4 Things to Seek Out in a Legal Services UCaaS Provider

Law firms are a prime target for cyber attackers because they handle a large amount of sensitive data. According to a report published by the American Bar Association, 29 percent of law firms reported a security breach in 2020. Security and compliance must be at the top of the priority list when vetting a legal services UCaaS provider to ensure your firm isn’t opening itself up to risk during your digital transformation.

The problem is, law firms have some of the most stringent requirements yet fall behind when it comes to tech-savviness. Even the big law firms that have advanced technology adoption tend to shy away from using innovative digital solutions for the bulk of client work.

If you don’t have tech-savvy employees, it can be challenging to understand the full breadth of what’s possible with cloud communications solutions today and how airtight security can be for users. To help you navigate the process of choosing a UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) provider, we’ve put together this list of what law firms should expect from their provider.

Why UCaaS Is Essential for Law Firms Today

UCaaS is a technology that unifies communication tools into one app.

Voice, file sharing, chat, email, and video meetings are all accessible from one application. And as a cloud solution, your employees can use the tools from anywhere with an internet connection.

This enables your law firm to provide a better experience to clients. The right UCaaS solution allows legal services teams to confidently send e-documents, store data for compliance purposes, and communicate with clients on their preferred channels.

With a unified communications solution, your law firm can:

• Securely send legal documents for signing and processing
• Communicate by phone, email, SMS, and video conferencing from wherever, which will increase attorney availability for clients
• Consult with legal experts across the globe with the touch of a button
• Save time on determining billable hours as the technology can track all calls and other communication for you

But not all UCaaS providers can live up to the rigorous standards your law firm needs. This is why it’s worth it to spend time researching the best cloud provider for your firm.

What Law Firms Need from a UCaaS Provider

1. Advanced Security

Whether your firm specializes in corporate law, real estate legal services, or something else, your employees collect a significant amount of confidential information. While data breaches at health care institutions are often in the news because they are so common, the legal industry sees its fair share of cyberattacks, too.

In May of 2020, global cybersecurity company BlueVoyant revealed that 15 percent of the law firms they tracked globally had signs of compromised networks and 100 percent were targeted by threat actors.

There’s no question that the number one thing your law firm should look for is rock-solid security. Your cloud provider should offer:

• Third-party data center audits – ideally they are audited to the SSAE 16 Type II standard
• High-level encryption for email, file sharing, and backup – for data at rest and in transit
• Encryption for video meeting and voice software
• Infrastructure security, including enterprise-class firewalls, network intrusion, prevention and detection, and protection against DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks
• On-site security including closed-circuit TV monitoring and security guards

 2. Privacy Protection

Security is step one. Your law firm also needs absolute control over your data and privacy. When comparing UCaaS providers, look for the following in the privacy policy:

• Protection against government surveillance
• Rules that prevent them from moving data across national borders
• Customer choice for data location
• A guarantee that zero identifiable customer data will ever be made available for 3rd party advertising mining

3. Built-in Features to Make Compliance Easy

With top-notch security protocols such as encrypted offsite servers and network monitoring, you can operate worry-free. You also want email and archiving solutions that work with your UCaaS platform to ensure:

• Data replication at the server and client level to fortify data in case of an attack or another cybersecurity incident
• Long-term storage and role-based permissions for accessing your archive

4. High-Level Performance

With any communications software for your law firm, responsiveness and reliability are critical. Especially considering the cost of downtime for a 30-person law firm can total $100,000 a day.

Your UCaaS provider should be able to promise an uptime level of at least 99.99%. Having four nines translates to less than an hour of downtime a year. With five nines, or 99.999%, you can expect less than six minutes of downtime in a year.

At this level, users have total confidence that their cloud communications tools will work flawlessly. They’ll always be able to connect with clients, send secure documents for signing, and count on data being backed up and safely stored off-site.

Give Your Clients More with a Better UCaaS

Legal clients have high expectations. To make sure your law firm is able to meet these standards while also keeping up with best-in-class security and compliance, you need to choose a UCaaS provider that goes above and beyond to ensure the best possible solution for users.

Intermedia Unite offers secure wherever, whenever communications. It’s also easy to set up and easy to use. Learn more about what Intermedia Unite can do for your law firm.