A hand selecting the image of scales from a row of icons.

Optimizing Legal Practice Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Law Firms, Attorneys, and CPAs on Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

/in , /by
A hand selecting the image of scales from a row of icons.
Business, Technology, Internet and network concept. Labor Law Lawyer Legal.

Introduction 

As an attorney, law firm, or certified public accountant (CPA), you understand that your practice encompasses more than legal work. You must hire and manage staff, maintain office space, keep up with technology and software updates, and manage daily business tasks. Fortunately, companies called Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can help you manage these aspects, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: providing exceptional legal services to your clients. Some MSPs offer services specifically designed for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs, such as IT support, cloud storage solutions, accounting and billing management tools, document management systems, policy and compliance assistance, marketing campaigns, and website design/development, among others.

Data Security, Backup, and Disaster Recovery

Safeguarding sensitive client data is paramount for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs. Implementing robust backup and disaster recovery strategies is vital to mitigate the risk of significant economic loss, reputational damage, and potential legal and regulatory liability. Implementing a comprehensive backup plan is crucial to ensure the timely recovery of clients’ information in cases of unforeseen emergencies or difficult circumstances, such as when immediate responses are required.

  • Disaster Recovery: Addressing the impact of disasters and incidents on infrastructure, Disaster recovery encompasses the comprehensive set of processes and strategies employed to recover from disasters and incidents, which can include anything from fires or floods to hardware failures or ransomware events, which can destroy critical infrastructure and cause data loss, or worse, data breach. Including the loss of buildings, servers, and other IT equipment that attorneys, law firms, and CPAs rely on for managing and storing their clients’ confidential information. A well-rounded disaster recovery plan is crucial for legal practices to navigate and mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters effectively. MSPs with professional services and legal industry experts can provide guidance and resources to develop and implement comprehensive disaster recovery plans encompassing data protection, infrastructure resilience, and contingency planning, allowing legal professionals to recover and restore operations swiftly, ensuring minimal disruption to their clients and business.
  • Proactive Measures: Ensuring Business Continuity for professionals, adopting proactive measures that guarantee continued operations or a fast return to operations in the face of catastrophic events is essential. By partnering with a reputable MSP experienced in the professional services industry, attorneys, law firms, and CPAs can benefit from tailored solutions that cater to the unique needs of their practice.
  • Industry-Specific Backup Solutions: Working with an MSP that understands the intricacies of the professional services and regulated industry sectors ensures the implementation of industry-specific backup solutions that prioritize protecting sensitive client data. These MSPs can recommend and deploy innovative backup technologies and strategies to accommodate stringent requirements.

Cloud Services

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, cloud services have become an invaluable resource for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs. The adoption of cloud technology in the legal and financial sectors has revolutionized how professionals store, access, and manage data, emphasizing security, reliability, and accessibility. However, staying abreast of the latest advancements in cloud services and managing these platforms can take time and effort. Partnering with an MSP can streamline this process, ensuring that legal and financial professionals can focus on their core competencies while enjoying the numerous benefits of cloud services.

  • Advantages of MSP-Managed Cloud Services for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs by entrusting an MSP with the management of your cloud services, legal and financial professionals can reap numerous benefits, including
  • Seamless Software Updates: With an MSP handling your cloud services, your team no longer needs to update software across devices manually. The MSP will take responsibility for performing regular software updates, ensuring that your systems remain current and secure.
  • Proactive Performance Monitoring: MSPs continuously monitor performance levels across multiple devices, ensuring your cloud infrastructure operates efficiently. This proactive approach helps identify and resolve potential issues before they escalate, minimizing downtime and disruption.
  • Enhanced Data Security: MSPs are well-versed in industry-specific security protocols and compliance regulations. By partnering with an MSP,  attorneys, law firms, and CPAs can rest assured that their sensitive client data remains secure and complies with the relevant standards.
  • Scalable Cloud Solutions: Legal and financial professionals often experience fluctuating workloads and client demands. MSPs offer scalable cloud solutions that can be adjusted to accommodate these changes, allowing for seamless expansion or contraction of services as needed.
  • Streamlined IT Management: Outsourcing cloud service management to an MSP enables legal and financial professionals to focus on their core competencies. The MSP will handle the time-consuming tasks of maintaining, updating, and monitoring cloud services, freeing up valuable time and resources.
  • The virtualization of IT infrastructure: is a powerful tool for enhancing data security and streamlining operations within a business legal practice. MSPs can assist with deploying virtualized servers, storage, and network resources, ensuring optimal performance and safety. This approach offers several advantages, including improved resource utilization, increased flexibility, and reduced hardware costs. Moreover, virtualization can bolster data protection by rapidly deploying security patches, seamless system upgrades, and efficient disaster recovery processes.

