Post-Pandemic Remote Work Trends and Business Continuity Solutions for Law Firms

June 21, 2022

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees have been compelled to work from home, and many businesses were unprepared for this rapid shift in business practices. Because of the reality of functioning during a global health crisis, companies had to decide whether to implement new remote work practices or completely shut down operations. For many organizations, remote staff was the only way to keep their doors open and operations going.

The future of remote working

Regarding COVID-19, Gartner recently conducted a poll that tapped on the expertise of hundreds of human resources and finance professionals and spoke to thousands of leaders. According to their results, many employees plan to work from home for at least some time following a pandemic.

In other cases, businesses have already begun planning for this shift. There is already the option of permanently working from home for Twitter and Square employees. This year’s work-from-home policies at Facebook and Google have been extended through 2023. Firms must implement business continuity solutions to sustain productivity and operational efficiency as remote work continues to rise as technology changes and new ones are introduced.

Impacts on Business Continuity

Several law firms have now closed their doors because of the Covid-19 virus and shift their staff to work from home. But this poses several significant challenges for some firms, including those that previously thought they had robust business continuity plans.

The following are some of the most pressing issues:

Observing rules and regulations.
Records of clients in hard copy that are difficult to access by everyone.
The dangers of cybercrime.
Protection of personal information and privacy of clients.
Keeping up with the times.

Client records can be accessed in both hardcopy and case management systems

Suppose you cannot access hardcopy client files because of the Government’s near-complete lockdown. This could lead to delays in dealing with client matters, which could result in complaints; even though the SRA has said it will be taking a more relaxed approach to such complaints, it has expected you to have appropriate contingency plans in place.

Cybercrime Risks

As a result of the present economic downturn, cybercriminals have increased their scamming efforts to access networks and steal money from unsuspecting victims. Many companies will have been forced to urge their employees to use their IT equipment due to a lack of time to prepare for widespread work from home. This equipment may be vulnerable to cyber-criminals due to inadequate security measures.

Protection of personal information and privacy of clients

You must do everything you can to maintain the confidentiality of all client data, both hard (files) and soft (computer) formats because the SRA has made it plain that protecting clients is vital to everything it does.

For example, family members and visitors may be able to see or hear client data while working from home; not all people working from home can work from a dedicated office and will. Therefore, be working at kitchen tables, in lounges, or elsewhere, appropriate precautions will still have to be taken to mitigate identified risks.

The Right Technology Solutions Make Remote Work a Reality

The value of managed VDI solutions is rising as demand for desktop virtualization grows. By the end of 2026, the cloud-VDI market is estimated to be worth $30 million. According to the poll results, practically every business requires the use of cloud computing, although law firms are an exception.

It is a calculated move for the legal business to transition to cloud desktops. Why?

In 2020, when pandemics caused a boom in virtual desktop programs, legal firms resisted the temptation to implement them. Staying away is primarily due to apprehensions about the security of sensitive data stored on unaffiliated servers. Keeping security in mind, this includes all documents and crucial files. Because of this, they’ve changed their focus toward virtual tools and services. We all know that lawyers and advocates are usually short on time, so managing in-house servers can be extremely demanding.

Because of the specialized nature of on-premise VDI technology, it necessitates a highly skilled team. Law businesses, where most employees are lawyers, are particularly hard hit because of the burden this has on their small IT teams. Third-party cloud service providers take care of the hosted desktops using VDI managed services for law firms. Since no on-premise servers or computers are involved, you don’t require them.

Find A Flexible Solution for Your Law Firm

How do you enable your workforce to work from anywhere? The answer doesn’t rest in one solution. It takes a combination of IT services, Unified Communications, cloud strategy and end-user education to do it right.

Using a virtual desktop infrastructure, you may get highly secure desktops and applications without worrying about maintaining them on your own. Speak with our experts about how VDI can be a game-changer for your legal firm.