Increased business investment is leading many law firms to upgrade IT hardware and software. With law firms increasingly being scrutinised by their clients on cyber security, this could be an opportunity to invest in vital electronic defences.

According to a recent survey by Syscap, some 70% of firms are planning to invest in IT software upgrades or purchases, and 65% anticipating investment in IT hardware, up from 40% and 44% respectively last year.

Modern working practices – laptops, memory sticks and smartphones – means that work is being done on a wide range of devices and data could be increasingly vulnerable. A recent Syscap survey found that the proportion of firms planning to invest in tablets, such as iPads, had doubled in the last year to 22%.

The close relationship between law firms and their clients means that a large amount of data is shared with and stored on their client’s behalf. Smaller firms are particularly attractive to cyber scammers, according to The Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (CISP), a joint initiative between industry and government to raise awareness of cyber threats and reduce its impact.

Government advice for any firm looking to beef up its cyber security is:

1. Plan

Understand your business’ risks. Understand the data that you holding and what IT infrastructure is already in place. Assess existing passwords and staff awareness to decide if you need to make an investment.

2. Implement

Install anti-virus software and keep all your software and browsers up to date. Secure your network with firewalls and proxies. Restrict third party access to IT equipment and set secure configuration for all equipment, taking care to change default passwords. Encrypt any data being transmitted for home working or being stored on removable devices. Continually monitor these practices.

3. Monitor

Test, monitor and improve your security controls on a regular basis. Review and manage any changes in staff to ensure old accounts and equipment is removed.

An investment in IT systems could provide a new lease of life to an existing relationship or even remove a potential barrier to winning new clients.

Philip White, CEO of Syscap, says, “Business investment has been on the back burner for many law firms for a good while, but it’s now becoming a much higher priority. Firms who have been forced to keep old IT systems going for longer than they would perhaps like now desperately need to invest if they are to keep pace with competitors as the market improves.”

IT investment can be costly and difficult to justify if there are competing priorities for investment. Spreading the cost through our finance options may offer a solution. Syscap consultants are available to help you discuss the options on 0208 254 1930 or email contact@syscap.com