Navigating Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

Compliance and regulatory requirements are indispensable for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs. Maintaining adherence to industry standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is crucial for these professionals. MSPs play a significant role in ensuring compliance, providing numerous benefits to their legal and accounting clients.

Critical Benefits of MSPs in Compliance and Regulatory Requirements Management

  • Expert Guidance in compliance with industry standards MSPs offer invaluable assistance in maintaining compliance with industry standards, including but not limited to GDPR, SOX, and HIPAA. By partnering with an MSP, attorneys, law firms, and CPAs gain access to knowledge and expertise that ensures their practices remain compliant with relevant regulations. This not only mitigates the risk of non-compliance penalties but also bolsters the reputation of the firm or practitioner in the eyes of clients and regulatory bodies.
  • Comprehensive Support in Business Management MSPs provides extensive support in managing the business aspects of a legal or accounting practice. This includes critical areas such as IT security, cybersecurity, and disaster recovery planning. By utilizing the services of an MSP, legal and accounting professionals can concentrate on their core competencies, confident that the MSP will address any potential compliance, security, or technological issues.
  • Regular Compliance Audits and Assessments MSPs can conduct periodic compliance audits and assessments to ensure that their clients’ practices adhere to industry standards. This proactive approach allows attorneys, law firms, and CPAs to identify and rectify potential compliance issues before they escalate, thus reducing the risk of penalties or reputational damage.
  • Customized Compliance Solutions Tailored to the legal and accounting industries, MSPs understand the unique compliance challenges. Consequently, they can develop and implement customized compliance solutions explicitly tailored to the needs of the legal and accounting sectors. This targeted approach ensures that the compliance strategies employed are practical and efficient, optimizing the use of resources and providing maximum protection against potential risks.

Maximizing Cost Efficiency

Optimizing cost efficiency in the highly competitive legal and accounting industries is a critical component of success for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs. MSPs offer a strategic advantage for businesses seeking to reduce expenses while maintaining high-quality services. Through proactive maintenance, comprehensive system monitoring, and advanced optimization techniques, MSPs effectively streamline operations, minimize costly downtime and repairs, and improve overall productivity.

As legal and financial professionals understand, controlling expenses without compromising the quality of client services is paramount. Partnering with an MSP delivers numerous advantages, including the ability to

  • Leverage Proactive Maintenance and Support: MSPs proactively approach system maintenance, addressing potential issues before they escalate into more significant, costlier problems. This preemptive strategy prevents unplanned downtime and extends the lifespan of your technology infrastructure, maximizing your return on investment.
  • Implement Advanced System Monitoring: MSPs utilize sophisticated monitoring tools to continually assess the health and performance of your systems, promptly identifying areas requiring attention. By detecting potential concerns early, MSPs can resolve problems efficiently, ensuring uninterrupted service for your clients and maintaining the integrity of your firm’s reputation.
  • Optimize Systems for Maximum Efficiency: MSPs are well-versed in best practices for system optimization, employing techniques that enhance productivity, reduce energy consumption, and streamline operations. This results in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly business model, which aligns with the values of many modern law firms and accounting practices.
  • Benefit from Industry-Specific Expertise: MSPs who serve the legal and accounting industries deeply understand law firms, attorneys, and CPAs’ unique challenges and requirements. Their tailored solutions are designed to meet the specific needs of your practice, ensuring maximum cost savings and operational efficiency.
  • Access Scalable Solutions: As your practice evolves, MSPs offer scalable solutions that grow with your business, eliminating the need for costly infrastructure overhauls or labor-intensive system upgrades. This adaptability allows you to maintain a lean operation, quickly adjusting resources to align with your firm’s changing needs.

