Getting Rid of Technology Dinosaurs
This post has been viewed 2,860 times.
With new gadgets coming out daily, it’s probably time for many lawyers to do some technology house cleaning, and what better time to embark on this endeavor than the start of a new year. Attorney William Peacock offers advice on some “should ditch” items on FindLaw’s Legal Technology blog, “Technologist.”
Landline phones: Yes really! “Sorry folks, but the landline is (near) dead,” says Peacock. Instead of paying for a multi-landline system, “consider using something like Google Voice, which forwards incoming calls to multiple phone numbers, or for larger firms, going for a full VOIP solution.
The old fax machine is quickly becoming obsolete as well, Peacock says. “Sure some senior partners still insist on using fax machines,” so it might be necessary to keep one on hand, assuming you have a landline, but “virtual fax services can serve as a handy substitute,” for those occasional needs, he suggests.
Desktop PCs: “The desktop PC, as you know it, is on the way out,” he cautions. “Laptops, tablet-laptop hybrids, and all-in-ones are the future.”
Tablets? “Look iPads and Android tablets are great for consumption,” says Peacock. However he says they do not provide full productivity and compatibility with everything so they are not truly something that attorneys “need.”
Finally, physical storage is out and the Cloud is in. That means no more USB Flash Drives, CDs, DVDs, or Blu-Rays. “The learning curve on cloud storage is minimal,” says Peacock, “and you’re far less likely to lose your files when they are stored online than you are to lose that USB flash drive.” Also consider Netflix, Spotify, iTunes, Box and Dropbox, he says. While attorneys aren’t likely to make it through the whole year without using any physical storage items, he says it’s a good bet such uses will be “increasingly rare.”
Read original articleTags: Legal Technology blog, Technology Dinosaurs, William Peacock
