Before we dive into some of the scenarios below, we should start with a very basic premise. There are only two factors of importance in a law firm computer system. The first is your users. A successful computer system allows the user to work all day, every day, without interruption at the full speed they are able to work. The second is software applications. A proper IT solution provides all of the applications needed by the users and allows them to produce high quality work in a fraction of the time spent by less efficient firms. All IT decisions should be driven by these two simple concepts.
Misconception #1: Any PC will do
It is not unusual to see law firms with 30 desktops of which there are 8 different models and sometimes 3 or more different operating systems. This makes a huge difference in the key areas of any law firm’s IT solution.
Each desktop in this scenario is an island. Thus any updates done to the system must be done one by one which is not only time consuming, but prone to error. A common symptom of this malady is the time it takes to add a new PC for a user. When that time exceeds your expectations it is not your IT person or company’s fault it is the strategy employed.
What the firm has not noticed is the extraordinary amount of time being spent by either an IT person or by an IT support company to keep things running. When we interview prospective clients, we often hear, “Our users are needy.” The common answer to this is to throw more IT staff or visits at the problem. The real issue is that the users are facing small 5 minute issues that slow or prevent their work all day long, or they might just need some training. Either of these mean extra costs on the IT side but more importantly users are interrupted all day long and lose valuable billable time. This solution fails test number one above and your most important asset is being held back!
Misconception #2: We can replace things as needed
Many firms use an “as needed” strategy for their computer systems. In today’s world that means we might see Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista and Windows 7 PC’s all in the same network. Like the above scenario this means much greater time spent by IT personnel, but it adds even more complications. First, the firm has political issues with users – some of whom have old, slow and non-performing computers while someone in the next workspace has a nice new machine running at blazing speed. The scenario we see most in the field is that the decision makers and partners have very fast new machines, while the staff who produce most of the computer work have slow, old poor performing machines. Second, when is the right time to purchase a computer? Often it is when a system completely dies or becomes so massively infected with viruses that it is unusable. This means that systems are ordered on a right now basis, and again we see errors in setup, time wasted and frustrated users waiting for a system to be fixed.
More importantly this takes an extremely important part of any law firm and removes any sort of planning. It is a lot like driving your car until it leaves you stranded by the side of the road. It costs a lot more, to do things in emergency mode. This can easily be avoided.
Misconception #3: They get their work done, why do I need to upgrade?
As computers get older, they slow down. This is a universal truth and it comes from the fact that all PC’s require security updates and are often updated for other reasons. Over time, this may also mean freezing, frequent reboots and the like. Eventually it becomes counter- productive to fix them rather than replace them. We have heard people say, “You just want to sell me a new machine,” which could not be further from the truth. If you think about how IT companies work, they bill hours. So the more time they spend fixing your system, the more profitable they are. If they simply replace a PC, it will presumably take LESS time to keep running in the future, so they are in fact motivated in exactly the opposite direction.
The simple truth is that a fast, reliable computer makes for a more productive user. If that saves the user 5 minutes per day, it is worth it. More than likely it saves the user something like 30 minutes per day!
Misconception #4: My vendor just wants to sell a new PC
A few years ago, we advised a client that a new laptop to replace a 4 year old model would probably cost about the same as fixing the heavily infected older unit. This person retorted, “You just want to sell me a new laptop!” and had us proceed with several hours of fixes for the old system. The exact opposite is true. In the example above, if a new laptop was provided, less than $100.00 of profit would have resulted (often more like $20 or $30), whereas fixing the old PC ran into about a day’s work for labor. The relative profit is much higher when labor is performed than when hardware is sold. It’s not even close. If you think about that in the context of your own system, you may find that old systems are being kept alive when they really should be replaced. Your vendor may simply be reluctant to suggest new purchases.
Misconception #5: Let’s move everything into the Cloud because it will save us money!
Boy, if I had a nickel for every time I heard this! The Cloud is all we hear about these days in terms of computing solutions. Many types of companies and especially government agencies can benefit significantly from a cloud based system - but is it right for a law firm? If the question revolves around Cloud services such as backup, disaster recovery, anti-spam and things like that then the answer is a resounding yes. If the question is “Can a complete law firm be moved into the cloud?” the answer is also yes, but there are some issues a firm should be aware of with speed, cost (which is nearly always higher and significantly so), restrictions on users, use of local machines etc. We have seen many firms move to inappropriate cloud solutions simply because they were “sold” on them and did not really understand all the implications. Be careful with this one. Ask the right questions and compare costs and performance before you make a move like this.
Misconception #6: Any IT vendor will do
Law firms face challenges other types of businesses do not. The biggest of which is the large number of applications that are required in a legal practice and the integrations of those applications. Most IT companies that do legal only or focus primarily on legal know this and are prepared with knowledge of a wide variety of applications and how to make them work. We very often see firms that have had systems built by individuals or IT vendors who are not familiar with law firms and they are consistently problematic. Sure, your managing partner’s cousin may only charge $75.00 per hour, but he’s there all day, every day! The problem is that when issues arise - and they will - the IT supplier must rely on tech support. Most of the time this does not work or has only marginal success since problems are generally environmental as opposed to a single application issue. The software manufacturer has no idea what the environment looks like, no idea how to troubleshoot anything outside their own application and can only solve their own problems.
This is a small sampling of common IT mistakes made by law firms. There are many more, but the good news is that generally this is a very smart bunch of people. Law firm administrators are not only savvy but also have a wonderful network (the ALA) to rely upon for assistance when new issues arise. They also work for smart people and if all of the information is presented, we find that good decisions result almost every time.
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