Switching to the cloud - the practical considerations

By K-Cloud

Cloud computing has entered the legal IT mainstream as firms understand its relevance to today’s competitive and dynamic '¨legal marketplace. But what are the practical considerations? '¨David Fazakerley, CEO of K-Cloud, which has been providing cloud solutions to the legal sector for three years, outlines some lessons learned and offers some guidance on switching to the cloud.

As law firms face increased competition from the UK’s deregulated legal services market, they recognise that business agility is a critical success factor. Cloud solutions have transformed IT services from an essential cost centre to a powerful, flexible resource accessible from any internet connection.

As well as supporting business continuity, disaster recovery and mobile and remote working, the cloud facilitates consumerisation and bring your own device (BYOD) policies. Data-heavy law firms no longer have to worry about increasing their on-site storage capability in line with the exponential growth of '¨their data.

As Fazakerley observes, cloud solutions are particularly suited to the current legal marketplace as they are ultimately scalable, making it easy, for example, to open new offices. No additional server systems are required – just internet connectivity and user hardware – and there are minimal IT costs involved in closing offices. This is particularly useful for mergers and breakaway boutiques.

In common with any managed IT service, cloud services require significantly lower up-front investment than point solutions. There are switchover costs, so firms tend to consider a move to the cloud when their existing systems and licenses are due for renewal. Another key advantage is the ability to purchase IT services as a running cost rather than capital expenditure.

Cloud computing has made the latest legal-specific tools and applications available to small and mid-sized firms and start-ups, along with a high level '¨of infrastructure and support that is likely to include better security and reliability than they could provide independently. '¨In this sense, cloud computing is levelling the playing field in legal technology, '¨giving smaller firms access to IT '¨resources without requiring the upfront investment that previously only larger firms could afford.

Moving IT services to the cloud can be swift and straightforward and there are numerous options to suit all types of firms. We hear about software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or anything as a service (XaaS). There is a massive choice of providers. What is the best approach for a firm considering moving some or all of its IT to the cloud? Fazakerley offers some valuable guidance.

Before moving to the cloud

'¨Identify the business drivers

These might include:

• disaster recovery and business continuity;

• technology and software licenses due for renewal;

• paying for IT out of revenue not capital expenditure; and

• flexibility: IT resources that can be scaled up and down to reflect expansion, downsizing and mergers.

Ensure adequate connectivity

Cloud services depend on a resilient capable network, so connectivity and the choice of ISP are critical.

Fazakerley has learned to test local connectivity. “An early assessment is important to check whether local equipment needs to be upgraded. It is not just about testing the cloud solution; you also have to check on-site equipment and connectivity.”

Firms need to ensure they have sufficient available bandwidth and more than one internet connection. ADSL lines are not good enough, says Fazakerley, adding that K-Cloud and its parent company Total Ltd, which specialises in providing mobile, voice, data and unified communications to the legal sector, can organise connectivity where required.

Support applications and users

K-Cloud’s hosted service includes server, application and desktop support, but local IT support is required to deal with physical, on-site issues. For firms, this means re-examining roles and responsibilities. “Infrastructure as a service does not mean firms no longer need on-site maintenance and support,” explains Fazakerley.

In many firms, outsourcing infrastructure services frees up the IT function to concentrate on business-specific projects. In firms of more than '¨50 users, this tends to involve getting '¨the best out of applications, workflows '¨and templates.

Outsourcing to the cloud is particularly valuable to small and mid-sized firms as organising on-site IT support does not necessarily entail employing IT staff. For example, Camilla Baldwin employs a local company to deal with on-site issues.

It is important to consider the capability of on-site resources. While outsourcing may prolong the life of '¨on-site equipment, it is important to assess this regularly as outdated or inefficient on-site resources can create performance issues.

A multiphase approach to implementation

K-Cloud has learned valuable lessons around implementation. Fazakerley recommends a multiphase approach. “Insufficient testing can leave numerous issues to be resolved after switching over to cloud computing and this leads to negative user perceptions.”

Communication is a key factor in successful project management. It is about understanding requirements, '¨setting expectations and ensuring that services meet and exceed them.

Successful switchover '¨and integration

Tight project management is critical to successful switchover and integration. '¨“The big bang approach does not always work when moving a firm’s entire infrastructure to the cloud. The risk is that when multiple products are involved, integration and performance issues can affect users.”

Checking the interoperability between applications can identify potential performance issues, which need to be addressed before the system goes live across the business.

Camilla Baldwin’s experience '¨(see box) is a successful example of multiphase transition – ensuring integration between systems and applications and resolving ‘teething’ difficulties at each stage is completed.

'¨Fazakerley identifies three key benefits:

• minimal disruption to the business;

• fewer support calls following the switchover; and

• positive user perception of the new system and its capabilities.

User training is critical. “Particularly when people access the system remotely from their own devices they need to be confident using it,” says Fazakerley.

Fazakerley believes that in terms of implementation, there is not much difference between cloud and other managed services. Critical success factors in moving to the cloud include:

• identifying requirements and managing expectations;

• tight project management;

• understanding the application set and how its various elements work together;

• thorough testing;

• going live only when you have already gone through the snag list, and

• effective user training and communication.

“Most of the difficulties encountered by law firms moving to the cloud are due to inadequate project management and strategic planning and a lack of thorough testing prior to go live rather than issues with the technology itself,” he says.

 

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A phased approach for a seamless transition to the cloud

Camilla Baldwin is a boutique firm specialising in family law. Founded in 2005 by name partner Camilla Baldwin, it has 12 employees and offices in central London.

By 2012, the original IT system had become outdated and did not reflect the firm’s expansion. Because it resided on a local server, there were business continuity concerns. Camilla Baldwin and her team wanted to invest in legal-specific software including a document management system (DMS) and practice management system (PMS) that allowed users to access financial information in real time. They were also keen to encourage remote and '¨mobile working.

“After rent and payroll, IT is our biggest investment and we needed to get it right,” explained Baldwin. “We wanted to focus on our core business and make IT delivery and integration someone else’s problem.”

Faced with a multitude of products and suppliers, the decision was made to employ a consultant – to identify the key components of a legal-specific IT system and to find a suitable provider. K-Cloud was selected to provide and host a cloud-based managed service solution.

David Fazakerley and his team at K-Cloud organised a phased approach to implementation, as follows.

Phase 1: Core infrastructure – a Citrix deployed virtual desktop '¨with Windows 7 and Office 2010 and hosted Exchange 2010 fully integrated into the Mimecast email archive and BigHand v.4 digital dictation.

Phase 2: Hosted services for Elite’s Lawsoft PMS and DMS.

Phase 1 went live in May 2012, supported by a day of hands-on training delivered by K-Cloud and flexible online training in Office 2010.

The switchover was fast and seamless, with all users logged in within two hours of the system going live. All initial issues were resolved within 48 hours.

Fazakerley highlights the importance of thorough testing and checking in advance of the switchover. “If you go live with various issues outstanding, you risk damaging user perception of the new system,” he explains. “So we were not afraid to delay the go live when additional testing was needed.”

Camilla Baldwin and her team were impressed with the efficiency of the new system – and the ability to work remotely during the London Olympics – and are looking forward to Phase 2 of the project, which is scheduled for October 2012. The new DMS will improve efficiency and knowledge sharing across the firm, with user-friendly document retrieval and storage capability. The PMS will give lawyers and management real-time control of fees, costs and expenses.

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For further information about K-Cloud, call +44 (0)20 7060 9030 or email info@k-cloud.com.