How to Use Worldox in the Cloud in 2023

Worldox is a long-standing Document Management System (DMS). Worldox is used by law firms as well as other industries across North America.

Today, more and more firms are looking to break the chains of expensive, in-house servers, rid themselves of the headaches of managing IT, and empower their team to work from anywhere. This prompts many law firms to look to the cloud.

In this article, we’ll explore how to move and use Worldox in the cloud.

This guide on running Worldox in the cloud is for anyone that uses Worldox (or plans to), and wants to explore doing so in the cloud. This includes:

In this, our ultimate guide to Worldox cloud hosting and moving Worldox to the cloud, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to assess and implement Worldox in the cloud.

If your firm already uses and knows Worldox, feel free to skip ahead. If you’re new to Worldox, or considering it for your firm, we’ll provide a brief overview.

Worldox, by World Software, is long-standing Document Management software. Worldox is server/desktop-based software, which means it can run on-premise, on your firm’s in-house servers or hosted in Private Cloud (which we’ll cover shortly).

Worldox comes packaged in three editions: Professional, Enterprise and Cloud.

Note that each of these three editions are effectively the same software, but with slightly different configurations or deployments.

At a high level, the Worldox software provides:

While powerful, the Worldox software comes with steep requirements. (We’ll cover how to meet these requirements cost-effectively later).

Note that Worldox not only requires a dedicated server, in most cases it requires two dedicated servers. One server serves as the main storage server (and should have plenty of storage for your documents), the other serves as the index server, which maintains your index and search (and should have plenty of power to keep search running fast).

Worldox is a solid application, and depending on the nature of your law firm, may be a good Document Management fit.

The cloud brings many benefits to small and midsize law firms (which we’ll enumerate shortly). Some law firms flirt with the idea of moving away from robust Document Management software (like Worldox) to simpler, cloud-based tools like Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox.

Avoid this temptation. Simple cloud storage tools lack the robust feature-set of true Document Management software (such as version management, full-text search, and document tagging).

Worldox is strong software. And it’s even better in the cloud.

For most law firms, life is simply better in the cloud; and Worldox is no exception. You can run Worldox in the cloud, and before we explain exactly how Worldox cloud hosting works, I’ll take a moment to explain why, in most cases, Worldox is better in the cloud.

The cloud brings mobility, accessibility and security. Worldox provides a rich, comprehensive platform for managing your firm’s clients, cases, documents and accounting. Bringing both togethers gives your firm a “cade-and-eat-it-too,” best of both worlds scenario.

By running Worldox in the cloud, your firm can keep the robust legal software that your firm is committed to and relies on, while enjoying the advantages of the cloud.

For a long time managing and supporting on-premise servers was simply a necessary evil to run quality legal practice management software. Applications like Worldox bring a lot of value to law firms, but it requires a server (one way or another), so law firms had to suck it up and get a server.

That server requires a lot of maintenance, both proactive (to keep it up and running) and reactive (fixing things when they break). To run Worldox on-premise, you’ll need to:

Running Worldox in the cloud (Worldox hosting) on the other hand, gives you the benefits of having Worldox, without the inherent drawbacks of server ownership.

Being tied to one computer, one office or one location is a huge disadvantage to the modern law firm. Attorneys and support staff need to be able to work anytime, anywhere. Then need to be able to enter billable time from home; review a contract while traveling to the airport, and check their court deadlines from a Chromebook while at a client site.

Running Worldox in the cloud gives your entire firm the same access to your software (and, with the right solution, all of your applications, documents and email) from any kind of device and any location.

Unchain your self from the office, ditch clunky VPN and remote-computer-login “solutions.” Worldox in the cloud, via a Private Cloud, provides a secure, easy-to-use Virtual Desktop that gives you access to your legal software, documents and email from anywhere.

As law firms, we have ethical obligations to keep our firm and client data secure. Cyber-attacks are only becoming more prevalent, and compliance requirements only more stringent.

Your Worldox, and your law firm’s data, is orders of magnitude more secure in a reputable cloud platform. Cloud service providers are in the very business of keeping their client’s data secure, and usually employ the following security measures.

Now compare that to a server, in your law firm’s office, sitting unmanaged, in a coat closet or copy room. It simply doesn’t make economic sense for all but the largest law firms with in-house servers to invest the resources necessary to build this level of security.

But it does make economic sense for a cloud provider to invest in building and managing bank-grade security. And as a client within that system, you get your own slice of that fortune-500 caliber infrastructure.

