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This extreme example should reinforce one fact: it is
absolutely crucial that a firm protects its data.
Data loss can be the most frustrating
casualty a firm
can experience, and there are multiple ways for it to
happen. Whether it is a hurricane barreling toward
New Orleans, a tornado screaming down Second
Avenue or tremors from the New Madrid Fault, the
specter of a natural disaster affecting your firm is
real and deserves careful planning.
 Fire, hardware failures, malware attacks
and
accidental deletion of files also happen. Do the
sprinkler systems located in your server room come
on in the event of fire? What could the water do to
your hardware? Are your files protected from the
next big virus or from a malicious hacker? Is your
data secured against incautious employees who
might be eager to click ‘yes’ on any message that
pops up in a browser?Data loss happens more frequently than most attorneys and administrators think. The only way to protect oneself from data loss is with reliable backups, proper security and the proper training of staff. There are multiple ways to back up data. Choosing the appropriate method depends on the size of a firm, the amount of data, the type of data and, of course, upon budgetary considerations. The most common type of backup performed by firms today is a backup to tape. Tape has been around for many years and tested and proven on system types spanning the mainframes of the 1970s to the most advanced PC-based servers of today. Tapes are easy to move to offsite storage, and the hardware to read and write to them is readily available. Tape storage types and capacities vary, and a tape system can be selected for your firm no matter the amount of data that needs protecting. A new method of securing data that has surfaced in the past few years is backing up to external disk or external USB drives. Many computer users have a USB drive sitting on top of their computers at home to backup personal data. External disks can be purchased in a multitude of sizes and are very easy to configure and do a good job holding server data. |
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 Today more
and more firms are running mission-
critical applications and storing vital client data on
servers without addressing the critical nature of
the “health” of that equipment. The idea of having
any application or piece of hardware fail can be
disastrous to a business, especially if the failure
continues for an extended period of time.The goal of total IT redundancy is to remove any single point of failure from a firm’s data infrastructure. In other words, this process seeks to ensure that the loss of a single component in an organization’s technology infrastructure does not interrupt the system’s normal functioning by having backup components that perform duplicate functions. The contingencies that can threaten an organization’s infrastructure include storage media problems, network failure, workstation malfunction and total site disruption. For the
systems affected by the above failures to be
completely redundant and protected, one first needs
to identify possible single points of failure. Today’s
servers usually sport redundant power supplies, RAID
disk drive arrays, dual network cards and the ability
to swap out hardware without bringing the entire
system down. These features, although contributing
immensely to uptime and reliability, do not make a
system truly redundant. Single points of failure still
exist with the physical integrity and accessibility of
the server itself and with the possibility of the site
housing the server becoming unavailable.
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Over the past few years, online backups
across the
Internet have emerged as a practical way to manage
data protection. During this time advancements have
been made to improve speeds on slower connections
and to increase transfer rates and reliability on high-
speed connections. The inherent ease of being able
to point, click and back up your data without the
responsibility of changing tapes holds an attraction
for many. Be advised, however, of some
disadvantages of this method before budgeting your
scarce data protection dollars.
 There are a host of companies vying for
your online
backup business. A few of the major players are
Ibackup (www.ibackup.com), Iron Mountain (www.ironmount
ain.com) and eVault (www.evault.com)
. Other providers offer hosted server space and use
other products like DoubleTake to offer continuous
data protection. These new methods have changed
how many firms protect their digital information.But despite all the press ballyhoo, strong marketing
promotion and attractive logic of this method, online
backup might not offer the best solution for many
organizations. First, the mere fact of geographical
isolation of your backed-up data, while an advantage
for its security, greatly hampers the ability of firms to
retrieve data quickly, especially when internet
disruption or disaster strikes. Also, typical small- to
medium-sized business internet connection speeds
average 1.5 mbps (megabits per second). While this
speed is completely adequate for most purposes, the
recovery/restore of tens or hundreds of gigabytes of
data could take many days. And 50 gigabytes of
data is not a large amount for a small law firm!
Considering costs in downtime, online recovery
becomes much less attractive. A tape can be
restored in a matter of hours.
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Nothing can be more frightening to an employee than
to realize that the technology that he or she uses
everyday in the office has long since been retired in
the rest of the corporate world. Technical
obsolescence is not only a concern when it comes to
maintaining up-to-date hardware and software in the
office but it is also a major consideration for human
resources who, after all, are responsible for using
office technology.
Firms that refuse to update their technology and stubbornly hold on to the same systems that worked 5 or 10 years ago do themselves and their employees a disservice. Not only do the firms see a decline in efficiency as older systems struggle to meet the increased demands of the digital office, but they also find it difficult to recruit good employees. Top job candidates both at the staff and professional levels are those who have marketable skills in the latest technological innovations. Employees who find themselves stuck working in an anachronistic environment using old technology might be surprised to find their value on the market has decreased dramatically as their skills have not kept pace with technological change. Smart firms that want to maintain a competitive edge
in the marketplace seek to enhance their employees'
technology skills through a Continuing Technology
Education (CTE) approach. These firms offer periodic
mini-classes, usually in the form of lunch-and-learn
sessions, in various office technology methods and
practices for their employees. These sessions are
designed to keep the firm's staff aware of new
technology that may have been implemented in the
firm, provide instruction on how to utilize the
applications already in place more efficiently, and
provide exposure for new ways of accomplishing
tasks in the firm that will result in cost savings, less
stress and enhanced client satisfaction.
