In a 2014 report, EMC Corporation concluded that UK businesses lose £10.5 billion per year due to data loss and downtime. The global figure is £2.2 trillion.
The UK is behind countries including the US, China, Hong Kong and The Netherlands, because nearly 90% of businesses do not have up-to-date systems to protect them against the occurrence of downtime.
With law firms usually running on billable hours, even a single hour of downtime is costly for them. With an increasing dependence on electronic assets, law firms run greater risks than ever before.
Property Aspects Magazine spoke with Carl Enser of Delta Comtech who stated: “The effects of downtime can’t always be measured in strictly monetary terms, there is also the threat to a law firm’s reputation to think about. This is where a reputable IT provider can lend invaluable support by offering robust levels of data protection.”
Law firms should consider the following when assessing the consequences of downtime to their business:
- the cost of continuing to run without data, however difficult and time-consuming
- the cost of recreating the lost data
- the cost of letting clients and other users know of the loss
- the loss of value in terms of damaged reputation
- the fees incurred resulting from a breach in compliance
“The best way to minimise the threat of downtime for the law firm, is to have a Service Level Agreement with it’s Managed Service Provider” added Carl. “There should be established processes and procedures for data backup and disaster recovery”.
“A reputable provider should be able to offer business continuity solutions and various forms of data protection to combat both downtime and cybercrime”.
The important thing is that providers can offer the best solution for the individual law firm, particularly in the context of how the law firm sees its business developing in the immediate future.
Would you like to reduce or avoid downtime at your law practice? If so, maybe Carl Enser can help. He can be contacted at Delta Comtech on 01625 443110