Conclusion

In summary, numerous advantages can be gleaned from collaborating with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) for attorneys, law firms, and CPAs. If you are searching for an MSP boasting a proven record of accomplishment within the professional services sector, Betterchips Consulting is the premier choice. With over twenty years of experience serving attorneys, law firms, CPAs, and their clients, our team possesses the requisite expertise to ensure your business flourishes.

Our comprehensive suite of services is specifically tailored to accommodate the distinct needs of the legal industry, encompassing managed IT services, cybersecurity solutions, and cloud computing. As legal professionals, you are undoubtedly familiar with essential terms such as e-discovery, legal research, case management, and data protection. Betterchips Consulting is proficient in addressing these areas, further solidifying our position as an invaluable partner for your legal practice.

Do not hesitate to seize this opportunity to elevate your legal practice to unprecedented heights. Contact us today at info@betterchips.com to discover how Betterchips Consulting can assist in streamlining your operations, bolstering data security, ensuring regulatory compliance, and enhancing the overall success of your law firm, legal practice, or accounting firm.

An Auditor Reviewing Documents with a Magnifying Glass

The stats don’t lie… just the bad guys.

/in , /by
An Auditor Reviewing Documents with a Magnifying Glass
Auditor makes internal audit of company and checks financial report with magnifying glass.

Ever heard of the FTC’s (Federal Trade Commision) Consumer Sentinel Network database? The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network (Sentinel) is a database that receives reports directly from consumers, as well as from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the Better Business Bureau, industry members, and non-profit organizations. Twenty-five states now contribute to Sentinel. Law enforcement agencies from local to international utilize the data to spot trends, monitor bad businesses, improve procedures, and enforce the law. 

The results are in for 2021, and things are looking up… in the amount of reports filed and monies lost. There were over 5.7 million reports filed, including 2.8 million worth of fraud. The fraud alone cost Americans 5.8 billion dollars, which is a 70% increase from the year prior. 1.4 million Imposter scams brought in over 2.3 billion dollars, up from 1.2 billion in 2020. And based on the trends from every year, 2022 will break the current numbers before the year’s out.
The sudden shift to working from home caught businesses and consumers off guard, and now that there’s a shift to things going back to normal, bad actors are once again waiting to take advantage. IF your company should find itself under attack, with a data breach, or compromised security, contact Betterchips immediately. The quicker Betterchips can get involved, the more likely your company’s digital assets can be saved or restored. Don’t let precious time go to waste, contact Betterchips now.

The 4 Signs of A Cyber-Attack You Should Look for When Working from Home

/in , /by

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 only 29% of Americans were able to work from home, with most doing it less than 3 days per month. Now that most companies have successfully transitioned their employees to work from home thanks to the crisis, Buffer reports than 99% of employees want work from home to be a permanent fixture. While workers love it from a work life balance and thanks to it eliminating commutes, there are many risks that emerge thanks to Cyber Security challenges. In fact, most experts believe we are seeing a 40% increase in cybercrime thanks to hackers seeing opportunities in weakened security protocols.

While some businesses have a good enough cyber and network security system in place, many are not aware of the risks involved in connecting remotely.

The Global Cyber Center of NY recently held its first cybersecurity virtual event on the top threats of remote work.

“Organizations of all kinds are facing an uptick in email-based threats, endpoint-security gaps and other problems as a result of the sudden switch to a fully remote workforce,” says William Altman, Senior Analyst at the Global Cyber Center of NYC. “It’s now more important than ever to consider both the security practitioner as well as ethical-hacker perspectives in order to stay secure, that’s what this is all about.”

The Global Cyber Center of NY said that all employees should look for these 4 signs of a cyber breach:

  • Computer performance issues
  • The computer having new programs that you have not installed
  • Fake looking ads or pop-up ads appear on the screen, or more of them
  • Loss of control of the camera, mouse or keyboard.

