How to Use Tabs3 in the Cloud in 2025

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster have stood the test of time as robust practice management, billing, and accounting platforms for law firms. Numerous firms in North America utilize Tabs3 and/or PracticeMaster for managing clients, handling matters, storing documents, and accounting.

However, because they’re traditionally installed on-premises, firms end up managing servers, patching, VPNs, and other remote-access workarounds.

Hosting Tabs3 in a private cloud lets you keep the software your team knows while retiring hardware and gaining secure, anywhere access.

This guide is for firms that use (or plan to use) Tabs3 or PracticeMaster and want a clear path to run them in a private cloud.

(We’ll explain the difference and relationship between the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster products.)

Whether you are using Tabs3, PracticeMaster, or both, this ultimate guide will cover all the essential aspects of moving your practice management, billing, and accounting systems to a cloud-based environment.

If you already know Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, feel free to skip ahead.

For a quick refresher:

Tabs3 covers timekeeping, billing, trust accounting, AP, and GL.

PracticeMaster handles matter management, calendaring, workflows, and basic document tools (naming, check-in/out, version history).

You can use them separately or together.

Both products are traditionally desktop/server applications. Firms run them on their own on-premises servers or host them in a private-cloud/virtual-desktop environment to keep familiar software while gaining secure, anywhere access.

If your firm needs full-fledged document management—advanced search/OCR, granular permissions, robust email management, and secure external sharing—pair Tabs3 with a dedicated DMS such as LexWorkplace.

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, by Software Technology Inc. (STI), are collectively a suite of law practice management and accounting software. While Tabs3 and PracticeMaster are capable of functioning as independent applications, they are often acquired and utilized in tandem.

With this considered, we will reference the pair of applications as “Tabs3 and PracticeMaster” due to their frequent implementation as a cohesive unit.

At a high level and in collaboration with each other, the Tabs3 + PracticeMaster suite provides:

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster are commonly understood to be strong management, billing, and accounting platforms for law practices.

Tabs3 (Billing & Financials) plus PracticeMaster is a strong match for firms that want billing, accounting—including trust—and matter management in a unified, proven stack.

This eliminates the need for separate software to manage practice operations and accounting, streamlining processes and improving efficiency.

The cloud is very useful for numerous reasons, which we’ll identify shortly, and is especially beneficial for small to midsize law firms.

With that considered, some law firms seeking the reliability, security, and mobility of the cloud assume that the only way to achieve these benefits is to abandon the premise-based software that they know and love in order to move to a web-based application.

This is not the case.

Many browser-based practice management apps are convenient, but they can trade depth for simplicity. Tabs3 stands out as a mature, feature-rich desktop suite—especially for billing, accounting (including trust), and tightly controlled financial workflows.

For firms with more complex requirements, that depth often matters. We regularly hear from firms that trial a browser-based tool, then return to Tabs3 when billing/accounting depth becomes a bottleneck.

If you’ve considered switching to a web app just to “get the cloud,” pause.

With a private-cloud hosting approach, you can keep the Tabs3 (and PracticeMaster) experience your team relies on—while gaining secure, anywhere access and eliminating server upkeep. In short: keep the software you trust, get the cloud benefits you want.

Tabs3 is excellent—and, for most firms, even better in a private cloud.

Moving off in-house servers typically improves reliability, remote access, and day-to-day productivity without changing how your team uses Tabs3 or PracticeMaster.

Below, we’ll cover why hosting helps and how to make the move.

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Tabs3 has historically been a desktop/server application designed to run on a Windows server in your office. You can keep that familiar experience and still run Tabs3 from the cloud in two proven ways:

• Cloudify Tabs3 (Practice Go)
  Publish just the Tabs3 application from a secure cloud server (RemoteApp–style). Users launch Tabs3 from a browser or lightweight client, while the rest of their desktop remains local. Ideal if you already have a cloud plan for documents/email and only need Tabs3 delivered from the cloud.

• Full Private Cloud / Virtual Desktop (Practice Foundation)
  Provide a complete Windows desktop in the cloud—Tabs3, PracticeMaster, Outlook, and shared drives in one place. This centralizes apps, documents, printing/scanning, permissions, and backups. Best when you want your entire stack managed together.

Both approaches deliver secure, anywhere access with centralized management. The difference is scope: publish the app (lighter touch) vs publish the whole desktop (fully centralized).

