Working from home, a necessity during the COVID pandemic, will no doubt increase on a permanent basis in the future. And with it pressure to “go to the cloud” to facilitate working from home and in many cases to escape the burden of managing an on-premises network.
It is important to understand what this means. When people talk about “the cloud” they generally mean one of two things. First, SaaS (“Service as a Software”), pure cloud-based programs. These are programs that run directly from the cloud to whatever local machine you are using (e.g., Clio, NetDocuments, Cosmolex). Worldox also has a cloud version. They take one item at a time off your desktop. But the rest of a firm’s infrastructure and the need for local PCs, servers, etc., remains intact. A single cloud-based program changes the firm’s infrastructure needs only incrementally.
The second, Cloud Hosting, essentially takes your entire local infrastructure, both servers and desktops, and puts it in the cloud. Once you log in you have what looks just like your local desktop, but everything is operating inside the cloud. This has many advantages, including the fact that you are still using your “on-premise” software, but the “premise” is now located in the cloud. This will typically result in a much faster response time, since there is a lot less internet traffic that SaaS programs. It can also eliminate the need for your on-premises network.
How do you evaluate the various Cloud Hosting companies? Worldox has been hosting a series of webinars with companies that offer these services: ProCirrus, BoxTop, Rekall Technologies, BMC Networks (located in Canada). There are three main areas to consider.
Basic Hardware and Structure
At this point in time, the basic structure various vendors are offering is roughly equivalent. They all offer security certifications, geographically separated backup locations (e.g., East Coast and Midwest), anti-virus and other security, anti-phishing and ransomware protection software etc. One thing to ask is whether a company owns its own infrastructure (which would require being of a certain size to get economies of scale) or whether it piggy-backs on one of the giants, Azure, Amazon or Rackspace. A second question is whether it offers security software only within their own system, or also on users’ laptops, PCs, etc. Will the system be accessible by Macs, iPads, etc. in addition to PCs? Are there direct web-based workarounds if you don’t have access to your personal laptop?
What desktop interface does the company offer? Most offer an interface that looks like your local desktop (whether through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop or a dedicated virtual desktop), but some offer a funky dashboard with your various apps. Various claims to the contrary notwithstanding I don’t see a qualitative difference among these options, but some people may.
Services Offered
With that in mind, what services and software are included in the base price of Cloud Hosting? With the goal of eliminating the need to manage an on-premise network, most companies include basic backup, anti-virus, ransomware protection and other security software. But some companies also include Office and Outlook in their base price, which is obviously an advantage. The hosting company should ideally include all updates/upgrades as part of its service.
Does the hosting company just set up within their own system, or include protection for local PCs/Laptops etc. While the Cloud system may be secure, what if a local laptop or iPhone is hacked and then used to gain access to the system?
Does the hosting company also offer to physically support your local PCs/laptops, including rolling out new machines? This may be geographically dependent on how close they are physically, but would be a definite advantage.
You may or may not want to keep your current IT vendor. An all-encompassing Cloud Hosting vendor may eliminate the need for local IT. If that is not what you need, is the company flexible enough to accommodate working with your current IT vendor?
Software Support
While IT companies are good at what they do, their knowledge of the legal specific software they are supporting is typically minimal at best. When it comes to configuring your software to be most productive and efficient chances are they will be at a complete loss. When working with Cloud Hosting companies, I generally try to arrange it so that I will take care of all but the very most basic Worldox issues, and they deal with the hardware. Best of both worlds.
How Do You Choose?
Unless there is substantial difference in pricing and hardware configuration, my feeling that services and support are the key issues here. What services is the company actually willing/able to take over? This also depends on whether you want to keep your current IT provider in some capacity or not. What kind of connectivity and software support does the company offer? Can it actually support the software you are using in any meaningful manner? If not, does it have certified consultants for the various programs on call?
Answers to those questions will point in the direction of a good solution for your firm.