We are conducting a survey on IT and Litigation Support and would like your input!

In our experience, there are many ways that IT and Litigation Support can work together for the overall benefit of the firm. There are a variety of ways that they can learn from each other and share ideas that would benefit them both. This brief survey (10 questions) asks about IT and Litigation Support issues and a forum to discuss them.

We would value your input, whether you are IT, Litigation Support, or Administration.

Please follow this link to take the survey: Click Here to take survey

Thank you in advance for your feedback. We will post the results in about a week, so please check back soon.

Here is another episode from our series “The Devil is in the Details.” This time, our setting is online data backup, that may be part of the larger world of managed IT services. Whether looking at online backup vendors or when it is bundled as part of a managed IT service, here is an important feature you should insist upon: Real time view and access into your backed-up data.

You want the ability to view and manage your backup data without needing an intermediary. For instance, you want to see your files and restore a file without needing to place a support ticket that someone fulfills for you most likely in a manner not-described as “timely.” You have options in online backup, decide on the one that gives you the greatest flexibility for the price.

Another day, another prediction from uber-research firm Gartner that software licensing costs will fall significantly over the next decade. The study cites seven reasons; one is software and applications delivered via a web browser through the Internet. Such services are usually priced on a subscription basis-either monthly or annually. This is definitely a trend to watch as it will save you money and overcome disadvantages of traditional

Software by subscription has been called by various names, such as ASP (Application Service Provider) and SaaS (Software as a Service), but are defined by provisioning through a network (such as the Internet) and usually on a subscription basis (monthly or annual). The advantages are:

• the software is dynamic – constantly improving and changing without having to wait for a shrink-wrapped release and launch party. No need to wait 18-36 months for a box with new features and updates, they become available when the developer has them tested and ready.
• No deployment to desktops and laptops.
• It is available anywhere there is a web browser rather than trapped on the office desktop or the laptop you left in the hotel room.
• Sometimes subscription fees can be tax deductible if deemed an operating cost (insert standard disclaimer about talking to your accountant or tax lawyer).

What are the downsides? The Internet connection become even more important, although the new Firefox 3 browser and Google Gears are developing ways to work offline. Web interfaces have made tremendous strides in the past year, but still have a ways to go before the match their desktop brethren. Finally, let the bean counters look at the long term costs and whether it makes sense compared to traditional upfront licensing fees (don’t forget the service agreement at 20% annually)!

While Litigation Support is a very technology intensive discipline, they don’t always see eye-to-eye with the IT department. The reasons are many: Litigation Support is often created and budgeted outside of IT and the practitioners largely come from the paralegal, attorney or administrative ranks. Although you would believe these two entities would find common ground, often their relationship is more noted for misunderstandings, misperceptions, and differing agendas.

IT and Litigation Support departments are tasked very differently. IT must provide quality, predictable service on a budget, whereas Litigation Support is tasked by the attorneys with getting the job done at all costs. For this and other reasons, Litigation Support and IT are separate entities in many firms, large and small. Litigation support is steeped in data. Their job is collecting, searching, and re-purposing data, that requires tremendous storage capacity, fast networking, and a wide variety of tools to search, extract, catalog, redact and “produce” that data. These demands sometimes run counter to IT’s mandate to provide stable, predictable, high-quality service for the entire firm. Large amounts of data on its servers or coursing through its wires can negatively affect performance. IT also has concerns about staffing a help desk that must know a couple dozen esoteric litigation support tools.

These are just some examples of the differences between IT and Litigation Support. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring how to improve this relationship to realize the synergies and benefits of a close working relationship between the two.

You think you are protected: RAID to guard against hard drive failure; dual network cards with separate Ethernet switches, and redundant power with a couple of UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems in case of a power failure. But what about your telecomm closet?

Doh! Here is the scene we have seen repeated countless times: Internet router, firewall, and even your Ethernet switches are just plugged into the wall outlet! Your vital link to clients and the outside world rests on an unconditioned wall plug and an electrical grid in dire need of upgrade.

Make sure all your network electronics are protected by a UPS. This alone will save you from losing components due to power fluctuations and outages. You may need two for heavier loads. UPS's fail too, so an online spare won't hurt. With respect to potential of losing hours of productive/billable time, UPS systems in your telco closet are insanely cheap.

For some of our web site clients (Washington Express and GigaBiter, for example), we have been following the dust-up over Google’s alleged change to PageRank. PageRank is the mathematical algorithm that ranks web sites in the almighty Google search engine. According to some informed speculation, Google is fighting back against people trying to game its system for higher search engine rankings, dinging the rankings of some popular sites like the Washingtonpost.com in the process. No matter what the actual cause, this is a never-ending war raging between Google and those seeking every advantage when their companies live or die by their Google ranking.

What has been our advice? Don’t get caught up in the arms race--it can only hurt you. You can’t win. Only Google knows how PageRank works and can change it at their whim. Everyone else is guessing, often badly. Trying to game the system will only lead you to do bad things, like “link farms” and writing geared for Google’s search bots rather than real human beings. The first can get you blacklisted from Google, the second from your potential customers.

What can you do? PageRank is still about links coming to your site, and the sites that link to yours. Maximize links to your sites, especially from large directories and media outlets that have a ton of incoming links to them, too. Blog. Ask your customers and partners to link to you. Work the public relations and get stories about your firm and people in trade rags, web sites, and the local/regional media. Write a case study for your customer that links to your site. Also, find a respected SEO (Search Engine Optimization) adviser, one that makes sure the basics are covered, doesn’t offer frivolous services, and offers prudent measures that don’t overstep the line. Lastly, don’t believe that the SEO firm can deliver you to the top of the charts with some cold cash but no hard work.