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Following on from the Flexible Working Future panel session in Brisbane on 22 October 2014, we have had a significant amount of interest from firms in relation to the types of technologies that best support flexible working and mobility.
As discussed at the ALPMA session, there are two key technology considerations in supporting flexible working, the first being the ability to be productive and the second being the ability to collaborate.
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Productivity
Working productively on any number of tasks that do not need collaboration with other lawyers or staff, is the easier of the two challenges to address and is typically achieved through some form of remote access technology. Cloud computing will likely reduce the need for these types of remote access technologies over time. Remote access technologies provide the ability to securely access a range of on-site / non-cloud based systems from anywhere.
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Collaboration
Working flexibly and potentially from a different physical location to others in your team, introduces a new set of challenges. There are many elements of collaboration that are unquestionably more difficult whilst working remotely. Microsoft Lync (soon to be known as Skype for Business) is a great tool for law firms looking to offer greater collaboration between staff and clients.
Microsoft Lync (Skype for Business) and other types of ‘Unified Communications’ systems, can provide the ability to see when someone is at their computer, to provide video calls and video conferencing and allow you to share and collaborate on Word documents simultaneously. You can also collaborate with clients using the same systems and the client does not need to provide anything other than an internet connection and webcam (if you need two-way video).
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Investment
Having access to such systems is not necessarily cost prohibitive, they are often offered on a cloud based subscription model, so you have minimal upfront costs and no need to maintain additional systems on-site.
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Conclusion
Technology plays a large part in supporting firms to provide flexible working, however it does not achieve anything alone. Like all IT systems, any systems put in place should be there to support what you want to do, not drive what you do.
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Matthew Dwyer
There are many great technologies available today to allow firms to encourage flexible working. Thanks