ISP Security

Any of you responsible for selecting an ISP for your law firm's website, be sure you understand their security procedures and protocols. You need to protect against URL redirects, content replacement, denial of service attacks and other types of attacks. You also need to understand how ISP's can respond to attacks, use hot sites, or redirect problems caused by hackers aware from your server and your content.

If you think they are all the same, think again. Anyone can get hacked these days, even Al-Queda, whose website was hit today! Details on that attack are located be clicking here.

That also leads one to another point - you might want to understand what other types of organizations and entities are hosted with an ISP you are considering doing business with, and do everything you can to try and locate your website with an ISP which is not hosting any controversial or potentially problematic websites.

Microsoft Operating System Security Information

If any law firm network or desktop administrators are interested in a well organized site providing a general overview of Microsoft security bulletin's and other tidbits of advice on XP, Windows servers, latest Windows news, etc... Information Week provides a useful site. The site is available by clicking here.

New Blackberry 7100t Video Review

The new device is reviewed in a video which is now available at http://www.cnet.com/. If you are interested in a quick review of this device and the key features, you might want to check it out.

AmLaw Tech Survey

A very useful summary of legal technology spending trends is available on the law.com site. You can access it by clicking here. The article cites current trends in remote network access, communications and mobility, wireless networking, use of the Blackberry and in knowledge management.

More information on McAfee's new release

Some basic information on this product can be located on the following area on the Security Pipeline website: McAfee Intros VirusScan 2005

Enterprise Fax Solutions

Enterprise faxing (the use of servers to provide attorneys and staff the ability to send and receive faxes from their desktop computer via a server as compared to sending and receiving scanned paper based faxes) is becoming more and more popular. The concept of receiving faxes which are routed to an employee's fax in-box (which often is integrated to their e-mail in-box in some way) is becoming more and more accepted and embraced by the business community. It also provides the business value of reducing the amount of printed paper, streamlining the fax sending process (but, unlike when employees send faxes using modems, sending the electronic fax in a manner which still allows firms to capture these costs into their billing systems), and helping in the locating and retrieval process for faxes since an electronic image of the fax is stored on the network.

Directory of Lawyer Disciplinary Agencies

This helpful on-line listing is provided by the American Bar Association. It provides links to various state legal and/or judicial websites which contain information on this topic. If you need to research an attorney or have other reasons to take an interest in this information, this directory might be a useful resource and it is available at no cost to the general public.

The Directory of Lawyer Disciplinary Agencies site is available by clicking here.

Comparing Smartphones to Blackberry devices

A recent article on law.com does a good job discussing wireless technologies, how they are and might in the future be used in law firms, and comparing and contrasting Blackberry devices to Smartphones (available feature sets, the many competing standards and which are being adopted where, etc..).

The article highlights how some devices are data-centric while others are voice-centric, and the pros/cons of each approach to mobile computing.

If you are interested in mobile computing and the new devices out or coming out (those made by Nokia, Palm, etc..) this article is for you.

2004 Large Firm IT Spending Survey

This LawNet survey of legal technology spending patterns and priorities is now available on the LawNet site. It is available by clicking here.

The survey contains information on law firm technology budgets, planned spending, and how budgeting IT spending will be allocated amongst many different areas (case management, hardware, networking, litigation support, document management, etc..).

New Blackberry device with keyboard

Research in Motion recently announced this new device, product # 7100t, which is priced at $199.99 after rebates from T-Mobile.

The device relies on the layout of the alphabet on a "QWERTY" typewriter. It places two letters on each key to slim the device so there are 14 keys rather than the usual 26 to choose from. This is done with the help of the predictive software (SureType) RIM has developed specifically for this device. SureType draws upon both a database of over 30,000 words was well as the entries in one's contact list.

The device is designed to be sleek and small enough to fit in one's pocket.

More details are available on the RIM website (click here for press release)

A review of this device is available on the CNET site .

Pay by the minute web conferencing

Macromedia recently announced that its' Breeze Live hosted web conferencing service is now available on a pay-as-you-go basis BY THE MINUTE!

Pricing, which is $0.32 pre minute, is lower than that of their competition (Web Ex, Raindance, Microsoft) according to TechWeb.

This pricing and availability could be ideal for smaller law firms and legal technology companies.

National Parolee Database

The following article appears in Information Week magazine. For the complete article, please click here.

Introduction.....

The Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision plans to create a centralized database by end of the year to help the state and local law enforcement keep tabs on the 250,000 parolees and criminal offenders serving probation nationwide who are given permission to move between states.

Mcafee Virus Scan 9.0 is now available:

For those of you interested in securely your network against the latest and greatest virus, this upgrade is now available on the McAgee website. It is believed that boxed versions shall be available within a month or so. Click here for a description of the new release.

Upcoming legal conferences

The following legal technology conferences might be of interest to those wishing to learn about current trends within the legal technology field.

Ideas and Innovations for Firm Management Conference and Exposition, September 13 –14, 2004 at the Hilton New York in New York City.

2004 E-Discovery Conference, October 4, 2004

LegalTech January in New YorkJanuary 31-February 2, 2005

Legal Technology Summit, 15-17 May 2005

Information and Data Security Study

A recent study conducted by the United States Secret Service and CERT contained some interesting information -- most notably the fact that in many instances the biggest threat to the security of one's data resides with those working within a enterprise (as opposed to sophisticated hackers tryong to break through firewalls, routers, etc.. from outside a network).

The study was conducted within the banking and finance sector, so it is not entirely topical, but since legal data and documents are obviosuly is highly secure, we thought it might be helpful to provide our readers with the results of this study. Details are available by clicking here.

Duke University IPod Program

Duke Univesity is issuing iPod's to all incoming freshman. They are loaded with orientation information, schedules, calendars and other information. And, they will be used to provide students with course materials both in text and audio format.

Might this be a way for law firms to effectively disseminate information within a firm (how to use litigation support services, procedures for submitting time, firm handbooks/policies and procedures, etc..)? In addition to providing a great tool to employees, a strategy such as this might help identify a law firm as a leader in the technology area, helping to attract the best available attorneys and helping to secure relationships with clients desirous of working with leading edge law firms. Although there are some costs of such a program, there are also benefits (better professional staff / marketing edge). It is, at the least, something to think about.

The article is available

Word Document Metadata

A recent article from the ABA site provides some useful recommendations with respect to the hidden data associated with Microsoft Office document and how to remove it from your documents prior to distribution.

The article link is http://www.lawtechnology.org/publications/metadata.html