As a leading IT outsourcing partner of small to medium professional services firms, it has become evident that there is a lack of strategic planning surrounding the implementation and use of modern technology.
It is well known that the legal industry has been one of the slowest professions to adapt to the shift towards digital and utilising technology to its full advantage. However, now that an increasing number of firms are ‘getting up to speed’ with these trends, it is critical to keep in mind the importance of management and planning. According to a 2015 surveyconducted by MIT Sloan Management Review, in collaboration with Deloitte, the main barrier to digital transformation is “lack of strategy” and if this barrier is not addressed organisations risk being left behind.
Strategic IT is especially important as within the next few years it is expected the Western Australian legal industry will experience growth following its decline in recent years. This – coupled with many firms’ priorities to grow, increase market share and reduce costs – presents the need for a structured and managed IT plan, not only to meet the ever-increasing client expectations but also to improve time management and responsiveness.
According to the Ernst & Young Capital Confidence Barometer (April 2016) only companies which take a proactive approach towards catering for digital disruption by making changes to their central business models and processes – such as planning and implementing modern information management – will be best positioned to take advantage of these new opportunities and remain relevant within their industry. This will, in turn, flow onto an increased competitive position reducing operating costs and providing considerable growth opportunities.
As mentioned in an article published by ‘Lawyers Weekly’, if your firm is not ‘making the most’ of IT, remaining relevant within the industry will be a challenge. What do we mean by ‘making the most of IT?’: not just throwing IT software into your practice, but fully integrating the people, processes, management and technology elements.
This is where partnering with the right IT provider can be crucial to the success of the organisation. The IT partner should ideally act as both CIO and IT Manager while also hosting the IT help desk and monitoring security. The partnership should feel seamless, and the partner should be leading the conversation on how technology can help the organisation reduce cost and improve efficiency while focusing on making day-to-day operational tasks simpler and easier. Their commitment to understanding your firm’s needs and goals should be evident.
Unfortunately, due to the highly fragmented and complex nature of the IT industry choosing the right outsourced partner can be overwhelming and confusing. So we’ve prepared an e-book around the most common mistakes we see others make when looking to outsource their IT.
In this guide, you will learn;
- How to avoid having the ‘wrong model’ for outsourcing
- Why some contracts can lead to a penalty or payout clause if you want to exit early
- The hidden cost in a lot of outsourcing arrangements
