Does It Compute?

Are All Your Documents Searchable?

The goal of a document management system such as Worldox is to provide the firm with a single electronic repository of all its documents, emails, scanned documents (PDFs) that is completely searchable and indexed.

While such a system is known to break down in a number of ways – non-compliance by users, failure to store emails, etc., there is a “hidden” hole that is potentially much more serious. And that is the failure to OCR PDF documents that have been scanned or received from clients or other firms. When you scan a document, the resulting PDF is an “electronic xerox” – a picture of the original. Unlike a Word document, you cannot search for anything it in, it is just an image. The process of Optical Character Recognition (“OCR”) “reads” the document and creates a text overlay that enables the document to be searched and indexed. Many scanners are set not to OCR documents because vendors levy an additional per-page charge for that function. Studies have shown that for most firms, 20% to 30% of their PDFs are not OCR’d and hence not searchable. I recently ran diagnostics on some clients, and that number seems to be accurate. In some cases the number is dramatically higher.

Not only will users not be able to locate information they need, but in terms of reviewing your document store relating to discovery, records requests, subpoena responses, issues during corporate transactions, etc., the firm could face serious liability if it fails to locate and produce required documents or information. Sanctions due to incomplete/improper document production are every attorney’s nightmare.

There are a number of solutions to this issue, apart from paying your copier company extra money. Some PDF programs (such as Nuance) let you set up a “watch” directory. Scan documents to the watch directory and they are OCR’d.

The solution I prefer is a program called Symphony, from Trumpet, Inc. Symphony sits on your Worldox indexer and OCRs all documents stored in Worldox. It will also OCR your backlog – all those documents that already exist but were not previously text searchable. At $50/user/year (tied to the number of Worldox users) with no page count, the program is extremely affordable. There are also more advanced, somewhat more expensive, options that will greatly enhance your productivity when scanning documents. Check it out at www.trumpetinc.com.

One way or another, all firms need a solution to this issue.

Worldox and Office Administrators

It may be subjective but I seem to be encountering an increasing number of office administrators who tell me “I hardly use Worldox any more because I don’t deal with client matters.” This is based on a misconception.

For most of my clients I set up an “Admin” cabinet to deal with just this issue. The Admin cabinet contains firm and personnel information. Thus the “clients” could be physical plant, insurance, 401k, banking, CLE, personnel records, management committee, partners, vendors, etc. The “matters” might various years for financial information, specific employees for HR information, different vendors, etc.

This is more secure and more efficient than saving that kind of data on a network drive or a local computer. Local computers are the worst because people that should have access may not, and there is also the question of data loss when a computer fails.

The Admin cabinet can be locked down so that access is available only to certain people (partners, accounting, etc.). However, on top of that, specific areas or even files can be restricted further to only certain individuals within the Admin group. This is more efficient that a network drive where further security is not readily available.

Also, the Admin cabinet offers all of Worldox’s other advantages in terms of searchability and locating documents (“find me all the CLE sessions that Attorney X attended last year”).

In short, there is no good reason to keep administrative/management information outside Worldox if it is configured properly.

Worldox, File Sharing and Portals

Exchanging and sharing files are a critical part of your interaction with clients. What functionality do you need and what are your options? Email just doesn’t cut it any more. There is a proliferation of copies of documents and a lack of security that makes email a bad choice as your go-to option.

Then there are basic file sharing apps such as Dropbox and Box. These are very popular due to their ease of use for a single user. But ease of use frequently correlates to lack of security, especially with Dropbox. And despite recent advances of “business” versions of these programs, these don’t really meet your needs for business communications.

That leaves higher-end “portal” options that offer secure file exchange, version control and in some cases other calendaring and “deal room” options.

As with selecting and configuring any software the main thing to decide is what functionality you need.

• Do you simply need to securely exchange files?
• Do you need to exchange large numbers of files?
• Do you need a portal where clients can review and edit a selected subset of their documents?
• Do you need real-time simultaneous collaboration on files, with multiple people contributing edits?
• Do you just need to upload and download files from your document management system, or do you also need to maintain version control with respect to your main document repository?
• Do you need to control what sort of access clients have to their documents (edit, read only, blocking the ability to print, etc.)?
• What short of tracking/auditing of your document history do you need?

In short, what you put in to a system depends on what you want to get out of it.

In addition to simple file sharing mentioned above, Google Docs and Microsoft Teams offer collaboration features, although at present not linked to document management system. Worldox is developing an integration with Teams that will let you manage documents from Worldox, import edited documents back into Worldox as versions, etc. I am currently working with a beta copy, but no release date has been set as yet.

