Implementing virtual working processes across your legal firm
Virtual working is here to stay, and law firms need a robust strategy to ensure that their people are acting in a secure manner when operating remotely – says Conor Marken, sales director at Cloud Geeni.
Remote working strategies breed various cyber threats that heavily impact the legal sector. A 2020 study revealed that most UK-based law firms consider cybersecurity a rife challenge due to an expansive attack surface resulting from remote working methods.
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) identifies threats like targeted intrusions, attacks based on artificial intelligence, security threats resulting from remote working, and third parties as top cybersecurity challenges facing UK law firms. Despite this, remote working in the legal sector is only gaining traction and is poised to increase significantly in coming years.
More than two-thirds of UK lawyers point out that remote working impacts positively, with 86% indicating that they would prefer working from home in the future as opposed to the worldwide average of 77%. Nevertheless, the pressing cybersecurity challenges associated with remote working call for the implementation of secure remote working processes throughout your legal firm.
According to the 2021 LPM Legal IT Landscapes Report, 56.8% of law firms will allow employees to work from home two days or more per week. In contrast, only 16% of SME law firms permitted staff members to work remotely in 2020. The increase is primarily due to a global pandemic that has caused various industries to adopt better working practices. For example, a 2020 survey involving 2500 legal professionals within the UK found that 80% of the respondents have worked remotely due to the Covid-19 constraints and restrictions.
The top virtual remote working processes to consider implementing in your law firm include:
1. Mobile device management
Undoubtedly, mobile devices are central to enabling a remote working environment. However, managing remote devices may be an uphill task, especially in a work-from-home setup. In this case, implementing a mobile device management platform such as Microsoft Intune, among others, can enable your law firm to manage all mobile devices within a cloud environment. Furthermore, Microsoft Intune allows you to define the applications or devices that can access specific resources, maintaining a high level of security, confidentiality, and integrity.
2. Mimecast security
While numerous and widely used communication platforms have emerged recently, email remains a favorite method for sharing sensitive information when working remotely. Lawyers communicate with clients and other lawyers through email. Implementing Mimecast security enables your law firm to achieve robust security, enable archiving and continuity of cloud based mail management systems, and secure your email infrastructure from malware, phishing, and other types of cyber-attacks.
3. Two-factor authentication
Protecting employee accounts with passwords is critical to stopping unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive client or firm data. Nonetheless, anyone who knows the password can still access the data regardless of whether it is a legitimate user or a malicious adversary. By implementing two-factor authentication across your law firm’s accounts, you ensure that only users who provide the necessary authentication items, such as biometrics or authentication code sent to their devices, can gain access.
4. Secure and independent backups
Nearly all legal services require a law firm to collect and process vast amounts of sensitive information. Therefore, data unavailability may hinder vital services or jeopardise ongoing legal cases. Besides, mandatory regulations require law firms to implement robust data protection measures. Encrypted and independent secure backups in the cloud can assist your law firm in securing data and ensuring its availability.
Although a daunting task, it is possible to implement strategies that allow your employees to work remotely and still ensure data security. Implementing processes designed to protect your business but enable your employees is key to ensuring that your legal practice navigates the unprecedented yet undeniable shift towards remote and hybrid working.