Before cloud computing went mainstream, software like Tabs3 was installed on a firm’s on-premises server and accessed from users’ Windows PCs. The application’s core components (including its database files) lived on that server, which meant owning and maintaining server hardware was part of the deal.

A private cloud replaces that office server with a professionally managed, hosted environment. It provides the same (often better) functions a server would—running your legal applications, storing documents and email, enforcing permissions, and handling backups—while adding mobility, reliability, and security.

Key point: Tabs3’s desktop edition still expects a Windows server. In a private cloud, that server simply runs in the provider’s data center. Your team signs in to a secure virtual desktop (or a published app), uses Tabs3 exactly as they do today, and your provider handles the servers, updates, backups, and security controls.

Private Clouds are so-called because every law firm (called a “tenant,” in cloud computing parlance), has their own segregated, dedicated working environment.

In most cases, that means:

If you’re not familiar with these technologies:

What it amounts to is that separate from other law firms, your law firm has its own private space for its software, documents, and data to give your firm an added level of data security and privacy.

Related:

That’s the “back-end” of running Tabs3 in the cloud. On the front end, you and your team will interact with the Private Cloud through a Virtual Desktop.

A Virtual Desktop is your firm’s Windows desktop—hosted in the cloud. Users sign in (with MFA) from a Mac, PC, iPad, or browser and land in a familiar workspace with Tabs3, PracticeMaster, Outlook, Word/Excel, and shared matter drives. It feels like a fast office PC, just delivered securely over the internet.

Because apps run in the data center, you don’t install or patch them on every device. Attorneys can enter time from anywhere, open/save to the same matter folders, and file email consistently.

Printing, scanning, and multi-monitor setups typically work as expected, while data stays centralized under firm policies and managed backups. (You’ll also hear this model called Desktop-as-a-Service or DaaS.)

In a traditional setup, software is installed on each local computer. In a Virtual Desktop, applications run on cloud servers; your device sends keyboard/mouse input and receives screen updates over an encrypted session. Large file operations happen inside the data center, so performance stays snappy.

On the endpoint, you usually need only a small client or a browser bookmark—often just a single shortcut to sign in. From there, everyone works in the same standardized, centrally managed desktop.

When you (or anyone in your team) logs into your Virtual Desktop, you’ll have access to all of your law firm’s software, documents, and data, including:

This gives your entire firm access to Tabs3 (and all of your applications, documents and data) from anywhere, on any device.

Virtual Desktops also mean that you no longer have to install, update, and maintain each of your applications on every computer within your firm. Instead, your Cloud Service Provider simply keeps all software updated for you.

Virtual Desktops bring many advantages to law firms. Specifically, Virtual Desktops are likely the best technology route in any of the following scenarios.

We’ll cover selecting the right Virtual Desktop provider, and doing your due diligence, shortly.

For an example of working in a Virtual Desktop, watch our demonstration of Uptime Practice.

Now that we have a clear understanding of how Tabs3 in the Cloud operates and the advantages it offers, let’s explore the process of moving Tabs3 to the Cloud.

Moving Tabs3 to the Cloud is typically facilitated by a chosen Cloud Service Provider (CSP). The CSP will handle the necessary steps and configurations involved in migrating Tabs3 to the Cloud environment.

A single point of contact is the best way to start the process of migrating Tabs3 to the cloud.

Your project manager (at Uptime Legal, we call this person the Onboarding Manger) should begin by clearly setting expectations and clearly communicating the steps that will be taken, so you don’t have any uncertainty about that path ahead.

Specifically, your Onboarding Manager should define specific timelines, expectations, and what is required from you for a successful migration.

While a good cloud service provider will have a well-defined and tested process for onboarding, the process is never exactly the same because no two firms are exactly the same.

A good Tabs3 cloud migration should begin with deep research and understanding of the firm’s current environment, including:

Next, your Tabs3 hosting provider will begin building your private cloud environment.

A good provider will have successfully completed this task numerous times to reach a point where they can build your private cloud quickly. The Onboarding Manager and engineering team must install your software, provision your email accounts, and generally build the “shell” of your complete IT platform.

This process includes:

Next, your Tabs3 cloud provider will begin the process of collecting your data from current locations. Each element of your firm’s technology will be moved over, component-by-component.

This cutover process includes:

The physical transfer should be seamless and finish with all data transferred securely to your new cloud platform. Once the data has finished being imported, the Onboarding Manager and his team should thoroughly test every application, computer, and peripheral.

