Published in Legaltech News
April 25, 2024, 9:22 AM CST
It’s no secret that law firms are prime targets for cyber criminals. Law firms often store vast amounts of sensitive and confidential client information, including financial records, intellectual property, and personal data, making them the prime targets that they are for criminals seeking to access this valuable information for financial gain or other malicious purposes. Data breaches can result from various cyberattacks such as phishing, ransomware, or malware, which can lead to severe financial and reputational damage for the firm.
While external cyber threats often receive significant attention, insider threats and human error can pose equally significant risks to a law firm’s security. Employees or contractors with access to sensitive information may accidentally or intentionally disclose confidential data, either through negligence or malicious intent. Additionally, disgruntled employees or those susceptible to social engineering attacks may pose insider threats by intentionally compromising security measures or leaking confidential information.
Addressing these security challenges requires a multi-faceted approach, including implementing robust cybersecurity measures, providing comprehensive staff training and awareness programs, regularly assessing and updating security protocols, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards.
But how does this affect flexible offices? With the advent of remote work, hybrid schedules, visiting attorneys, hot desking and more, law firms must ensure that these new modes of working are even more secure. The good news is that firms can be more secure with the advent of workplace management technology—here’s how that works.
The Rise of Workplace Management Technology for Law Firms
Workplace management technology came to the fore post-pandemic as law firm operations professionals suddenly needed much deeper understanding of their law firm office spaces as well as needed a way to manage significantly more complex work schedules at scale.
Because the shift to hybrid was unprecedented, law firms did not have access to analytics, space planning insights, cost efficiencies and occupancy data to help drive better business decisions about their workplaces.
On the business side of the firm, the rise of workplace management technology recognizes this new reality that—even across the entire spectrum of firms whose attorneys are fully in the office to those that are fully remote—the use of law firm office space is changing. Law firms that want to optimize their real estate spend and better leverage their office for recruiting and retention need to have world class planning and insights.
And on the attorney side of the firm, workplace management technology delivers the flexibility attorneys want as well as provides a means to facilitate collaboration with their peers—the number one thing all attorneys want when they are in the office.
Workplace management technology means flexibility—for the business suite and attorneys, and with those benefits come the need for increased security.
Increase Security With Visitor Management
Law firms frequently host clients, partners, and other visitors, making robust visitor management systems essential for maintaining security and professionalism. Visitor management technology module ensures that law firms can have real time visibility and audit the entire visitor lifecycle.
Law firms are now creating customized visitor registration forms, capturing important visitor details, and generating QR code for preregistered visitors for enhanced security and identification.
Visitor management allows visitors to sign and agree to firms’ NDAs or other terms required for visitors, provides immediate email and SMS notification(s) to individual(s) to the visited person(s) and provides analytics to the firm to track and report on all visitors. streamlines the entire visitor lifecycle, from pre-registration and check-in to badge issuance and post-visit analytics.
Integration Capabilities With SOC2 Type I Compliance
Seamless integration with existing identity providers (IdPs) is essential for maintaining a secure and efficient workflow for workplace management technology. Workplace management technology offers flexible integration capabilities, allowing law firms to seamlessly integrate with their preferred IdPs and authentication systems.
Whether it’s integrating with Active Directory, LDAP, or SAML-based identity providers, Maptician ensures smooth authentication processes, enhances access control mechanisms, and strengthens overall security protocols. For example, by integrating Maptician with their existing IdP, law firms can enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) policies, restrict access to sensitive areas based on user roles and permissions, and maintain a centralized repository of user identities and credentials.
Ensuring the highest level of security compliance is therefore paramount. Compliance with industry-standard security regulations is a top priority for law firms, and so it should be clarified that any workplace technology implemented at a law firm should be at the highest standard for security compliance, including SOC2 Type I certification.
This helps law firms demonstrate to their clients their commitment to safeguarding client data and ensuring regulatory compliance, thereby enhancing trust and credibility among clients and stakeholders. SOC2 Type I compliance provides an added layer of protection against data breaches, cyberattacks, and other security threats, safeguarding the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information.
Conclusion: Securing the Future of Law Firm Operations
As law firms navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving landscape, workplace management software emerges as a trusted ally in their quest for security, efficiency, and resilience. By providing real-time visibility, streamlining security tools, ensuring compliance, facilitating integration, and optimizing visitor management processes, workplace management technology empowers law firms to adapt to the challenges of the digital age while upholding the highest standards of security and professionalism.
