“In the cloud” appears to be a very useful expression, because it sounds like a location you can put things:  e.g. Joe put his data in the cloud.  This has a better ring than, say, Joe is using a Software-as-a-Service web application to store his data.

However, the technical purist in me cannot let go of this one without a fight.  Cloud computing is not the same as SaaS or web-based applications. Rather, cloud computing is a specific way of engineering systems.  A cloud is a massive network of commodity machines, with which people interface via virtual servers (in a nutshell).  The various machines dole out the tasks to the machines with resources available.

The term cloud computing has become popular due to Google’s and Amazon’s introduction of their cloud API’s.  It used to be more commonly called grid computing.  You can read about this on Wikipedia as well if my discussion of this issue hasn’t glazed your eyes over already.

Clouds aren’t the only way to build a web application, however.  Highly interactive, desktop-replacement web applications can also be delivered with managed servers.  Managed servers can also share load.

Here’s a specific example:  if you, say, upload your files to a service that is run on managed servers, your files are going to be on the same box (and hopefully on at least another backup machine).  If you upload your files to a cloud service, those files will be distributed across whatever machines have resources available.

But far be it from me to interfere with the evolution of our vernacular.  If anyone is interested in running their legal practice management and time and billing software “in the cloud”,  let us know.

For lawyers displaced by this season’s natural disasters, who have lost their office and need to find new digs, we are offering Rocket Matter free of charge.  This offer stands for the remainder of 2008, and we can extend this until a new permanent home is established.

Having gone through four hurricanes and other disasters ourselves, Rocket Matter was designed for these situations.  You may want to talk to your regional Practice Management Advisor to see if it’s a good fit for your situation.

Microsoft Corp.’s Sharepoint, extranets, and even e-mail are well-known collaborative platforms. But there are innovative, new collaboration technologies that can be found “in the cloud” — Internet-based sites and services that aren’t necessarily designed for the legal community, but that lawyers can use to communicate and work with others no matter where in the world they happen to be.

Tom is co-author, with Dennis Kennedy, of “The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies: Smart Ways to Work Together.”

So, after reading a request by Ernie the Attorney to help Displaced Iowa Laywers, we decided to answer the call.  For lawyers displaced by this season’s natural disasters, who have lost their office and need to find new digs, we are offering Rocket Matter free of charge.  This offer stands for the remainder of 2008, and we can extend this until a new permanent home is established.

If you are in this situation, make sure that you are registered as displaced with the Linn County Bar, and feel free to contact me directly at larry (at) rocketmatter (dot) com or at 954.719.1944 x 103.

If you have the ability to help out, please contact the Linn County Bar.  According to Ernie, their PageRank needs a boost, so if you are a blogger, linking to their bar association with the words “Linn County Bar” will also help out.

So congratulations to our South Florida SaaS brethren at Ultimate!

With Rocket Matter, you don’t have to worry about the safety and security of your legal practice management and time and billing information in case of an unfortunate event. Since all you need is access to the internet, you can relocate to any connected location and you’re up and running again.

Now that June has arrived it’s hurricane season again. And weather in 2008 has already been disastrous. Cedar Rapids, Iowa and other midwestern locations have suffered terrible flooding and violent storms. Fortunately, the ABA Legal Technology and Resource Center offers guidance. They recently posted a recent article on their blog: It Could Happen to You: Disaster Preparedness.

The ABA Journal brings news of two law firms that have been temporarily forced to relocate their offices as a result of the devastating floods throughout Iowa. According to the Journal, the Cedar Rapids office of Simmons Perrine has set up temporary offices for as many as 75 staff and attorneys in a middle school in a neighboring town, while Shuttleworth & Ingersoll has relocated to the Cornell College campus. The official blog of Simmons Perrine notes that the firm has been able to remain “open for business” in part due to “advanced technology” including BlackBerries, cell phones, and the internet.

These stories should serve as notice to attorneys around the country: disasters of all sorts - natural and man-made - have the potential to force you from your office or otherwise interrupt your practice. Developing a thorough disaster preparedness plan in advance of such an event may allow you to remain “open for business” despite the difficult circumstances.

For a wide variety of disaster-related resources, visit the ABA’s Hurricane Katrina Disaster Resources page, assembled in the wake of the devastating 2005 hurricane. Of particular interest may be the Technology Resources section developed by the Legal Technology Resource Center.

With Rocket Matter, a legal web-based practice management and time and billing tool, you get an extra layer of protection just by signing up.

Congratulations to Rocket Matter — its TechnoRelease on May 30, 2008 sparked the most interest among TechnoLawyer members for the period May 26-June 8, 2008. The copy from this TechnoRelease appears [here].

The Ultimate Virtual Assistant Guide

The nice thing about using Rocket Matter is that you have no barriers should you wish to hire a Virtual Assistant.  Just give them a URL and a login, and they’re able to work on your matters!

So you’ve been hearing the words Virtual Assistant pop up just about everywhere lately? Not surprising, because although the virtual assistant industry has been around for awhile, in our current economy using a virtual assistant is becoming a wise economical decision. For lawyers, especially solo practitioners and small law firms, a virtual assistant is the perfect choice. You get an experienced professional with no need for additional office space, office equipment or other costs associated with hiring an on-site employee. Internet technology has made working remotely not only possible, but practical.

Since a virtual assistant usually has a specialty niche, you can easily find those that have legal experience and training. You can search the Internet through a search engine using the terms ‘legal virtual assistant’ or go to one of the websites for VA’s like the Virtual Assistant Forums or VANA. You’ll find a wealth of highly capable professionals to choose from.

The internet based collaboration product that Rocket Matter offers is the perfect tool for an attorney/virtual assistant situation, allowing access from any computer with an Internet connection, anywhere. Rocket Matter becomes your ‘office’ where you and your virtual assistant ‘meet’, collaborate and share information. And it also offers the tight security measures that an attorney’s confidential documents require, so a virtual assistant doesn’t have to be concerned with the added responsibility of high security storage of files.

If all of this talk of virtual assistance has you curious and wanting to know more, I’ve written several articles on the industry over at the Home Office Warrior; Home Office Virtual Assistant, including my recent 4 part series on finding and working with a VA. Contracting with a virtual assistant could be your administrative answer to gaining more billable hours.

Tina Hilton, from Clerical Advantage, just posted about the natural relationship between virtual assistants and Rocket Matter. Take a look at her post, Virtual Assistants for Attorneys? Check out Rocket Matter…, to see how your firm may benefit from a Legal SaaS solution and the use of VA’s.

Thanks, Tina!