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Poll Results Released on Cloud Computing from Integreon’s Virtual LegalTech Webinar

by Jeff Fehrman on January 20th, 2010 at 2:52 pm : Comments 000

by Jeff Fehrman

Craig Ball, Tom Morrissey and I recently discussed The Challenge of Preserving and Collecting Evidence in a Cloud for a CLE webinar hosted at Virtual LegalTech. For those not familiar with Virtual Legaltech, it is ALM’s online version of the well known LegalTech New York and LegalTech West Coast events. One key difference though is that Virtual LegalTech is free to attend for qualified registrants.

Cloud Computing and its eDiscovery Implications is a Hot Topic

Our cloud computing webinar was the best-attended session of the day with nearly 300 “live” attendees. Subsequently, another 100 viewed the replay. The strong attendance relative to most in-person or webinar eDiscovery topics highlights that cloud computing, and social networking too, are a hot topic these days. Certainly over the past several months, the news media has been overflowing with reports on the subject, including recent decisions for the adoption of Google’s cloud-based services by the cities of Los Angeles and Orlando, and by Rentokil, a company with operations in 46 countries.

During the webinar, we asked three survey questions to see how the legal community views cloud computing. All were presented during our “live” session. The approximate 50 percent response rate – high in our experience with other webinars – is another indicator of the strong interest in both the legal and compliance implications of cloud computing. 

Cloud Computing Survey Results:

1. How familiar are you with cloud computing technology and techniques?

Total Responses Received = 122

This question establishes a kind of base line for our audience. Almost 4 in 10 respondents admitted to no familiarity with cloud computing. The rest of our responding audience at least knew a little about it, with 1 in 10 actually claiming stronger familiarity. Given all the recent news coverage and buzz about cloud computing, I was somewhat surprised that so many are ‘Not at all’ familiar. I suspect they had actually read something about it, and know it is a topic about which they should be familiar, and so attended this webinar to learn more.

Total Responses Received = 144

Here we see that 6 in 10 respondents say their organizations do use some form cloud computing; the most prominent usage being Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, such as Salesforce.com as an example.

Integreon has experience with its own hosted application called eView, used for legal document review during electronic discovery, along with experience involving a number of other ‘best-of-breed’ hosted applications we support. We see strong and growing client demand for hosted applications, which follows with a global trend we’ve seen toward greater adoption of outsourcing solutions in general, including cloud computing. See my colleague Debra Rozier’s recent blog post, E-Discovery: A Look at Insourcing vs. Outsourcing, for an intriguing perspective on IT outsourcing trends at law firms.

3. What is your main concern with considering adoption of cloud computing?

Total Responses Received = 125

The top concerns about cloud computing are control, security, confidentiality, and privacy. Keep in mind that these concerns are from an institutional perspective rather than an individual one, which might have resulted in privacy being top of mind. Interestingly though, availability of applications and IT governance were low concerns, which likely reflects more people in the legal market focusing on the legal and compliance implications for data that resides in the cloud. From reading published articles in IT and other news media, my sense is that outside of the legal market, the issue of availability (i.e. reliable access to the service) is a much greater concern.

Learning More about Cloud Computing and E-Discovery

To learn more about the eDiscovery implications of cloud computing, you can register to watch the recorded replay (free for qualified registrants) of the webinar. Once you register, you can also visit the conference anytime (24×7x365) to view other presentations, virtual booths, and blogs, and to engage in online networking and chatting with other attendees. Other webinar sessions feature experts and pundits such as Chris Dale, George Rudoy, and Monica Bay.

The next “live” day of Virtual LegalTech will be March 18, 2010. Maybe we’ll “bump” into each other and strike up a conversation (“chat”) at Integreon’s booth in the virtual exhibit hall or in the general lounge area.

If you’d like to meet with me in person, I will also be at LegalTech New York in early February 2010. You can stop by Integreon’s booth (#324) or reach out to me in advance on Twitter (where I regularly tweet about cloud computing, ediscovery, and computer forensics). My complete contact information (via vCard) is available on Virtual LegalTech too.

I would also be happy to hear your thoughts on the polling results reported here, or about Virtual Legaltech in general, so I encourage you to share your comments below.

