“The Cloud” – a term used by technologically savvy people. But what is it exactly? Strange as it may seem, you are most likely using “the cloud” everyday without even noticing. Do you use sites like Google Drive, Office 365, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox? Then you are using “the cloud.” These applications or websites send and receive information through the Internet. No longer are the ways of the traditional in house servers.
Why are in house servers becoming increasingly less popular? Besides the fact that there’s a limit to the amount of data that can be stored here are some more drawbacks:
- So Much Room. Remember television shows that show a room full of computers? Although servers are much smaller now, it still takes up a lot of space and requires someone to maintain it.
- Expensive. Between hardware, software and paying an employee’s salary, having an in house server can be quite the expense.
- Non-scalable. As your law firm grows and you take on more clients, will your server be able to scale at the same rate?
- Crashing. The panic that sets in when the servers go down is not good for morale of your staff and it’s not good for your clients. Data could be lost, hardware needs to be replaced, software needs to be updated, and it’s not worth the headache.
Now let’s take a look at some of the benefits of cloud-based, legal practice management software:
- No Internal Information Technology Needs: You won’t need your IT guru on call. Cloud based software can be used 24/7, anywhere in the word, even while you’re on an airplane. You can even use legal practice management software on your phone with a practice management mobile app.
- Cheaper. A SaaS (subscription as a service) software, gives you t he option of paying for a practice management subscription either monthly or annually.
- Secured Data. No more worrying about virus. Daily backups.
With all this information, it would be foolish for any business to not switch to a practice management software that is SaaS cloud based. Not only will it save you time but in the end it will also save you money. There are several different SaaS practice management softwares available, so find one that suits your needs and has features that work for your business.