Ensure that your Tabs3 CSP is willing to be flexible with the migration. If it’s executed in the evening or the weekend, the process will not impede your firm’s daily operations or result in significant downtime.

A good Tabs3 hosting provider knows first impressions matter. Adoption lives or dies on day one, so the environment must be reliable, fast, and straightforward—and it needs a clear training plan.

Well-run onboarding minimizes disruption and builds confidence. Choose a provider that prioritizes training, support, and steady account management, and your move to Tabs3 in the cloud is far more likely to be smooth—and to stick.

In addition to the functional advantages such as enhanced reliability, security, and mobility, there is a compelling financial case for moving Tabs3 to the cloud.

Running Tabs3 in-house with on-premise servers can be more expensive than it may initially appear.

You need to buy servers, ancillary IT infrastructure (backup systems, battery backups, etc.), and you need to hire a capable IT consultant to set up the server, proactively manage it, and perform continued maintenance.

Beyond the expected cost, the actual cost will always be higher than you think it’ll be.

To understand the economics of moving Tabs3 to the cloud, we need to compare a Private Cloud solution to the costs of in-house, on-premise servers and IT.

Watch the Video:

Each server cycle (3-5 years) requires the buying and implementing of new server infrastructure, and this usually includes:

If you want a sense of your total, up-front cost of another cycle of on-premise IT, I recommend that you get pricing for each item on this list, record it in a spreadsheet, and add up the various costs to determine the up-front price tag.

Take time to ensure that you are not missing anything.

Keep in mind that these costs are ultimately driven by the software your law firm uses.

How many and how powerful of servers do you need? Do you need multiple, dedicated servers? Will you need VMWare virtualization? This is ultimately determined by the software you use (namely: Practice Management and Document Management software) and the server requirements of those applications.

Use our Cloud Cost Calculator to tally up all relevant up-front costs for your firm.

Next, analyze costs incurred on an ongoing basis. Identify monthly recurring costs, as well as annual costs (renewals, maintenance), and determine your average monthly or annual recurring costs.

For most law firms, these often include:

Add up what you currently spend, or will spend, on an ongoing basis. This should include fixed monthly costs (such as a Managed IT Provider contract) as well as sporadic, less predictable costs (such as hourly IT support).

For the latter, if you’re unsure of a reasonable budget for this amount, I recommend finding the average over the past two three years.

Add all of these up and determine your average monthly IT spend.

Finally, it’s important to budget for unplanned IT expenses when running Tabs3 in-house.

Despite proactive IT measures, unforeseen IT problems can still occur, necessitating additional costs for troubleshooting and repairs. By allocating resources for such contingencies, law firms can minimize disruptions and ensure continuity in their operations.

These unplanned costs may take the form of:

As you can see, some costs are fixed and predictable, and others are wildly unpredictable (but should be budgeted or accounted for in some way).

The last step is to add up your up-front costs, monthly recurring costs, and your budget for unplanned/unforeseen costs:

This is your Total Cost of Ownership for on-premise IT.

Now compare this Total Cost of Ownership to that of a Private Cloud.

We have established that Private Cloud offers better advantages in terms of reliability, security, and mobility compared to in-house IT.

Additionally, when comparing the costs of in-house IT with cloud-based IT, it becomes evident that Private Cloud is a more cost-effective option.

Private Cloud costs typically include:

As a reminder, the right Private Cloud provider’s cost will include all of the technology that you would otherwise need to purchase, operate, and maintain. Plus, the on-premise IT is full of hidden and unpredictable costs.

Fully-managed Private Cloud costs are simple, clear, and predictable.

You know why Tabs3 in the cloud makes sense—now make sure you choose the right provider. There are many companies that say “we host Tabs3,” but running and supporting Tabs3 in the cloud takes specialized configuration and real product expertise.

Key areas to review (keep this tight checklist handy):

Once you’ve developed a short list of potential Tabs3 hosting providers, do your homework on each company.

We recommend:

Quick Tip: In order to see Google reviews for a Private Cloud provider (or any business for that matter), a simple google search should bring up the reviews in the results for any reputable company.

For example, here’s ours:

Learn more about doing your due diligence:

At Uptime Legal, we host Tabs3 and other legal software for hundreds of law firms across North America.

Get in touch with our team to learn more about Tabs3 in the cloud for your law firm.

Learn More about running Tabs3 in the Cloud.