Among higher-end applications, there are three main legal-oriented portals that work with Worldox: Legal Anywhere, Sharefile, and Hubshare. Aside from similar baseline functionality, each one offers slightly different functionality, so you need to consider closely what functions you need and match them with the respective programs.

Legal Anywhere is generally the most full-featured and flexible of the portal options. It is aimed at larger and longer-lasting deals, and features things like deal rooms, great flexibility in locking down and limiting access to documents. Granular rights can be assigned to specific users and even specific files. It is based on an upload/download functionality and within Legal Anywhere is based on a directory structure that mirrors the Worldox structure. Like other portals, it can scrub metadata from documents copied to the extranet.

Sharefile, as its name implies, is primarily a secure file sharing application. Instead of attaching a file to an email, it puts the file in a secure location in the cloud and sends an email prompting the recipient to download the file. This offers very good security and also enables you to transfer much larger files than would be possible with standard email. It also offers meta-data scrubbing and a companion product, RightSignature, that gives you electronic document signing. Sharefile has an add-on integration module that integrates it more seamlessly with Worldox.

Hubshare also offers basic one-way integration with Worldox. You can upload files from Worldox to Hubshare, but you have to get them back manually. Full integration is lacking and the program requires an SQL installation to work.

One of these products may be right for your firm.

Worldox Training

Many if not most firms skimp on training, not just for Worldox but for most software. This is always a mistake since the cost of training will be more than offset by the losses due to low productivity and inefficient work habits caused by inadequate training.

Historically the most efficient means of training is in-person, on-site classes. People pay more attention in a classroom setting and trainers can make adjustments when they see people looking confused or not paying attention. Students don’t have the opportunity to check their email or make phone calls when they are supposed to be paying attention. But hardly anybody does that any more.

That leaves “live” online training using the firm’s own data and an instructor who can answer questions, and tailor the class as needed. When that is not possible or inefficient (only one or two people need training), there are a number of “canned” online training options.

A number of consulting firms have posted training videos on YouTube, but this is hit or miss. Worldox itself has about 50 short (2-5 minute) videos on its web site (www.worldox.com/howtovideos).

One of the most useful options is DoxAdvisors’ “Worldox Academy,” which has 18 videos totaling about 50 minutes that mimic how an organized training session would present Worldox. This is available for $99 from https://www.doxadvisors.com/worldoxtraining. Other more extensive options are also available.

When doing more organized training an excellent followup is “tip of the week”. After the original training, if a firm sends out a “tip” (provided by their consultant) once or twice a week it can significantly reinforce the original training. I have a series of about 18 “tips” that I have used in the past. If a firm sends out a “tip” twice a week, this will last about 2 months and can substantially reinforce/improve the effectiveness of the training.

Evaluating Cloud Hosting Companies

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.

Saving Web Pages to Worldox - NOT

Every once in a while I have clients who have tried to save web pages to Worldox. This doesn’t work. You can easily download PDF’s or other documents, but not web pages.

The reason is simple: a web page is not a single document. It is made up of many different documents, usually around a dozen to 20 or so. These include *.css (cascading style sheet), *.js (java script), *.gif (images - each image on a web page is a separate little document) and *.html documents (the base background of the page). Worldox cannot manage all these documents simultaneously.

What happens is that when you call up the documents for a given matter, say, you see the 15-20 individual documents that make up the web page. The clutter is massively intrusive and removing them is very annoying.

So do a screen capture if you need to, use a “download as PDF” option if there is one. But do NOT try to download a web page itself.

Microsoft Bug Breaks Worldox Outlook Integration

Several clients have recently reported to me that their Worldox Outlook integration is broken. Users do not see the “email” tab on their Worldox screen and cannot attach documents to Outlook emails. In addition, when they send emails the “Save to Worldox” screen no longer pops up.

It turns out that for firms using Microsoft Office Pro Plus and that are on the Monthly Channel of Office updates, recent releases have broken MAPI and with it the Worldox Outlook integration. This affects Terminal Server or Citrix users on releases dated 3/25 through 4/15. The most recent release (4/25 v. 12624.20520) is even worse in that it breaks the integration on Windows 10 machines as well.

Microsoft is apparently aware of the issue but has not released any information about a fix. There are two solutions. First, firms can have their IT providers roll Office back to the 3/10 release (12527.20278). Alternatively, they can switch to the Targeted Monthly release option and upgrade to 12730.20236 until Microsoft issues a fix for the problem in the Standard Monthly release channel.