Filed under E-Discovery (EDD), Integreon Conference Presentations

Conferences Go Virtual - And Have eDiscovery Implications

by Eric Feistel on September 28th, 2009 at 12:20 pm : Comments 001

By Ron Friedmann and Eric Feistel

“Virtually attending” a conference is increasingly popular, enabled by both official and unofficial social media and video “feeds”. We experienced this first-hand at the recent International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) annual conference. We report here on our experience and on the potential e-discovery implications.

ILTA hosted its first Virtual Exhibit Hall with roundtable discussions, and its first live streaming video interviews over ILTA TV. In addition, many individual attendees thumbed “tweets” on Blackberries, iPhones, and other smart gadgets, or shared their latest “pics” and “vids” from an inspiring keynote address, educational session, or other conference related event. Participation at a distance was easy via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and video feeds, including a complete video walk-through of the exhibit hall posted on YouTube by “Twitterer” Ed Valio, who also put together a nice picture album of the event.

Most of the online traffic reported presentation highlights. By many accounts, knowledge management expert and Above and Beyond KM blogger V Mary Abraham provided the best real time Twitter feed at @VMaryAbraham. Others chose the more “traditional” blogging route; for example, Integreon’s Ron Friedmann posted some detailed reports at session-end: e.g., Technologies that Will Disrupt Traditional Legal Practice (ILTA 2009). Some online traffic, however, was more “local”: Monica Bay of Law Technology News, for example, Tweeted that “everything Babs sez about the nachos is true,” commenting on advice from Integreon’s Babs Deacon. For transcripts of all the Twitter traffic that either mentioned “ILTA” or “ILTA09″, you can take a look at JD Supra’s Law Practice News Facebook page, which aggregated such Tweets on a daily basis during the conference.

We were intrigued at the video explosion too. ILTA-TV, sponsored by ILTA and produced by ii3, Inc., had a professional studio set-up across from the registration booth and conducted many live sessions and some taped ones. Integreon’s Ron Friedmann offered insight into key legal outsourcing considerations during a 5-minute ILTA TV interview with host Shy Alter. Thomson Reuters also interviewed several attendees using a hand-held camcorder, posting edited versions within a day. Ron’s one-minute segment on law firm billing trends is at Thomson Reuters’ Legal Current blog.

Integreon itself generated good online buzz. Our reception featured blogger Charles Christian of Orange Rag / Legal Technology Insider fame, who entertained with a lively comedy routine (and no, it was not about legal technology). During his performance, some of our guests Twittered away, including blogger extraordinaire Gabe Acevedo, of Gabe’s Guide to the e-Discovery Universe, and also Inside Legal, a co-sponsor of the 2009 ILTA technology purchasing survey. Of course, in good Twitter etiquette, we reciprocated those “tweets” with “retweets” from our own Twitter feed, IntegreonEDD.

While all this new technology has obvious benefits, it does carry some risks. Integreon has a sizable e-discovery business so we are very aware that any recorded information is potentially subject to discovery. “Those who have embraced the various forms of social networking seem to be on the forefront of Enterprise 2.0 communications and technology,” said Jeff Fehrman, Integreon’s VP of Forensics and Consulting. “More collaborative forms of digital text communications are rapidly evolving that closely mirror the speed and feel of dialog that traditionally has only been possible in person or on the phone. Because these discussions could be relevant to litigation, the implication for electronic discovery is an area of great interest for legal technologists like me.” Not surprisingly, this topic was the theme of several ILTA sessions. Video (and audio) recordings are also subject to discovery and pose their own set of challenges to manage and review. While we don’t expect any ILTA content to likely be targeted for discovery, the explosion of social media and video in the corporate context certainly does raise challenges for information governance and e-discovery management.

To close, we note that some conferences now dispense with any physical presence.  ALM, sponsor of LegalTech, has announced a Virtual LegalTech Conference. This conference + exhibit hall runs around the clock; in addition, there are quarterly “live webinar” days with multiple sessions offering complimentary CLE education. One of the live webinars on November 19, 2009, the kick-off day, will be The Challenge of Preserving and Collecting Evidence in a Cloud, featuring Integreon’s Jeff Fehrman and the renowned e-discovery consultant and commentator Craig Ball. Like social media, cloud computing is another hot EDD topic, so be sure to mark your calendar for this event. For details on how to register for Virtual Legal Tech, click here. We look forward to seeing you there, virtually that is.

