Today’s fast-paced work environment demands technology that is secure, efficient, and accessible. From enhancing productivity to helping meet strict compliance requirements, law firms heavily rely on IT infrastructure that keeps pace. Traditionally, firms would have one or two IT people to handle everything from managing and updating servers, to troubleshooting day-to-day issues. However, with every facet of IT growing more sophisticated and costly to manage, many firms are opting to outsource their IT to third-party managed service providers.
Large Firms Are Partnering With Managed IT Service Providers
According to our 2024 Law Firm Technology Survey, larger law firms, who traditionally kept everything in-house, are increasingly outsourcing some or all of their IT to Managed Service IT Providers (MSP). While many law firm leaders typically consider building an in-house IT department, the initial costs, ongoing maintenance, and future upgrades are no longer worth the hassle. This is especially true for smaller firms which typically do not have the resources to manage everything on their own.
What Do Managed IT Service Providers Offer Law Firms?
Hiring an entire support team, cybersecurity, cloud, and other specialists is unrealistic for most firms. Managed IT service providers provide a full team of experts with deep technical knowledge to support and maintain a firm’s IT. When a law firm partners with a reputable managed IT service provider, they can expect:
- Enhanced Cybersecurity: With cyberattacks consistently growing more sophisticated and costly every year, law firms need multi-faceted protection. Reputable managed IT service providers offer state-of-the-art defense including anti-virus and anti-malware software, firewalls, secure DNS, strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA), 24x7x365 proactive monitoring, cyber breach response plans, regular backups, security audits, and more.
- Increased Accessibility: Many law firms have adopted hybrid or remote work environments necessitating technology that is secure and accessible regardless of location. If your IT infrastructure hinders remote productivity, it might be time for an upgrade. Reputable managed IT service providers constantly upgrade their infrastructure to ensure their clients have a stable and reliable connection. They may even offer alternatives like moving your IT partially or fully to the cloud for optimal security and accessibility.
- Reliable Support: Good managed IT service providers offer a professionally staffed help desk to resolve your team's technical issues swiftly. With desktop and network engineers on hand, they can efficiently handle nearly any IT problem. Some managed IT service providers also offer on-site support and can quickly send a specialist to your location. Quality managed IT service providers also offer after-hours support for critical issues, ensuring you can always effectively serve your clients and customers.
- Strategic Partnership: A managed IT service provider must act as a strategic partner for your firm. They should assign a dedicated client manager who has a fundamental understanding of your industry and your business goals. They should help plan and implement technology solutions to support your firm’s current and future needs. Regular meetings with firm leadership should focus on setting strategic goals, addressing concerns, and enhancing support.
- Seamless Scalability: As law firms grow or restructure, they need flexible technology that keeps pace. The right managed IT service providers will offer flexible service terms, rather than rigid long-term contracts. This way, you can seamlessly scale your IT to meet your firm’s demands.
Choosing The Right Managed IT Service Providers For Your Firm
Partnering with a managed IT service provider is more than just offloading some extra work; it is a strategic decision that allows firms to be confident in their IT and focus on their business goals. Look for a Managed IT service provider that takes the time to learn your firm’s needs and has extensive experience in the legal industry. Managed IT service providers that cater to law the legal industry will understand how firms operate, compliance and regulatory requirements, and other challenges unique to managing a law firm’s IT.
Your IT needs to enhance, not hinder your firm. When problems inevitably arise, your managed IT service provider should be ready with a dedicated support team to efficiently resolve any IT issues. Beyond day-to-day support, find a managed IT service provider that takes a strategic and proactive approach to management. The right managed IT service provider will regularly meet with your leadership to understand how to support your business needs and to ensure your IT is as simple, secure, and efficient as possible.
At Tabush Group, we’ve been partnering with law firms for nearly 25 years, and have the right solutions to simplify, secure, and enhance your IT so you can focus on driving your firm forward. Learn more about which solution is right for your firm.