Aderant in the Cloud – 7 Frequently Asked Questions

7 Top Questions About Aderant in the Cloud

One of our biggest goals here at Uptime Legal is to help law firms find solutions for their technology-related questions. We also spend a lot of time educating law firms on various solutions designed for the legal industry so that they can choose the best ones for their needs. Often this leads to questions about running Aderant in the cloud.

One of the most commonly used software choices is Aderant. Aderant is a fantastic tool that assists law firms in handling their invoicing, payments received, managing their cases, and generating helpful financial reports to determine the fiscal health of the firm.

Related: Aderant Review

One of the most common problems we hear about is that using Aderant on a physical server located on the premises of the firm is good, but it lacks portability and brings with along the inevitable IT hassle of ensuring that sensitive data is as protected as possible along with keeping the server up and running.

We’re often asked whether Aderant can be hosted and operated from the cloud. And, yes, a private cloud is a great solution for law firms.It rids the firm of IT headaches and cybersecurity concerns. It creates the possibility of having legitimate remote access to Aderant so that it may be accessed from anywhere.Private clouds can also host all of the other applications, sensitive data, and email while providing the firm with all of the required up-to-date cybersecurity solutions and IT support.

Learn More: Private Cloud – A Primer for Law Firms

Of course, though, law firms considering Aderant in the cloud creates certain questions. So, we’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions and our expert answers!

1. Can Aderant Run in the Cloud?

Because Aderant is most often installed on physical servers located within a law office, this question is our number one asked question. Many lawyers believe that a software application that is as powerful and feature-rich as Aderant can’t be hosted on the cloud.

We’ve got good news: Yes, Aderant can be moved and used in a private cloud.

2. What Is a Private Cloud?

A private cloud is a cloud-based IT platform that is fully managed on behalf of the law firm.It’s referred to as a private cloud because the cloud server isn’t hosted from the law firm itself like a physical server. A private cloud can:

• Host Aderant
• Host all of the software the firm relies on
• Securely host all of the firm’s data, documents, and folders
• Provide hosting for the firm’s email (generally through Hosted Exchange)

Essentially, law firms get all of the benefits of a physical server without the headache and aggravation often caused by needing to maintain it.

Related: 7 Reasons to Move Your Law Firm to a Private Cloud

A private cloud also enables anyone (and everyone if you so choose) to access the private cloud through what is known as a virtual desktop. This means that Aderant and anything else hosted on the private cloud can be accessed from anywhere provided there is an Internet connection!

Learn More: Virtual Desktops for Law Firms

3. Are There Benefits of Moving Aderant to a Private Cloud?

Absolutely. Aderant in the cloud gives your law firm more:

• Reliable access to what you need, when you need it. Of course, we’re making the assumption that you’ve chose a reputable private cloud provider that understands and can meet the needs of the legal industry when it comes to security and access.The right choice will give your law firm better access than a physical server.
• Better security for your data. We are, again, assuming that you’ve chosen a reputable private cloud provider. Data security is extremely important for law firms. The right private cloud provider has the resources and the ability to deploy and manage encryption, the best available firewalls, the best available data security methods, and manage data security on your behalf.
• More accessibility. Aderant in the cloud is more accessible than a physical server. A private server eliminates the requirement of users being physically present in the office to use Aderant (or any other software on the cloud). It is the perfect solution in our ever-changing world where we want to spend less time tied to our desks.
• It can grow with you. Is your law firm growing? Add more private cloud space to compensate. Adding more services and need to host additional software? This can be quickly and easily accomplished. Scaling back? No problem, a private cloud can also be scaled down (and usually the price with it). Customizing your storage on a private cloud is easier and more cost-efficient than making the same adjustments to a physical server.
• Fewer IT headaches. Because a private cloud is fully managed, law firms deal with fewer IT headaches. No more worrying about completing data backups, cybersecurity matters, server crashes, or other IT issues. The right private cloud fully manages the private server and provides best in class data security, uptime, timely data backups, and more.

4. Are There Risks of Moving to a Private Cloud?

Everything, including moving to a private cloud, has risks. The good news is that the risks associated can be mitigated by choosing a private cloud designed specifically for the legal industry and its needs. If you choose a private cloud provider who doesn’t fully understand the legal industry, you could be putting your data, your software, and your money at risk. If you want to run Aderant in the cloud, look for a private cloud that:

• Is specifically designed for the legal industry
• Has employees who understand and are experienced with your firm’s choices in software (including Aderant)
• Stores their data or that stores backup data in the United States (to avoid potential data sovereignty issues)
• Isn’t just reselling a public cloud service like Amazon AWS or Microsoft Azure
• Uses the right cybersecurity systems and processes
• Provides IT support both on and off their cloud (because the last thing you really need is to be told that if you can log in fine, any other issue you experience is YOUR problem!)
• Has the right amount of staff and support to help you when you need it
• Doesn’t lock you into a long-term contract

Always do your research before settling on a private cloud provider.

Related: 25 Things to Ask Your Private Cloud Provider

5. Are There Ethical Considerations for Lawyers Using a Private Cloud?

Cloud-based law firms are becoming more common every day. In fact, many ethics committees have added laws that regulate whether a private cloud may be used (along with the security measures that must be utilized). So, it’s important for you to check with your state bar and read the rules. There may also be published opinion pieces related to this subject on the bar’s website. Many bar associates recommend using a private cloud to help better secure sensitive data. In fact, the ABA’s website states, in part:

“Most fears about trusting client information to ‘the Internet’ are misplaced. One misconception is that client information may be intercepted as it travels across the Internet. Modern encryption has progressed to the point where it is unbreakable. Cloud companies understand that their reputations for protecting customer information are crucial. A single security breach would cost them dearly. Your client information is more secure stored on a reputable, professionally managed cloud server than on your office computers.”

— American Bar Association

6. How Does the Transition to a Private Cloud Take Place?

The transition process is known as “onboarding.”

The onboarding process is make-or-break when it comes to a positive experience with Aderant in the cloud. A good onboarding experience should be smooth. How the transition takes place differs depending on the private cloud provider chosen.

At Uptime Legal, the process of moving Aderant to the cloud often looks like this:

• The discovery process. During this time, we learn about and work to understand your current technology environment. This process helps us understand every application used (including which version) so that we can determine any potential issues that could occur. This helps us provide a better onboarding experience for law firms because we’re able to move on to the next step.
• The planning stage. Because we take the time to learn about your current technology and software choices, we’re able to better plan how migration will happen. During this time, we also work with you to schedule and coordinate the move to the private cloud. We keep our clients fully advised of what’s happening, when it’s happening, and how it will happen.
• Setting up the private cloud. We then build your law firm’s private cloud and configure it to host your software, including Aderant.
• Systematic data collection. Then, we systematically collect your data in a way that’s painless for your law firm and transfer it over to the newly built private cloud.
• Launch day. This is the big day when our clients experience a practically seamless transition from using a physical server to accessing a private cloud.
• Training. We also provide firm-wide training on launch day to help everyone in the firm feel totally comfortable with the new platform.
• Continued support. Before, during, and after the private cloud is set-up, we continue to provide help whenever your team needs it. It doesn’t have to be help with the private cloud, either. We can also help you with Aderant and problems experienced on individual computers.

7. Where Can I Learn More about Aderant in the Cloud?

If your law firm uses Aderant as a practice management tool and you’d like to learn more about hosting it from a private cloud, use our contact page. We would love to help you explore how a private cloud can benefit your law firm!Also, make sure to check out our complete guide on moving Aderant to the cloud.