Time Matters Support – How to Get Help for Time Matters

The LexisNexis Software Ecosystem

First, a quick review of where Time Matters lives in the world of legal software. LexisNexis has a portfolio of legal software products designed to meet the needs of a variety of sizes and types of law firms. Not every law practice needs every feature of every application — and to that end LexisNexis offers a variety of products that meet different needs and work together.

Since Time Matters is designed to manage your front-office–but not your accounting–Time Matters integrates LexisNexis’ other accounting software systems, including:

• PCLaw, for small law firms, and
• Juris, for midsize and larger law firms.

Time Matters can (and often is) used as a completely stand-alone practice management platform, or can be used in conjunction with PCLaw or Juris for accounting.

Time Matters is owned and sold by LexisNexis. You can buy it directly from LexisNexis, or from a Certified Independent Consultant, as described above. Once you have it, you’ll need to determine who is best suited to help you implement it, and how and where to host it (on your law firm’s servers or in a private cloud).

You’ll also want to subscribe to the Time Matters Annual Maintenance Plan (AMP), an annual subscription that gives you access to the latest version and update for Time Matters, as well as support and training resources.

Time Matters, a comprehensive practice and document management and software, has proven itself to be an essential tool for law firms throughout North America.

With the modern business landscape increasingly adopting remote work, many law firms are exploring strategies to minimize the cost and intricacy of maintaining in-house servers. They aim to empower their teams with the ability to work seamlessly from any location, eliminating geographical constraints and promoting a better work-life balance.

This emerging trend has stimulated a surge in interest in the capabilities of cloud technology.

In the era of digital transformation, cloud technology can fundamentally revolutionize how law firms operate, offering a range of benefits such as cost efficiency, scalability, and heightened productivity. In relation to Time Matters, transitioning to the cloud can transform the software from a server-dependent application into a more accessible, adaptable, and efficient tool.

Let’s explore how law firms can effectively shift their Time Matters practice management software to the cloud.

Time Matters is an on-premise software, originally designed to operate on a server. Traditionally, law firms would maintain their own servers for hosting such software. In contrast, cloud-based software runs via the internet, accessible through a web browser, eliminating the need for in-house servers.

However, several methods allow for the operation of Time Matters in the Cloud.

For instance, platforms like Practice Go can “cloudify” Time Matters. Such systems effectively allow you to run Time Matters as a web application in the Cloud, eliminating the need for private servers.

Sounds appealing, right? But there’s a catch…

This solution works best when a law firm only needs to cloudify Time Matters or another single software. For any other software you use, a separate strategy would be required for each.

If a more comprehensive solution is desired, you might want to consider the use of a Private Cloud or Virtual Desktop for your firm.

Please continue reading for more information on these alternatives.

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:

For those unfamiliar with these technologies, the practical upshot is that your law firm has its own private, secure space for its software, documents, and data, distinct from other law firms. This brings an extra layer of data security and privacy for your firm.

We’ve explored the benefits of running Time Matters in a cloud environment and how a Private Cloud can enable this. But what exactly does it mean to operate within a Private Cloud? How does each person in your firm engage with it?

This can be understood through the concept of a Virtual Desktop.

Essentially, a Virtual Desktop is a computer desktop, similar to the Windows or Apple interface you’re used to at home or work, but it’s hosted in the cloud and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Typically, your Virtual Desktop comes preloaded with your daily-use software like Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, as well as your legal practice management software, accounting software, and document management software.

The advantage of a Virtual Desktop is that it makes your law firm’s software, which is usually only accessible from your office computer or when linked to your office servers, accessible from any computer, anywhere in the world.

Such Virtual Desktop solutions are sometimes referred to as “Desktop-as-a-Service,” or DaaS, making an analogy with the term “Software-as-a-Service,” or SaaS.

In a standard computing scenario, your main legal software is set up directly on your physical, on-site desktop—be it a workstation or laptop that you operate in your office. In this traditional framework, all tasks are executed locally, with software applications installed on your personal machine.

Contrastingly, a Virtual Desktop environment generally has few, if any, applications directly installed on your local computer.

More often than not, the only feature you’ll find on your local desktop is a shortcut—acting as a portal to your Virtual Desktop.

Upon logging into your Virtual Desktop, you or any member of your team can access all of your law firm’s software, documents, and data.

This includes:

This setup allows your entire firm to access Time Matters, alongside all your applications, documents, and data from anywhere, using any device.

In addition, Virtual Desktops remove the need to install, update, and maintain each of your applications on every computer within your firm. Rather, the responsibility of keeping all your software current is taken over by your Cloud Service Provider, leading to more efficient, trouble-free operations.

This approach provides an added layer of convenience by centralizing the management of your software resources and relieving you entirely of the responsibility.

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

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

Epilogue – Time Matters in the Cloud