CSR – distinction is not so important. What is important is that you understand your data is held by a third party. CSR – Cloud is the Internet infrastructure (think hardware as equivalent) and SaaS is the software that runs on it. CSR – Thin client is how we all started, but we could usually *see* the mainframe somewhere on premise. A tablet is thin client – of sorts.
CSR – no IT needed, no additional servers CSR – use whatever OS you like! CSR – incremental updates versus entirely new interface (aka Office 2003 to Office 2007. Acrobat 9 to Acrobat x) CSR – not cheaper over time necessarily, but expense versus capital investment
CSR – remember, third party control. Could be good, could be bad.
CSR – some SaaS is not as feature rich, or mature enough to solely rely on the cloud.
Intended to frame up the next four slides.
CSR – pricing comparison is apples to oranges. Vendors will argue their model is cheaper (and give you very convincing comparison charts). Look at it over 3 years, factor in hardware, maintenance, IT support, customization, etc. to TCO.
CSR – Products are often simpler, thus easier to learn. Support usually rolled into per month fee. Take the 30 day trial!
CSR – internet backup could be tethering phone, mobile hotspot
CSR – who actually stores your data? Probably not the SaaS, which is more of a “middle man”. Amazon? Google? Rackspace? What redundancy is the SaaS paying for (an Amazon server location goes down, but only SaaS who didn’t buy redundancy were effected) CSR – is data encrypted at rest and in transit? At what point? CSR – keep a local copy of your data
CSR – this one is easy. Replace the fax machine. No toner, no paper, no maintenance, no hassle, no scanning to keep it paperless, easier to file and manage, and works EXACTLY like a fax (send to a fax machine, people “fax” to your “fax” number”) – they’ll never know the difference
CSR – mostly free or cheap. Wouldn’t use it to discuss super sensitive information, where a cone of silence would be better
CSR – great productivity boost for any firm. NetDocuments keeps a local copy and syncs with the cloud. Like a secure Dropbox, with client extranets.
eVoice SpeakWrite
CSR – web-based encrypted communication lets you leverage email, but keeps the message safe
CSR – local company, learning from attorneys what they want/need.
CSR – great research tool, but limit client data
CSR – great way to keep the inbox clean of current awareness material. No risks, just easy!
CSR – free web conferencing tools. Nothing to install, easy to use.
CSR – again, no brainer – track your web stats easily!
CSR – for DIY you can build an entire site on this blog platform
CSR – Litigation support in the cloud too! Takes load files, lets you cull through documents, let’s you selectively allow consultants and outsiders have access to what they need. Pricing for these is more complex.
CSR – super simple, and has a remarkably long track record (2006).
CSR – now it is easy to share with your accountant
CSR – be careful choosing, as these are holding your work product!