Technology in law firms transformed by 'consumerisation'

Workplace technology has experienced a sea change. It used to be that the highest quality and most desirable laptops and phones were the ones provided by the employer, but as connectivity has become an essential platform for our personal and professional lives, some of the most advanced technology is hitting the high street before it reaches the enterprise.

Ironically, as people share more and more on the internet, paranoia about data security and privacy is at an all-time high and firms are focusing sharply on their internal policies and arrangements around device, internet and social media usage.

Technology in law firms, as in other enterprises, is being transformed by a new buzzword: consumerisation – people bringing the technology they use in their private lives to the office. This is not just about giving people the latest smartphones and tablets, currently the iPad and iPad2; as more devices come onto the market, no doubt the range of equipment appearing in the workplace will increase.

Chief information officers (CIOs) have to decide how much support to offer people who want to bring their own devices into work and the extent to which the firm’s overarching IT strategy is driven by consumerisation. CIOs also have to consider the security and other implications of allowing users this level of freedom and flexibility.

Paul Caris, CIO at Eversheds, led the law firm drive towards consumer technology. As soon as the iPad was launched he purchased 50 and distributed them among a selection of users in the firm. By September, this number will have increased to 500, of which 200 will be the iPad2.

When it was first announced that Eversheds was giving its lawyers iPads, many thought it was a publicity stunt, but Caris’s brave decision has proved the doubters wrong, spearheading a trend that saw some firms change their strategy from blocking Facebook access to facilitating the use of consumer technology and social media in the workplace, supported by the appropriate security arrangements and usage policies that set clear parameters, and protect corporate assets and client confidentiality.

Rolling out a new device – even a controversial one – is nothing new. The innovative part of Caris’s strategy was his decision to provide no iPad support from the IT department. The rollout cost Eversheds nothing in terms of IT support and training, again reflecting the way people use technology outside the workplace.

Users were simply given an iPad to use as they wished. The only support facility that Caris provided was a community site on the firm’s intranet to enable users to support each other and share experiences, hints and tips. Not only did users enjoy experimenting with and using the latest gadget, but they became self-sufficient. Eversheds’ confidence in users’ ability to self-support has led to the firm encouraging the use of social networks, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter.

Caris’s next move also reflects the way people consume technology outside the office. Although high-definition TVs are increasingly popular, viewers are also more accepting of low-quality video. TV news reporting regularly includes footage taken on a mobile phone and everyone watches YouTube. Caris believes that this paradox is driven by convenience.

This rationale has led him to install Skype on lawyers’ desktops, so that instead of utilising expensive videoconferencing products, which require both parties to have a compatible setup and support, lawyers have the convenience of being able to organise a videoconference over Skype – and those with iPad2 use Skype and Facetime.

Skype is platform-agnostic and free, and requires no IT support to set up. Users are trading hi-definition video quality for convenience and self-sufficiency.

These examples show that consumerisation can help firms save costs and boost user engagement. The potential downside is security. Janet Day, director of IT at Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), has introduced a system which supports lawyers using their own tablet and smartphone devices for work purposes so long as they sign up to a usage policy which enables BLP to wipe the device if it is lost, thereby protecting firm and client data. Lawyers are then permitted to access the firm’s email and other systems without restriction.

The IT department offers some support, which includes lists of useful apps. This support is not limited to iPads and will be extended to other tablet devices when they come to market, as well as smartphones.

Security is an important consideration. The UK government has been warning professional services firms that they are being targeted by hackers, and in some ways allowing people to bring their own device to work could potentially make the firm more vulnerable. However, so long as appropriate security measures are taken, there is so much information available for free or close to free that the hacker would have to be looking for specific data.

The trend towards consumerisation of workplace technology is based on achieving the right balance of user engagement and accountability – if users are given the latest device or choose to deploy their own equipment for work purposes, they need to use it responsibly and be aware of the potential consequences of irresponsible behaviour. The same principle applies to social media use and all this can be included in usage policies.

Consumerisation enables firms to embrace cutting-edge technology without wholesale investment, IT support and training. For example, Eversheds has supplied iPads to only about 10% of its lawyers, and BLP supports lawyers who supply their own equipment. As well as saving time and money, this creates self-sufficient user communities who have chosen the equipment they use and therefore have a closer emotional connection to it.

However, with choice comes responsibility. In a multi-platform, multi-device environment, security depends on user behaviour, and firms that respect their users sufficiently to allow them to choose which devices they use within clear usage parameters are rarely disappointed by their behaviour.

Joanna Goodman is a freelance journalist and former editor of Legal Technology Journal