Raise your hand if you remember the “bad old days” in law firms when everybody worked on different versions of documents. (My hand is raised.) Or if you needed the latest, greatest of something. Or if you “lost” a folder in the shared drive. If you had a one-person firm, document management was a snap. As soon as you added a person, it became nearly impossible to track which version was the latest, what changes had been made, who was working on the doc and (horrors) which version you had given the client.

For firms with 10, 50, 100 or 1000 employees – mwah ha ha ha ha! (That’s my evil laugh.) – document management was literally a nightmare. (No, seriously. As COO of a mid-size firm in Denver, I had nightmares that made Freddy Krueger look like the Easter Bunny.)

But, ahhhhhh, today those “bad old days” are a distant memory. Thanks to fancy schmancy document management systems, we don’t have any of these problems anymore!

MWAH HA HA HA! You wish, right!?

Too many of today’s document management systems (DMS) promise the world but can’t deliver. Or, they do one thing REALLY well, such as keeping track of versions, but they can’t keep your documents secure. Lame. You need a DMS that makes life easier, not one that requires its own backup and support systems just to function the way you need it to!

What should you expect in a DMS?

You should expect:

• A cloud-based system: There is absolutely no reason you should get a DMS with any other type of backup and storage. I’ll discuss this in a bit.
• Security: Your DMS should provide rich security systems for your law firm’s documents.
• Usability: You and your team should like using it!
• Customization: You should be able to create a desktop and landscape to match your work habits and firm protocols.
• Mobility: Authorized users should be able to access the DMS from anywhere they want to work.

Why Demand the Cloud?

Let’s go back to those “bad old days” when firms kept absolutely everything on a giant server that they locked in a closet, backing it up every night. We’ve all heard the horror stories: floods, fires and other acts of mayhem set those firms back days, weeks and months.

So, getting your docs off-site is smart. But that’s not enough. Here are a few more reasons to use the cloud:

• Security: The right cloud-based system can (and has to) provide much better protection against cybercriminals who want to exploit your important client documents, than having a server in-house.
• Continuous upgrades: Cloud-based systems are continuously upgraded so that you and your clients and their clients are always using the same version.
• Collaboration: A cloud-base system smooths the collaboration process, making teamwork more efficient (saving money and bumping the bottom line).

Interested in learning more? 303-800-5408 or info@savvytraining.com.

ABOUT SAVVY TRAINING AND CONSULTING

Savvy Training & Consulting works with leading companies and technologies to deliver the most up-to-date training solutions and curricula to law firms. Savvy recently unveiled an award-winning Learning Management System (LMS) for law firms, SavvyAcademyTM, which delivers scalable training capabilities, reportable data down to the individual user and 24/7 support, all for a fraction of the cost of traditional LMS services.