The question most employees have when they feel they detect a breach is who to contact. Most companies should reach out directly to their Network Administrator and should provide a log of what they have seen, ideally with screen shots or the timing that it occurred. Network Administrators are under pressure to check out the issue, but they also they must protect the network. This is why we recommend they contact Betterchips. We are experienced in infrastructure issues and challenges like this, plus have a comprehensive background in digital investigations; so, we can not only stop and resolve the issue, but we can identify the source of the problem. If you or your clients see any of these 4 issues, please give us a call, on 1-866-270-2388, and we can quickly evaluate and build you a plan of action.

Are your client’s employees practicing good habits in the work from home environment?

/in , /by

We know how much you care about your clients and their employees. We at Betterchips are seeing that now is the perfect time for you to reach out and engage with your clients to offer them assistance and help on how they can be best prepared for cybersecurity protection. 

We are currently working with our partners and putting together the following options:

  • A Free Cybersecurity audit for any of your clients
  • A Virtual Class for your clients to help educate their teams

We stand by that either approach will greatly increase your risk of an attack in this new normal. However, if you are pressed for time and want something quick and easy to pass on to your clients then we recommend that your clients follow these quick recommendations:

  1. Make sure their teams improve your security on your home WIFI Network
  2. Implement 2FA on all devices used to access the network
  3. Never open emails from unknown senders
  4. Check the domain of the email, against the website domain of the sender, before downloading any attachments
  5. Encrypt all data, including chats, that you send 
  6. Limit the amount of work done on personal or mobile devices

These 6 recommendations will proactively protect your clients. However, we recommend that you work with us so that we can build a comprehensive and complete plan of action to best help each client. We can provide education and virtual training as well as make infrastructure recommendations. This is what we do and is a much better way to engage us, rather than calling us to solve an attack and perform the digital investigation. Let us know when you would like to chat, we can be reached on 1-866-270-2388

Is “The New Normal” putting your business at risk?

/in , /by

The emergence of COVID-19 has caused many seismic shifts in the business world. The first, and currently most prevalent, is the dominance of work from home. Millions of workers are now working from home, with companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook mandating their employees work remotely. Organizations are facing unprecedented challenges with work from home as it results in heightened security risks for companies of all sizes, and it is likely that your clients are at advanced risk of these threats.

At Betterchips, we want to keep our partners and our peers in the best space to stay safe from potential attacks and we recommend that you look into the 5 biggest threats that people are facing.

Personal and Mobile Device Security

With work from home, people are using much more devices, including their own, to save and manipulate files. They also use mobile devices to do work more frequently, which traditionally have different security protocols and can be attacked in different ways. These devices are a much bigger treasure trove for hackers as they have more personal data on them. To prevent the risk of attacks here, we recommend that security teams should require device registration and provide oversight of devices allowed to access company data.

Strong Password Management and Authentication

Password policies are key and with employees using more devices and applications, then moving to options like 2FA will allow for a safer and more robust approach to password management. This will also reduce the burden on things like password resets into your administration teams.

Encrypt Your Data

Unencrypted data can be accessed and is much easier to hack. This is why security professionals should adopt and enforce encryption policies, especially as a large majority of employees are now remote. It is critical when people work from home as there is much more online and chat conversations occurring as human to human interaction is limited.

Make Sure Connections Are Secure

Remote workers are always at risk of not using secure connections, as they are not on the company network, This gives hackers a great path to access their computers and the company network. This is part of the education a company should do to their employees to remind them to use a secure network. Also, using a virtual private network can help to ensure that employees are secure when they access your company data, systems, and applications.

Educate on Cybersecurity Awareness

The best way to protect from a cybersecurity attack, is to educate your workforce on what they should do if they are suspicious of an attack or think they have been attacked. Education is something we can assist with, as our team can speak with you or your clients and help bring employees up to the expert level, and reduce the risk of attack.

If we can help you with any of these issues, please drop us a line at 1-866-270-2388, and we can quickly evaluate your current cybersecurity situation and build you a plan of action.

.

We Identify, Interpret and Remedy Complex Technology Casework, Matters and Incidents for Professionals and Business Stakeholders.

Site Navigation

Products and Services
About Us
Careers
Case Studies
Blog
Contact Us

Legal

Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

© Copyright – Betterchips Consulting Corp. – All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: Betterchips Consulting Corp. is not a law firm and does not offer or provide legal advice or service of any kind. If requested, we may be able to provide an attorney recommendation.