And don’t make the mistake that just because your data is in your physical building it’s somehow, magically more secure. If your firm (a) has a server, and (b) is connected to the Internet, then you’re already on the cloud, in a way that hackers and other online threats can reach you. The only question is: Who’s managing your security? (And–is it being managed at all?)

More and more law firms are using Mac computers, at least in part. Some (typically smaller) law firms are all-Mac by practice. Others have a mix of Windows and Mac computers. Even law firms that are all-PC in the office often have members, even senior partners, that use a Mac from home.

Most desktop based law firm software is Windows based, which severely limits Mac users’ ability to work from their Mac computer. (Historically, this required running Parallels or similar virtual Windows software on your Mac, which is infamously slow and clunky).

Running Worldox in the cloud, particularly in a Virtual Desktop platform, gives your Mac users the exact same access to your Worldox (and the rest of your law firm software) as your PC users. Virtual Desktops are, by their nature, platform agnostic.

Capable Private Cloud platforms like Uptime Practice are built with enterprise-grade infrastructures, and managed round-the-clock by professionals. This minimizes downtime for your firm, and maximizes productivity. Professional-grade Private Cloud solutions typically include:

All of these measures add up to reliability and uptime for your systems and your law firm.

The cloud is flexible and scalable, and running Worldox in the cloud is no exception.

With a Private Cloud solution, you can add (or remove) users, applications, storage and other features when you need them. Unlike the rigidity and financial commitment of server ownership, the cloud helps your law firm stay agile.

We’ve worked with many law firms to conduct a side-by-side financial analysis of cloud vs. on-premise IT; and we consistently find that the Total Cost of Ownership is notably less in a Private Cloud.

This is almost always the case, and factors in the up-front costs, monthly and potential unplanned IT costs associated with server ownership and local IT support.

We’ll cover the economics of Worldox in the cloud in more detail below. (And we’ll provide some nifty tools for you to conduct your own financial analysis.)

In today’s Work From Anywhere and hybrid work models, creeping decentralization becomes a real risk.

Law firms with multiple locations have been working against this problem for a long time. Now add employees that work (partially or entirely) from home, and the risk of data and applications being spread in too many different locations becomes pronounced.

A Private Cloud platform serves as your firm’s single, central hub, where Worldox and all of your firm’s applications and data lives. One system to log into, one virtual workplace, regardless of the geographical makeup of your team.

Now that we’ve covered why Worldox is better in the cloud, let’s talk about how exactly Worldox in the cloud works. To do that, let’s first take a short step back and describe the difference between cloud-based (web-based) software and desktop/server-based software.

Before cloud computing was mainstream, most software in the world (including practice management software such as Worldox ) was installed on the firm’s on-premise server, and ran from each of the employee’s desktop computers. The software’s “engine,” or core components (including the database) lived on the server. All of this meant that using this software, such as Worldox , necessitated a server.

That is: Owning (and therefor maintaining) a server became a fundamental prerequisite to use the software. Owning and managing servers and in-house IT was a requirement, and sometimes viewed as a necessary evil, in order to use law firm management software.

And that’s simply the way it was.

But not today. Today, we have the technology that we call a Private Cloud. A private cloud is a hosted, managed IT platform that provides the same (or better) function that a server would; it hosts a law firm’s legal applications, documents email and more, and provides greater mobility, reliability and security while doing so.

Server-based software like Worldox requires a server, that hasn’t changed. And in the case of a private cloud, the private cloud is the server.

To be more specific, a typical law firm private cloud for Worldox will often include:

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 your law firm has its own private space for its software, documents and data, separate from other law firms, which gives your firm an added level of data security and privacy.

That’s the “back-end” of running Worldox in the cloud. You and your team will interact with the Private Cloud via what’s known as a Virtual Desktop.

We’ve covered the benefits of running Worldox in the cloud, and how a Private Cloud is a means to that end. But what does working in a Private Cloud look like? How does each person in your firm use it?

The answer is: a virtual desktop.

A Virtual Desktop is a desktop, like the Windows or Apple desktop you log into and use at home and work, that is hosted in the cloud, and that you can access anytime, anywhere. Typically, your Virtual Desktop will have the software that you need every day, like Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, along with your law practice management software, accounting software, even your document management software.

The Virtual Desktop makes your law firm’s software, which is otherwise only available from your work computer or while connected to your office’s servers, available from any computer in the world.

Virtual Desktop solutions are sometimes also referred to as “Desktop-as-a-Service,” or DaaS (analogous to “Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS).

In a traditional computing environment, your core law firm software is installed on your physical, local desktop. That is: The workstation or laptop you use in the office. In this traditional model, everything runs locally, and your applications are installed on your individual computer.

