The COVID-19 health crisis and the shift to a remote working model has highlighted infrastructure issues, weak points in networks, gaps in innovation and other discrepancies in law firms’ technology strategies. With the current unpredictability that the legal sector is facing, it is vital that firms have their mission-critical technologies, including IT infrastructure, disaster recovery and cybersecurity, in place so that they can easily adapt to the ever-changing government guidance.
To ensure that law firms are able to achieve efficiency, flexibility and security, no matter the circumstance, they can undergo a technology health assessment, which will analyse your network to identify vulnerabilities that could leave your law firm at risk of a business interruption.
Depending on what is uncovered, suggestions may be made on ways to prevent unauthorised access, augment security systems, better lock down sensitive data, become more agile and, in general, get more out of your existing technology infrastructure.
In this blog, we will discuss how a health assessment of your law firm’s technology can protect you against cyberthreats, guide you on technology optimisation and put you in a strong position for growth.
What will the health check uncover?
Potential Security Weak Spots in Your System
The primary goal of a hardware health assessment is to confirm that the product is operating as expected and to rule out any potential problems that may have an effect on business continuity. This assessment will scan your servers, workstations and non-AD devices, including switches, routers and printers. Additionally, it will uncover any hardware that is still connected to the domain, such as old computers that have not been removed.
Regarding your software, these investigations will highlight any systems that have missing patches, service packs or security updates, systems that are missing vital antivirus and/or anti-spyware software and computer accounts that have weak or insecure passwords, all of which can create serious network vulnerabilities, which will need correcting.
Poor Configuration Risks
Managing your IT system configuration is essential to avoid misconfigurations that can lead to inconsistencies, poor performance or non-compliance, which may negatively affect cybersecurity and business operations.
Any outbound systems that should be blocked and any security policy inconsistencies across both servers and computers will be flagged during the scan, as well as recommendations for content filtering. Configuration assessments are a vital part of a robust and inclusive security vulnerability program – this information will allow law firms to protect themselves and the sensitive data that they hold.
Holes in your Cybersecurity
Running an IT health assessment against your network will help you to discover any possible security risks and incorrect configurations, which your IT department can then invest time in fixing to ensure these threats do not come to fruition and pose any serious damage.
There are a number of security vulnerabilities that can be identified, such as external issues that put your network at risk of disruption or data loss and internal systems with open ports that pose a potential security risk, including old user accounts that still have access and have not been properly disconnected.
With the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, it is advised to carry out network vulnerability scans regularly in order to stay up-to-date and on top of any issues that may be a threat to your firm.
How will this benefit law firms?
Increase Profitability
By better understanding the state of your firm’s infrastructure, you will gain a clearer idea of what improvements you can make and where you should make technology investments to better align your tech to your business plans and future goals.
Optimising the platform on which your legal Practice and Case Management software sits results in better performance, which can enable an increase in billable hours and allow you to retrain and refocus staff members to work on more value-adding projects, driving profitability and efficiency.
Ability to Plan Investment in IT
The comprehensive analysis generated by such assessments can give law firms an in-depth look into their existing IT environment and provide informed recommendations to future IT operations.
Performing a functional requirements analysis by assessing your business needs and objectives, technology trends and current IT capabilities, combined with comprehensive guidance, can be translated into investment decisions and technology roadmaps.
Having the ability to plan your IT investments will ensure that your firm remains successful, productive and efficient in the rapidly changing legal sector.
Alignment of Tech and Business Objectives
Technology has become a critical part of the legal sector, and so there are now high expectations of law firms’ technology investments. Technology can no longer be seen as a separate entity to business strategy but instead must be considered as forming an integral part of it.
Having an awareness of your existing environment will allow your firm to measure their systems against any factors that may impede business development, leading to the ability to make informed and strategic technology decisions.
Law firms can benefit from an IT health assessment as it will enable them to realise how and which technology can be implemented to support business development, growth, add value and drive success, giving them an advantage in such a competitive market.
How To Benefit From a Free Health Assessment
These non-intrusive IT health assessments can be carried out quickly and discreetly. With no need to install any software and without any agents or probes being placed within your network, these assessments can be completed in as short a time as 30 minutes to scan the whole infrastructure for mid-sized firms.
Gain invaluable information that will enable your law firms to work more efficiently, profitability and flexibly, whilst maintaining high levels of security and compliance.
Contact CTS today to enquire about how we can assist your firm with a technology health assessment.
