With reported cyberattacks increasing year on year, does modern legal practice need the cloud more than ever?
With over 40% of legal sector workers choosing their firm based on the ability to work remotely, firms cannot afford to stay in a world of messy paper trails and impractical onsite data stores.
Legal practices can no longer afford to fall behind with outdated technology. For too long, sensitive data has been at risk of security breaches in a sector that is reluctant to move forward towards a cloud based future. It is only now, with forced remote working that legal practices are moving away from traditional IT systems in an effort to overhaul their security provision for hybrid office workers.
The cloud acts as a gateway for legal firms to protect their data, maximising accessibility and flexibility when using any device, from any location. It has the power to provide the flexibility required to enable newfound hybrid working, as more employees move between the home, office and other workspaces.
Yet, for all of the short term benefits of legacy systems, unprotected data can easily become compromised. With the right tools, however, the cloud can provide security from anywhere.
Is the Legal Sector Prone to Attacks?
By nature, legal data is highly confidential. Naturally this makes it a heavily targeted sector when it comes to cybercrime and security hacks. It’s been reported that 100% of the UK’s top 10 law firms suffered at least one phishing attack last year, with email breaches being one of the most frequently cited type of cyber-attack. This is more than likely a result of less face-to-face business transaction and an increase in emails being sent from unsecured locations.
We are now operating in a time where legal professionals are required to work outside of the office more and more frequently, practices must increase their compliance procedures and look to utilise quality standards if they want to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks, in particular high profile phishing.
Cloud-enabled security tools can ensure that confidential data within the law sector is less likely to be intercepted or fall into the wrong hands. Using Microsoft 365 as a base, Konsolute can work with your organisation to add layers of protection to your processes when we carry out that cloud migration.
The Only Way Forward for Hybrid Working
Maximising security whilst also keeping your workforce productive is vital for law firms moving forward. In remote working environments implementing a cloud set-up the provides users with the ability to access all their key data and legal applications in on environment is game changing. Using multifactor authentication on remote devices means work doesn’t have to stop just because location changes.
Worried about devices being out ‘in the field’? Any lost or stolen device can be remotely locked or even wiped of sensitive data, giving organisational leaders that peace of mind.
Prepare for the Inevitable
Even with the strongest fortress, it’s important to be proactive in your disaster recovery. Having a great strategy in place for if and when breaches do happen is something we encourage in clients handling sensitive data on a regular basis. By transitioning to a cloud hosted environment, client data is stored off-premise in data centres with enterprise level security. Utilising the cloud means that data is backed up and in the instance of damage to the office/property or a system crash, you don’t have to fear losing company information.
An Ally for a More Secure Future
Working closely with our consultants and migration specialists means the cloud and Microsoft 365 can become a key component in your data protection tool kit. Minimise risk and maximise billable hours to push forward no matter what the economic landscape looks like. Give us a message if you’re looking to transform your law practice.
