I admit that I have been tough on SaaS vendors lately. However, since I am using Google Calendar, and other Google products lately, and since Mary Kay Roberto of Mimecast asked me for some space to reply, I am giving this post to her. Enjoy.
"Fueled by IBM, Google and T-Mobile/SideKick’s catastrophic data losses, Futurelawyer told readers to be wary of the cloud in a recent post entitled, “The Cloud: No Place for Amateurs; Do You Know Where Your Data Is?” In it, Richard Georges posited the question, “If huge companies can lose data, how can we count on anyone?”
This widespread failure clearly shook the faith of many a law firm looking to take advantage of cloud computing’s cost-savings and operational efficiencies--but I’m here today to renew that trust and let you know that there is nothing wrong with bringing your data to the cloud – as long as you have the right partner.
Georges is absolutely right in his assertion that cloud computing is no place for amateurs. There are a slew of companies large and small that are looking to hop on the cloud computing bandwagon and earn your firm’s hard-earned dollars without the necessary infrastructure in place to properly manage your data. This environment requires law firms to perform due diligence and ensure that their data is secure and easily accessible.
Data ownership is one of the first items that needs to be addressed in any contract. Reputable SaaS vendors will ensure that companies always own their data and are able to easily access their information whenever they need it—and get it back, however large the volume may be, should the partnership not work out. A cloud computing partner with modern systems provides law firms with an administration console that allows you to set all data policies, review access information, control data users and freely interact with data. If a SaaS company cannot guarantee these types of capabilities, enterprises should be wary of partnering with them. Similarly, if a vendor is not familiar with the e-Discovery and compliance requirements specific to the legal industry, that is another warning sign.
Data security is a hot button issue when it comes to cloud computing. Issues, such as the potential for a cloud vendor’s security becoming compromised thereby creating a jail break” data breach, have made the rounds—but have no grounds in reality. This mindset does not take into account that a cloud vendor is also by necessity a security provider. Cloud vendors should build security and resilience into their solutions from the ground up and be able to provide at least as much security and resilience to their customers than would be possible in an on-premise solution.
Don’t let the actions of a few bad SaaS and cloud computing vendors keep you away from the technology’s cost-savings and operational efficiencies. Firms that address data ownership and security concerns up front with their cloud computing partners ensure that they don’t get burned when modernizing their IT infrastructure.
Author Bio:
Mary Kay Roberto is the SVP and General Manager of Mimecast (www.mimecast.com). Mimecast delivers SaaS-based enterprise email management including archiving, discovery, continuity, security and policy to over 2,000 companies worldwide including Fish & Richardson, Lathrope & Gage and Miles Stockbridge."
Comments