Flying in the Clouds: Practicing Law by Cloud Computing

Cloud computing can be risky because someone might access a lawyer’s confidential information stored on the cloud. The location of the data may not be clear, and it could be stored in unstable countries. The cloud service provider may also share documents with others without permission.

But, using cloud computing can save money and provide reliable backups. To reduce the risk of unauthorized access, a law office can use technical and practical methods to protect their data. Firms should choose a reliable and secure cloud computing service provider. They can do this by researching the reputation of different providers and choosing the one with the best track record for security. The Florida Bar could also provide a list of the most proven and secure cloud service providers as confirmed by law firms who use them. This would help motivate cloud service providers to improve their security measures. In case of a data breach, a firm should lock its computers to prevent further storage on cloud servers, and use hard drives or flash drives instead. Cloud service providers will inform the firm if its data is breached. Password protection and encryption are important security measures for cloud data. Employees should use strong passwords and change them regularly. Employees may also need to input specific machine details to access documents. Monitoring cloud activities and using redundancy in security procedures can also increase security. In order to keep a law office safe in the cloud, the staff should be trained in cloud security and there should be regular checks to make sure everyone is following the rules. It would also be helpful to have someone in charge of cloud security within the office. Everyone in the office should work together to keep things safe. New employees might already know a lot about cloud security, which could make it easier to set up these safety measures. It’s important to take steps to protect the office from the risks of cloud computing, just like it’s important to manage taxes and other risks in the practice of law. In conclusion, cloud computing has many benefits that are too good to ignore, even though there are some risks. Your school can address the risks by getting help from an information technology expert. They should use a strategy that includes some of the suggestions mentioned here. Technology is always changing, and people who want to do bad things with technology are always trying to stay one step ahead. So it’s important to be proactive and not just hope for the best. A bad person wouldn’t put their head in the clouds, and neither should your school. These are references to documents and hearings about a government program called FedRAMP, which sets security standards for cloud computing. It includes statements from people like David Schellhase from Salesforce.com and David McClure from the U.S. General Services Administration. They talk about the benefits and risks of using cloud computing for federal government IT. Jonathan Baker won an essay writing contest for Florida law students about using cloud computing in law offices. The contest was sponsored by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company and The Florida Bar. The article was published in the company’s newsletter, Advisor. The Young Lawyers Division and others were involved in judging the contest.

 

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/flying-in-the-clouds-practicing-law-by-cloud-computing/


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