A Virtual Desktop is different. In a Virtual Desktop environment, very few, if any, applications are actually installed on your local computer. Often, the only icon on your local desktop is a shortcut to log into your Virtual 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 Worldox (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.

Should My Law Firm Use Virtual Desktops?

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.

Virtual Desktops Demonstrated

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

Now that we understand how Worldox in the Cloud works, the benefits and the functions, we’ll walk through how to move Worldox to the Cloud.

This process is typically administered by your chosen Cloud Service Provider, but could be done via a combination of IT consultants, software consultants, and cloud hosting providers.

Worldox Cloud vs. Private Cloud

As we described earlier, Worldox has a “Cloud Edition” of their software. This is misleading, however, as Worldox Cloud is not a web-based or different version of their software, but rather a different deployment.

It Worldox’s own cloud offering, they will host the Worldox software on their servers, and allow you to access your Worldox via a RDS connection. This is in contrast to a third-party Private Cloud, where you can host and access multiple applications (Worldox plus your other legal software).

When Worldox Cloud is a Good Fit

Worldox’s own cloud offering may be a good fit for your firm if all of your other systems (case management, billing, accounting) are already in the Cloud, and you only need Worldox moved to the cloud (nothing more).

When Private Cloud is a Sood Fit

If your firm needs to move Worldox and other software to the cloud in much the same way. For instance, if firm is looking to move Worldox to the cloud as well as Practice Management, Billing and/or Accounting software, we recommend finding one Private Cloud platform that can host all of your software in one place. This avoids a disjointed set of systems with multiple logins and platforms.

Steps to Move Worldox to the Cloud

Beyond the functional, reliability, security and mobility benefits of Worldox cloud hosting, there’s also the financial case for moving Worldox to the cloud.

Running Worldox in-house, with on-premise servers is a deceptively expensive proposition. You have to buy servers. You have to buy ancillary IT infrastructure, like backup systems, battery backups, and more. You have to hire a capable IT consultant to not only set up the server, but proactively manage and maintain it.

And these costs are always higher in a given year than you think they will be.

To understand the economics of moving Worldox 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:

Up-Front Costs

First, analyze all costs incurred each new server cycle (typically 3 to 5 years). That is: buying and implementing server infrastructure, and usually includes:

I recommend that, for each of these items above, you get pricing and record it in a spreadsheet. Add up the total costs (and make sure you’re not missing anything), and you’ll have a sense of the total up-front cost of another cycle of on-premise IT.

It’s important to note that much of 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.

Worldox, for instance, requires a lot of computing power, and setup/hosting for Worldox requires an expert.

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

Ongoing Costs

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 do, 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.

On-Premise Costs: Unplanned

Finally, we need to identify and budget for some level of unplanned IT expenses. Proactive IT does significantly reduce the chances and impact of unforeseen IT problems, but over enough time they’re likely to occur nonetheless.

These unplanned costs may take the form of:

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

Finally, add up your up-front costs, monthly recurring costs and your budget for unplanned/unforeseen costs: And this is your Total Cost of Ownership for on-premise IT.

Compare to Private Cloud

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

We’ve already demonstrated that a Private Cloud is objectively better than in-house IT, in terms of reliability, security and mobility. But simply comparing the costs of in-house vs. cloud-based IT shows that Private Cloud is also more economical than in-house IT.

Private Cloud costs typically include:

Of note is that (with the right Private Cloud provider) these figures are inclusive of all technology that you would otherwise have to buy and maintain. On-premise IT (as we’ve illustrated above) is fraught with hidden and unpredictable costs.

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

Related:

Now that you have a sense of how Worldox in the cloud works and how moving Worldox to the cloud will benefit your law firm, lets talk about the all-important job of doing your due diligence.

There are a variety of ways your firm could accomplish a transition of Worldox to the cloud. Whatever direct your firm goes, it’s important to do your homework.

In recent years, a problem for law firms has become that more and more companies, from small, local IT shops to generalist (non-legal-focused) cloud server providers are throwing their hat into the ring and declaring, “Hey, we do Worldox cloud hosting now too!” This is a potential pitfall for law firms. Here’s why.

Running and maintaining Worldox in the cloud isn’t for amateurs.

Hosting Worldox, in particular, requires special configuration and deep software expertise. How to properly engage in due diligence when selecting a Private Cloud provider for your law firm is a subject unto itself, but here are a few key areas to review when evaluating potential hosting companies.

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

To see the Google reviews for a Private Cloud provider (or any business), if the company is reputable you can simply perform a Google search for that company, and the reviews will show up in the search results sidebar. For example:

Learn more about doing your due diligence:

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

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