holding you back, your legal firm can confidently operate online, reassuring its clients. 

Greater competitiveness  

Lastly, a combination of all the IT support services above will swiftly bring about a greater level of competitiveness to your law firm. 

With faster communications, safer data handling, maximised GDPR compliance, and reliable remote working solutions, your firm will be delivering the best service possible to its clients. Without outdated or faulty IT systems holding you back, your firm can compete with even the toughest of its competitors in digital spaces. 

So, it just goes to show that outsourcing the improvement and streamlining of factors such as cloud computing and data protection pays off. 

How can ITRM’s IT support services help your legal firm?

With over 20 years of experience in IT support and IT security services, ITRM has proudly served an impressive range of customers from all over the country and across all industries.

IT Support London

There is a high concentration of law firms in London which remain a hotspot for cybercrime. 

In a recent study by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, it was found that businesses in London are far more likely to see cybersecurity as a threat than elsewhere in the UK (51% versus 40%). 

This is no doubt due to the increased risk of cybercrime in the nation’s capital. At ITRM we know that law firms in London require extra IT security services. That’s why we’ve created our IT support London page as a hub for managed IT services in London.

So, if you’re a London-based law firm looking for IT solutions, be sure to take a look.

For more information regarding the benefits of managed IT support services for the legal sector, head over to our industry-specific page and explore our range of law-focused IT support solutions. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding IT support for law firms, get in touch with the expert ITRM team who would be happy to help.