What Are The Cybersecurity Concerns Facing Small Law Offices?

Cybersecurity has never been more important to law firms. After all, you deal with clients’ sensitive personal and financial information as well as details about their legal cases that those who mean them harm would love to know.

The problem is that most lawyers aren’t IT experts. Sure, you’re great in a courtroom or when negotiating a settlement on behalf of your client. But few attorneys have the expertise or the time and energy at the end of the day to make sure that their computer files are impervious to increasingly savvy cybercriminals. That’s why having an IT service company like Vision Computer Solutions is so important.

Cybersecurity Concerns Facing Small Law Offices

Keeping your computer files safe is an ongoing process; it’s not something that you do once and then move on to the next task. But, how much attention to cybersecurity is enough to be deemed a reasonable effort?

It might be useful to see what other law firms are doing. According to a recent study by the American Bar Association (ABA):

75% of responding firms are using anti-virus software.
58% are using a firewall or anti-phishing software.
33% are using email encryption software.
25% are using device encryption software.
17% have some directory security in place.
25% have an employee training program involving cybersecurity.

Some firms, particularly those that use Macintosh computers, admitted to not using any measures to protect their digital files. Of those that did spend resources last year to beef up their cybersecurity, the majority (55%) said they did so to meet their fiduciary responsibilities.

Things To Consider When Developing a Cybersecurity Protocol

Vendor Security. According to the American Bar Association, one of the top vulnerabilities for small firms is the cybersecurity of their vendors. They see firms “increasingly writing language into contracts that require suppliers and vendors to take minimum specific measures to protect data.”

This is in response to some massive industry hacks that have been linked to poor cybersecurity for suppliers with links into the attacked company. This is where a good IT support company is required.

Email Security. Email correspondence continues to be an Achilles heel for most law firms. An entry-level staff member opening an attachment with a virus or other malicious code can potentially infect an entire firm’s data.

Interestingly, while 75 percent of respondents in the ABA survey viewed emails as a potential threat, only 58 percent have a program in place to protect against such a threat.

What You Can Do To Beef Up Your Firm’s Cybersecurity

The ABA ranked the average small law firm’s cybersecurity procedures at a 3.5 out of 10. More effort is needed in this area to protect your sensitive data adequately. It’s not overly dramatic to say that a data breach could threaten the very existence of your firm.

No lawyer should be expected to be an IT expert. You have clients and employees to concentrate on, not to mention spending time with your family. That’s where a good IT service company is invaluable.

Vision Computer Solutions is more than just computer technicians; we are IT professionals who know and understand the unique security concerns of law firms. Cybercriminals are always upping their game and developing new ways to compromise your data. You need a diligent company that can match this challenge and stops such threats before they even develop.

We take a somewhat different approach to IT solutions. We understand that every law firm is unique. That’s why we begin by getting to know you, your firm and your hope and dreams for the future. We don’t recommend any product or course of action until we’ve taken the time to learn about your specific needs. We feel one of our strengths is our relationship-driven approach to IT solutions.

We’ll help you develop a cybersecurity package that’s virtually impenetrable to hackers. We’ll include not just your office computers, but your mobile devices, cloud apps, data storage, and your contracts with potentially vulnerable third-party vendors. We understand that leaving any security gaps puts your entire IT system at risk.

About Vision Computer Solutions (Your Legal IT Services Team)

Located in Detroit, Michigan, Vision Computer Solutions has been helping small and medium-sized law firms with their IT needs, including cybersecurity, since 1995. We pride ourselves on our friendly, responsive customer service.

We’re so confident that you’ll be thrilled with our service, we offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. That means you can “test drive” our services for more than a month and get all of your money back (cheerfully) if you aren’t satisfied with our team and our services. Not many other IT specialists make this offer.

To learn more about how Vision Computer Solutions can help free up your time and help you keep your data secure, meet your fiduciary responsibility to your clients, and stop worrying about cyber threats, visit www.vcsolutions.com/contact-us or contact us at 248.349.6115