Update: Microsoft provided a fix in version 12730.20236, released to the Monthly Channel on April 30th. If you still have the issue, update to that version.

Worldox Web 3.0 "Gotchas"

As more and more firms start using Worldox Web 3.0, there are some “gotchas” that have been popping up. Here are some of the things that a firm needs to be aware of when rolling out Worldox Web 3.0.

The first is that the standard workflow users are accustomed to with their in-house system cannot just blindly be carried over to the web. On a network, most users just leave Worldox running all the time, in many cases not even shutting it down when they leave for the day. This does not work with the web. In the first place many if not most laptops are set to “sleep” or hibernate after a given period of inactivity to save battery life. This breaks the connection to the internet and may disrupt Worldox’s ability to track whether a document has been checked out or what its status is. If you are going to be a heavy user of Worldox Web 3.0, be sure to set your power options either to never sleep or only after a significant period of time (the amount of time you are likely to be working with Worldox-based documents at one sitting).

When Worldox Web 3.0 is first installed, you may encounter issues with searches not working properly. This is likely due to the fact that a Quick Access template must be manually defined (in the network version it is generated on the fly). This is easy to fix, but something you want your consultant to do.

Some people have reported screen refresh issues when checking documents out and back in. If it seems that “nothing happens” when you check in a document, try hitting the refresh button to see if the problem goes away.

Lastly, many people install popup blockers or ad blockers on their browsers (I know I do). These sometimes affect the Worldox popups for check out or check in or other functions. You may have to whitelist the Worldox Web account (e.g. worldox.firmname.com) to enable the popups to function properly.

Worldox and Working From Home

Without switching entire programs to web-based versions (“Software as a Service”), there are three basic models available for those “working from home” without major changes in a firm’s infrastructure.

In the first model, you install some sort of program on your office PC (such as GoToMyPC, Splashtop or LogMeIn) and use it to access your computer at work. When you “work remotely” you are actually working on your office PC: only the screen showing what you are doing is transmitted back and forth to your home PC/laptop. You have access to all the programs that currently are on your office PC. In this scenario, you are paying for the individual program each user has (or a firm-wide license). This is by far the easiest to set up: you buy the program, download it on your office PC, set up a login/password and you are done.

A second model is a “Terminal Server” or “Citrix” installation (rebaptized “Remote Desktop”). This works similarly to the first option, except that you are working from a central server and not your office machine. Again, you have access to all programs that have been installed on the terminal server. If this is not already set up, you are not likely to be able to get it installed and configured in the near future. This model tends to be fairly expensive to implement.

Worldox Web offers a third, browser-based, option. You do not necessarily have a program installed on your PC (although more about that later). You open a browser and enter a website (such as worldox.firmname.com). You log in and are connected to your in-house Worldox document store and upload/download files. You work on the files locally (as opposed to the first scenario where the actual work is done on your office PC) and upload them when you are done. This means you can work from anywhere - a PC at the home of a family member you are visiting, Starbucks (not recommended), etc. In this scenario, you ONLY have access to Worldox, not other office-based programs that may or may not be installed locally.

You can also install the “Worldox Web Agent” on your laptop/home PC which integrates with Word, Acrobat, etc. so that when you open a document in Word, it automatically opens the web browser, you login (if you aren’t already logged in) and open the file directly from your in-house Worldox. This eliminates the manual download/upload scenario since it is taken care of automatically.

Worldox Web takes some installation (creating an IIS server), but not nearly the equivalent of a Citrix Terminal Server. It might offer an good option for some firms.

Worldox and Zip Files

I am frequently asked how to deal with Zip files in Worldox. The most common problem people have is that you cannot extract the content of a zip file directly into Worldox. You have to extract the documents and THEN import them into Worldox. While you can save a zip file to Worldox you cannot extract the contents without extracting it separately and re-importing to Worldox.

However, once you do extract the files, you can bulk import them into Worldox in one of two ways. First, you can simply select multiple files, drag them to the Worldox WorkZone (that little icon normally at the top center of your screen) and import them. Most firms have limits on the number of documents that can be imported at one time, although that can be adjusted. Also, all the documents have to be imported to the same Client/Matter/DocType.

Perhaps more usefully, in Worldox GX4, if you right click on the folder containing the documents (for example, from a document production), you can import all the contents AND any subfolders into Worldox into a single pass. A comment will be assigned to each document that tells you the original path of the document.

If you want to be able to sort the documents by the original folders and subfolders, create a Worldox display that includes a “comments” field. When you sort on this field, the documents will sort according to the original folder structure. This trick is useful for any set of documents bulk imported from some folder tree.