10 Things Lawyers Need to Know About Legal IT Support

In the modern world, technology is an inevitable part of any business. That includes law firms as well. As a lawyer, you may find yourself dealing with IT issues on a regular basis, and it’s important to have someone you can count on for legal IT support. But how do you know which company to choose?

What expertise does the company offer? What type of customer service do they provide? How responsive are they when contacted by phone or email? Do they charge hourly rates or flat monthly fees? Does their pricing seem reasonable to you given their level of experience and success rate?

How long has the company been in operation and what is their track record of success?

Once you’ve done your research and chosen a company, make sure to get it in writing what exactly they will provide. If anything changes down the road, how much notice must be given before any extra costs are incurred by either party?

Are there certain hours during which all work is performed or can requests be submitted at any time throughout the day or night? Is after-hours coverage available for an additional fee? What type of documentation do they require if their employees need access to your servers rather than only being able to perform tasks remotely? For example, does someone need to come on site every time something needs fixing or might that person have remote access capabilities as long as he has the right login credentials? These are all important questions that should be answered in your agreement with the company.

Also, if you have a lot of employees who need access to your network, make sure that the company has enough resources available. If you find yourself in a position where too many people are trying to log on at once and as a result slowing things down or “jamming up” your system, it will be very important for you to know exactly how much bandwidth is required by each person accessing the server.