Are you wasting money on IT support?
Does my law firm really need this much support? Do you need something different that costs less? These are essential questions for any law firm where technology is integral to daily operations.
For law firms, technology creates legal documents, gathers signatures, and manages communication between clients and attorneys. Technology also manages financials, including invoicing and payment systems. All of these represent essential activities for a modern law firm.
Law firm IT support is essential to keep the wheels turning efficiently and optimally. IT support for law firms effectively manages technology, security, and even legal compliance requirements, freeing employees to focus on legal tasks rather than IT.
How to know if you’re getting the maximum value of IT support? Is it time to evaluate your options and find alternative, cost-effective solutions that fit your unique needs?
This guide provides information on the IT support options available to law firms and how to get the right mix to fit your business needs and budget.
Key Takeaways:
- How much IT support do you really need?
- How can you identify the optimum level of IT support?
- What are different IT support options?
- How to get the maximum value for your IT support dollar?
How much IT support do you really need?
You know your law firm needs IT support, but finding out exactly how much is important to cutting costs. Understanding the level of IT support required helps justify the cost and potentially reduce it.
IT support services can be scaled back to fit the size of the firm, the number of applications, and employees. Ensure you’re getting only the IT support you need by requesting your provider run a professional assessment. Then, run your own professional assessment.
The top services IT Support provides include:
- Data and System Security Management
- Document management
- Desktop or user support
- Secure remote system access
- Business process automation
- Network management
- IT strategic planning
- Employee onboarding or off-boarding
Generate a report or analyze if all these services are necessary. Security is necessary, and there’s no getting around that unless you plan to hire a full-time security expert. A full-time security expert may cost more than you can pay for MSP IT support.
Perhaps consider hiring an IT professional to provide on-site desktop and user support. Support won’t be 24/7, but do you need it? What about employee onboarding - can the on-site IT professional handle that? It may depend on how frequently users are on or off-boarded.
Analyze the services you currently pay for. Then figure out how much it costs to hire an on-site IT provider to perform the services. Determine if the costs outweigh the benefits of the IT support service. IT support is critical to the optimal operation of the firm. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create a menu of services that best suits your law firm’s unique IT support needs and save money.
How can you identify the optimum level of IT support?
Getting the optimum level of IT support from your provider is essential. Employees don’t need to waste time and money struggling with IT issues. Consider the common services mentioned in the previous section. Can your executives manage IT strategic planning? Maybe that’s an option you can drop, provided the firm’s executives have the technical expertise to plan an IT strategy.
Consider talking with your current vendor or exploring new IT service vendors. Have each assess your needs and receive a quote. If the price doesn’t meet your needs, consider discussing with the MSP if other menu options or combinations exist to reduce the cost.
What are different IT options that save money?
One IT support option is Co-Managed IT. Run the numbers and see if you hire a small on-site IT team to handle network management and IT strategy. Leave the remaining services to the IT support provider. Mix and match what works and compare costs. Maybe the IT support provider does a more complete job handling network management, security, and IT strategy. If they do, then have the on-site team perform the remaining tasks.
Additionally, consider performing a cost-benefit analysis of hiring and managing an in-house IT team. Get estimates on the costs and benefits of having on-site and in-person IT. Depending on the law firm’s size, on-site IT support may be cost-effective. However, it’s essential to keep in mind and consider the cost of managing a team long-term.
Finally, compare the cost of a complete IT support provider service. If you’re unsatisfied with your current MSP IT provider, reach out to other organizations. Find the one that best suits your law firm’s IT support needs and budget.
An on-call IT support group for everything from security to help desk support can generate significant value. For example, support and security monitoring are ongoing. Balance the cost of IT support compared to co-managed or in-house IT staff. See which one best suits your needs.
How to get the maximum value for IT support dollars?
As a law firm, you’re not running a technology business, but technology is running your law firm. Remember that IT support is critical for keeping the firm running productively and efficiently. Get the maximum benefit and value for your IT support dollar by analyzing the IT provider’s service versus the cost. Determine if you’re getting the maximum value for your IT support dollar.
The value of a service is often a direct result of the quality of a provider. IT support is no different. The industry is hot and growing fast, but that doesn’t mean all IT support providers are high-quality. Many are newcomers trying to get in while the market is hot. They may not be influenced to keep quality IT professionals on their staff.
Investigate other providers, get assessments, and clarify their pricing and service menus. Finding a high-quality IT support provider means getting the maximum benefit for your money. Get help from a qualified IT support provider like Endsight.
Need help getting the biggest value for your IT support?
Providing quality for any law firm IT support is no joke. It’s a challenge. Creating a strategic IT plan to analyze technology needs and keeping the system secure is what Endsight is about.
Endsight can provide your business with a unique IT strategic plan. We can work with you to develop a thorough and detailed IT strategic plan and implement and manage it for you. Get your free assessment today and see how Endsight can help.
Do you need a true IT partner to meet your IT support needs? Look no further than Endsight. Check out our client testimonials and get a sense of what we can do for your business!
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