A firm that invests in continuing education (technical or otherwise) for its employees creates a very desirable working environment. Employee morale is enhanced as workers learn new skills and become more adept in completing their jobs more efficiently. At the same time the firm does not fall behind in its ability to use the latest computer innovations and techniques. When the firm does need to fill an open position it can recruit the best candidates because of the firm's technology posture. In our effort to enhance our clients' response to technology in the workplace, LogicForce Consulting offers a full slate of CTE classes on a variety of topics from general word processing tips and tricks to more advanced lessons on litigation database maintenance strategies and electronic discovery guidelines. LogicForce is a Microsoft Certified Partner and holds certifications in a number of legal specific applications and procedures. Call today for more information on how we can bring CTE to your firm. |
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 In
September 2005 LogicForce Consulting LLC opened
its Computer Forensics Lab to provide full-service
forensics examinations of digital evidence in support
of litigation. The lab is the only non-governmental,
dedicated computer forensics lab in Tennessee and
offers a secure environment for forensic examinations
and evidence storage. It has state-of-the-art
hardware and software designed specifically for
computer forensics. Our combination of legal,
computer and business experience gives clients a
unique advantage inside and outside the
courtroom.A digital evidence investigation typically begins with a process known as forensic imaging, which captures all data from a computer by producing a “mirror- image” of the hard drive containing all resident files, including those that users may have deleted. The LogicForce team is comprised of experienced professionals who have significant law-enforcement and private experience and a thorough understanding of computer technology and evidentiary issues. Our computer forensic investigators are specially trained to protect drives, data and files from alteration, damage, data corruption or other problems that could alter or destroy evidence. Using specialized forensic software and hardware, we provide data acquisition services, either on-site or in our computer forensics laboratory. Forensic examination can then recover and recreate e-mails, documents, spreadsheet files and Internet traffic that may have been deleted, encrypted or that may exist only in fragments. Such bits and pieces of data can have a tremendous value in an investigation. |
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Trial Director 5, the latest offering from the inData
Corporation of its flagship trial presentation software,
contains new features and much-needed evolutional
improvements that make it a key part of the
litigator’s toolbox. The product’s new focus on ease-
of-use and integration do much to keep it on a par
with its main competitor, Verdict Systems’ Sanction
2.8.
 The cardinal trait of this updated
release, and one
which might be considered a new feature as well as
an enhancement of previous functionality, is the
integration of the formerly separate modules into one
application interface. In previous versions of the Trial
Director suite, exhibit manipulation, staging and
presentation functions were split among the discrete,
albeit interdependent, Document Director, Deposition
Director and Trial Director programs. In version 5,
however, all work is done in an unified interface that
is still intuitive to users of the older versions. This is
a radical improvement that saves time, decreases the
learning time for new users and reduces the
clumsiness and potential for error of previous Trial
Director revisions. TD5 removes the problem of
having to switch back and forth between programs in
order to fix exhibits “on the fly."Another dramatic improvement is the ability to use a
visual waveform tool to edit deposition video. Start
and end points of clips, which are frequently a little
bit out of synchronization regardless of the quality of
the time coding process, can now be changed to
match the desired designation much more accurately
and easily.
A third major enrichment of an existing feature is the logical renaming of “Folders” to “Workbooks” and the addition of more functions. Working with “Folders” in older Trial Directors could be confusing, but TD5 simplifies them and amplifies their utility. Try right- clicking on a Workbook to access a host of new tools. Trial Director 5 also contains several major new features worthy of mention in this review: |
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LogicForce is pleased to welcome Aaron Henson and
Tommy Magee to its team of Legal Technology
Consultants.
Aaron HensonWith over six years experience in the IT industry, Aaron has spent many years serving the technology needs of law firms. He served three years as Systems Administrator for Thomason Hendrix Harvey Johnson & Mitchell, PLLC and provided IT solutions for many law firms in Memphis, TN as an IT Engineer and Data Center Administrator with Adan Technologies. Aaron joined the team in early March of this year. 
Tommy MageeWith over four years experience in the IT industry, Tommy is a Microsoft Certified Professional specializing in infrastructure installation and maintenance, Windows Small Business Server administration, and Windows XP Professional Support. Tommy joined LogicForce in April of this year after working for CMIT Solutions and serving various small businesses and medical practices in the Nashville area. |
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Sincerely,
LogicForce Consulting, LLC
email:
legaltech@logicforce.com
phone:
615-238-3539
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