Outsourcing IT Support and Website Services
Why should law firms consider outsourcing IT support and website services? A critical skill that aspiring lawyers in Colorado must possess is commercial awareness. One essential aspect is demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the market in which these law firms work. Any firm is just a business like all the others, and therefore, it should react similarly to the changes made in the industry.
A law firm should capitalize on new opportunities while also working on overcoming the obstacles to stay ahead of other law firms. Each year brings a new set of challenges that law firms should work on if they wish to thrive in this globally competitive sector. Below, we cover three of the major issues that law firms will be facing this year:
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is becoming a big issue, and hackers have started to target an increasing number of institutions. For instance, there was a ransomware hack back in 2017 that threatened numerous organizations in more than 150 countries across the globe.
Hackers target law firms since they possess exceptionally confidential and valuable information that hackers can use for monetary purposes. Sensitive information that law firms possess include patents, bank information, trade secrets, and in some cases, government secrets as well. One key task for law firms is to make sure that the client’s data is protected at all times. However, with the increasing number of threats, as well as the complexity of the attacks, security has become a great challenge.
Failure to protect the data adequately can cause two major problems. Firstly, law firms can face claims of negligence and claimants can argue that law firms are negligent about taking care of data. They can also argue that law firms have breached the contract that stated they would carry out services with reasonable care and skillfulness.
Secondly, when looking from an economic and business perspective, it can undermine the reputation of the firm.
The solution to this challenge is outsourcing to local Colorado cybersecurity services and website management companies. Colorado lawyers and law firms should make security their top priority. An attorney must make sure that the firm itself, as well as third-party vendors, adhere to advanced industry standards to guarantee that a secure environment is maintained. They should follow practices such as training users regarding best security practices, never storing data on personal devices and multi-factor authentication.
Website Design, Management, and SEO
Outsourcing website design. Management and search engine optimization (SEO) have become increasingly popular among lawyers in Colorado Springs and Denver. Outsourcing these services can provide several benefits that can help lawyers increase their online visibility, attract more clients, and improve the overall efficiency of their operations. The following are some benefits of outsourcing website design and SEO for lawyers in Colorado Springs and Denver.
- Expertise: Outsourcing website management and SEO provides access to a team of experienced experts in creating and optimizing websites for law firms. These experts have the knowledge and experience to design websites that are user-friendly, visually appealing, and optimized for search engines.
- Cost savings: Outsourcing website design and SEO can help lawyers save a significant amount of money. By outsourcing, lawyers can avoid the costs associated with hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house design and SEO team. Outsourcing can help lawyers reduce hardware and software costs since the outsourcing company will handle all necessary upgrades and maintenance.
- Improved online visibility: SEO is critical for lawyers in Colorado Springs and Denver who want to attract more clients. Outsourcing SEO can help lawyers to enhance their online visibility by optimizing their websites for search engines. This can help lawyers rank higher on search engine results pages, making it easier for potential clients to find them.
- User experience: A well-designed website can provide a positive user experience for potential clients. Outsourcing website design can help lawyers create a website that is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and offers relevant information to potential clients.
- Time savings: Outsourcing website design and SEO can help lawyers save time. This means that lawyers can focus on their core business functions, such as providing legal services to clients, rather than spending time on website design and SEO-related tasks.
- Scalability: Outsourcing website design and SEO provides lawyers with the flexibility to scale their online presence as needed. This means that lawyers can quickly and easily add or remove content based on their changing needs without worrying about the costs of hiring or training new staff.
By outsourcing IT support and website management, law firms will experience cost savings, improved online visibility, user experience, time savings, and scalability; outsourcing can help lawyers achieve their goals and stay ahead of the competition.
Incorporating technology
Technology also plays a big factor in determining how employees work in law firms. Due to technological advancements, efficiency has increased such that the time lawyers spend on a task is reduced.
While technology that enables lawyers to become more productive has been evolving for several years, the underlying problem is that law firms usually have many people working for them who may not be well-trained. This failure has led to data breaches and ransomware attacks when employees take certain actions that allow cyber thieves inside. Training for all employees must be ongoing. People get busy and forget, then make careless mistakes. Monthly training sessions can raise awareness.
Though some security solutions promote unrealistic and lofty expectations, simple monthly training has proven to be very effective. Human error is often why a law firm’s network is infected with a virus or worm.
The easy solution for this problem is to outsource IT services to a local Colorado managed IT services company. Lawyers and their staff can be readily taught what to look for in emails. A computer IT and cybersecurity consultant can explain how phishing scams work. Better-informed employees are far less likely to click on a suspicious link that downloads a deadly ransomware attack.
Helping users accept change
Implementing change is difficult because humans are naturally resistant to change. Research suggests that 70% of initiatives taken for organizational change do not achieve their target. While numerous factors can be blamed for this failure, employee resistance is the biggest, contributing to 39%. While change is often not welcome, it is possible. Employees must understand the reason for these changes. They must fully grasp the cost of one single breach.
Employees once resisted new technology, but today, people seem to enjoy learning about all the new robotic gadgets being invented. Users of new technology or security changes should be fully involved. The key is to keep it simple. The management is responsible for communicating their expectations and explaining to the staff why the change is critical.
Once employees understand why new computer IT and security measures have been implemented, they should be fully on board. After all, if a law firm experiences a huge breach that costs millions, it will affect everyone who works at the firm. Jobs could be lost, along with damage to the firm’s reputation.
Each year brings new challenges with it. Though new technology is often viewed with some trepidation, the result is that law firms can get more done with fewer resources. By outsourcing IT support, lawyers can improve the bottom line and help a firm move ahead of the competition. Whether dealing with new security challenges or a new content management system, face the challenge head-on.