Five Ways Microsoft 365 Supports Legal Firms
For a busy legal firm, taking advantage of all the digital tools available to streamline, optimise and otherwise boost productivity is crucial. IT support for legal firms has come a long way in recent years, which has mostly been driven by continuous innovations and changes in cloud services. As cloud-centric solutions continue to take over the business world and forge a more dynamic way forward, software geared towards handling multiple business services, such as Microsoft 365, are paving the way for more growth in the legal sector.
As a result, it’s becoming increasingly important for legal firms to incorporate cloud computing into their IT infrastructure, digital assets and daily business processes. Microsoft 365 gives law firms the opportunity to optimise their day-to-day operations as well as assists legal teams in providing better support for their clients.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) program. Available for both home and business, the platform has quickly established itself as an office staple since launching in 2010 and is renowned for versatility and innovation. Offering a dazzling array of options that support functionality and productivity, Microsoft 365 also updates automatically and regularly to ensure the platform stays ahead of the tech curve and maintains relevance. As a result, Microsoft 365 has become increasingly popular for use in legal firms – essentially, your law firm will always have the latest version of the platform without having to lift a finger.
Microsoft 365 has five main applications that make up its main functions: Excel, Powerpoint, Word, OneNote and Outlook. Outside of these applications, users also have access to a number of web-based, cloud-centric tools that can be used across devices easily. These tools are easily downloadable and can be accessed by a legal team when they need it, wherever they need it.
So how does Microsoft 365 support legal firms?
Effective document management.
It goes without saying that within a legal firm, the secure and efficient management of files and documents is an essential process. Microsoft 365 can easily store and safeguard files, emails, Word documents and Excel spreadsheets within Office 365 applications.
Perhaps most pertinent, legal teams also gain the ability to track the sharing and modification of important documents and files. There are a number of tools within the Office 365 platform that when utilised effectively, can efficiently manage document storage. These tools include SharePoint, OneDrive and Exchange, which all seamlessly integrate with other Office 365 products, including Delve, Outlook and Power BI.
Improved workflow.
Within a law environment, various legal teams and colleagues often have different responsibilities and roles within internal projects. As a result, it’s important that employees have the ability to share, manage and integrate workflows.
Microsoft 365 allows individuals and teams alike to do just that. With heightened accessibility and better workflow integration, law firms can share data and documents and coordinate on legal matters as well as collaborate on projects and tasks. There’s also Microsoft Teams, which proves an incredibly useful tool for both internal and external web meetings.
Work on the go.
Employees working within a legal environment are often on-the-go and outside of the office. As a result, it is paramount they have access to relevant information and can complete their tasks on various devices.
With Microsoft Office 365, legal employees have the resources, applications and accessibility they need to get through their tasks – even when they’re out and about.
Better client relationship management.
Client relationship management (CRM) is an essential part of growing any business. However, it’s particularly important for legal environments. By utilising various services on the Microsoft 365 platform, legal teams can store, manage and track both internal and external communications as well run innovative, data-driven campaigns geared towards the needs of their clients.
Better security.
Security is vital within legal environments. It’s also often the most prevalent concern of lawyers, barristers and other legal staff. It’s not hard to see why considering documents and data are among the most valuable and important assets of a law firm.
Fortunately, Microsoft 365 boasts exceptional cyber security. The platform is fully compliant with world-class industry standards and features a number of built-in capabilities including permissions, versioning control, eDiscovery and records management. Data is also protected through the platform’s built-in security that protects against various threats, such as malware, phishing and spam. This ensures documents are managed, controlled, archived and easily accessible – but only to staff with the right permissions.
IT Support for Legal Firms at Acronyms IT Support.
For a high-pressure legal environment, taking advantage of all the digital assets on hand is crucial in streamlining and optimising services within a busy firm. In recent years, IT support for legal firms has been mostly been driven by continuous innovations and changes in cloud services and increasing demand for cloud migration services. As the cloud continues to forge a more innovative way forward, software geared toward handling multiple business services and solutions is paving the way for more growth and productivity in the legal sector.
In this day and age, it’s crucial for law firms to integrate cloud computing into their regular business operations. Microsoft 365 gives law firms the chance to streamline their daily operations and boost productivity, as well as help legal teams deliver better services for their clients.
When it comes to implementing Microsoft 365 in your daily business practices, the team at Acronyms IT Support are here to help. We’ve been helping provide IT support for legal firms since 2003 and have assisted multiple clients as they migrate their services and network over to the cloud. Our experienced team of consultants, engineers and technicians offer a number of innovative cloud-centric solutions, from disaster recovery services to cyber security. We can assess your law firm and implement the bespoke cloud migration strategy you need to boost productivity, improve efficiency and perhaps most important, flourish and grow.
If you have any questions about Microsoft 365 or would like to speak to us about our cloud migration services, contact the team at Acronyms IT Support today.