[For readers interested in learning more about e-discovery, we encourage you to follow us on Twitter @IntegreonEDD.]

Filed under E-Discovery (EDD), Integreon Conference Presentations, Integreon in the News

Controlling Cost to Increase Profits

by Ron Friedmann on November 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm : Comments 000

“You can’t save your way to growth” is a frequently heard refrain.  In the current economic turmoil, however, when growing revenue is hard, the focus must be on cost control.  A recent report, article, and conference session drive home this point.

Hildebrandt is a leading legal market consultancy.  The Hildebrandt Special Client Advisory: Fall 2008 notes that

“the current downturn has not yet been significantly offset by increases in other traditionally “counter-cyclical” practices…. the current year will represent a significant downturn for the legal industry… we are unlikely to see any significant turnaround until late 2009, at the earliest… firms [will be] forced to lay off legal and non-legal staff, slow down the hiring of new attorneys, restructure operations, and weed out unprofitable practices.”

The Advisory suggests steps to deal with the downturn, including focus on collections, negotiate credit agreements, examine expenses closely, consider layoffs, deal with performance issues, and adjust practice areas.  Longer term, Hildebrandt says we may see more fundamental changes such as new lawyer compensation systems, alternative billing, and more legal process outsourcing.

Driving home many of these points is the new article Partners at UK’s ten biggest law firms take home £1.1m in profits (TimesOnline, 19 Nov 2008).  It reports on profits at top UK law firms, citing an annual law firm survey published by PriceWaterhouse Coopers:

“[T]he gap between the top ten and the rest of the market is set to widen as lawyers begin to feel the impact of the financial crisis… the biggest firms had tightened their hold on the market through an increased focus on efficient management.  ‘Larger firms have been looking long and hard at their cost base and how much can be outsourced,’ Mr Rose said [head of the Professional Partnerships Advisory Group at PWC ]…. managing partners [are] switching focus from revenue growth to reducing staff costs.”

The topic of growing revenue versus controlling cost was central in an October panel discussion at the Law Firm Leaders Forum.  In a session called “Running Your Firm as a Business - A Closer Look at the Middle Office”, my co-panelists Ed Poll of LawBiz and Ron Yano, CFO, Loeb & Loeb and I debated that question.  Mr. Yano and I shared the view that cost control could increase profits by 1.5 to 2.0 profit points, which is significant in tough times.

Mr. Poll focused more on growing revenue but. In his follow-up blog post, Law firm overhead - Can we cut?, he writes “focusing your energy on producing revenue will produce greater benefits than focusing your energy on reducing overhead”.  He points out, however, that that increases in the right costs can increase revenues.

Integreon can help law firms control costs by outsourcing (onshore or offshore) and process improvement.  We can also help on spending wisely to increase revenue, for example, by providing cost-effective business and industry research can help win new business.

Filed under Integreon Conference Presentations, Legal Economics, Legal Outsourcing (LPO)

American Bar Association Legal Outsourcing Panel

by Ron Friedmann on August 9th, 2008 at 3:21 pm : Comments 000

On August 8, 2008 the American Bar Association hosted a Showcase Program of the ABA2008 Annual Meeting: Outsourcing Legal Services Abroad.

The panelists were:

Name	Affiliation	Title
Ron Friedmann	Integreon	SVP, Marketing
Bill Gibson (moderator)	Attorney at Law, Arbitrator & Mediator	Gibson Mediation
Jim Lantonio	Consultant and former Executive Director, Milbank Tweed	Consultant
Sally King	Clifford Chance U.S., LLP	COO

This session was subsequently featured in your “Your ABA” Newsletter, Outsourcing legal services overseas, August 2008. Also, well-known blogger Adam Smith, Esq. (aka Bruce MacEwen), whose blog covers large law firm economics, attended and wrote a perceptive post about outsourcing in his 12 August 2008 blog post, London and New York, Meet Mumbai and Delhi.

Filed under Integreon Conference Presentations