Have you joined the “conversation” recently on the subjects of clouds, blue sky, software services, platform services, being live, riding the “wave”, etc? The authors of articles and ILTA publishers of the June 2009 issue of Peer to Peer did a great job introducing these subjects with the focus of “doing more with less.” How are these new technologies affecting us? The line between each of as a “consumer” and a “business professional” is blurring more and more. The Internet has virtually eliminated boundaries – boundaries from one office to another, from one country to another, from one business to another, and from home to business. It’s not only fun, it’s changing the way we work, the way we converse, and it’s making us all new friends, contacts, potential customers, etc. It’s broadening our base of associations as we converse and interact, not just annually, but daily and weekly on such Internet locations as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Follow @ILTA09 on Twitter and you feel more connected with its planning and development. I saw a request by one person who added on twitter a request for executive speakers to a panel. I forwarded to a CIO that I thought would be interested, who appreciated the thought. It will be fun as we stream messages at ILTA this year and see how we all leverage these new technologies to disseminate information, to connect with one another, and even reach out from a physical location of Washington D.C. outward to the world to those that are not able to attend. Staying connected at its best.
How does this apply to the business of law? Technology over time has definitely helped us be more efficient, more productive and more knowledgeable, as more information and knowledge is available at our fingertips. This helps us do our jobs more effectively and better service our clients and customers. Law firms have traditionally been slower to respond to new technologies, but more and more firms are embracing Cloud Computing and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) technologies and are benefiting greatly as a result. Many CIOs are very visionary as they direct their firm’s towards the Internet wave and its developments—saving costs. Traditional consultants and system integrators servicing law firms for years used to look at SaaS as a threat and now they are embracing with open arms. There are always more exciting news to come, making our lives working in this technology industry so exciting. Go ITLA ’09!
Leonard Johnson
VP Marketing
NetDocuments
leonard@netdocuments.com
Twitter: @netdocuments
Filed under: 2009 Conference
Interesting to note how traditionally lawyers have been slow to adopt new technologies. As SaaS has matured however, it appears that lawyers are accepting the idea that they don’t need to physically store data and are seeing the benefits of the cloud. The sky truly is bluer on the other side.