Technology bloat? Become a `thin' client.

You may be wondering, "Are you calling me fat?" Yes, I am. Most law firms that use technology are known as "fat" clients by the computer industry--that is, they function by purchasing and running software on networked personal computers. But the dieting craze has hit small and mid-size firms that are always looking to trim time and money from their budgets.

Some firms are becoming "thin" clients. They access all the programs necessary to run a practice over the Internet, obviating the need to buy, install, and upgrade software and pay staff to maintain the technology.

Companies called application service providers (ASPs) provide programs that run on their own servers. Users hook up to a Web site and use the application there, without downloading it to their PC.(1) If you're e-mailing files as attachments from your office computer to your home computer, you can understand the benefit of having all your files and programs instantly available round-the-clock. You may already be using an ASP if you have a Hot-mail account that you check from any Internet-connected computer.

With an ASP, you will stop buying software upgrades, save on hardware (forget that $11,000 document server), and reduce your tech staff. ASPs promise they'll handle all maintenance, backup, virus checks, and security. Most of the major companies employ several levels of data encryption to ensure secure access to information.

According to Andrew Adkins III, Director of the Legal Technology Institute at the University of Florida, which is conducting a study of lawyers' future use of ASPs, "The trend in the legal industry is to upgrade technology every three to five years. At a cost range from $4,500 to $8,500 per user every three years, law firms are anxious to find a less expensive method for keeping up with technological advancements."

Some ASPs offer single-service options, like time and billing from Elite.com (http:// www.elite.com).(2) Full-service ASPs feature integrated applications, and some even provide Web replacements for mainstream programs like the Windows desktop environment.(3) For example, Star-Office from Sun Microsystems, Inc. (http://www.sun. com/staroffice/) offers "a fully integrated set of powerful applications which provide word processing, spreadsheet, graphic design, presentations, database access, HTML editor, mail/news reader, event planner, and formula editor" that the company promises Windows users will quickly learn to use.

The vertical market for legal-oriented ASPs is taking off.(4) Heavy-hitter West Group is racing to finish WestWorks (http:// www.westworks.com)--offering Microsoft, IBM, and Elite.com applications--by the end of the year. The company estimates a core application package will cost less than $50 per month.

Launched in January, JurisDictionUSA. net (http://www.jdusa.net) is the first full-service ASP for firms with fewer than 20 lawyers. It offers calendaring, case and time management, firm collaboration and communication, document publishing and storage, real-time e-mail, conflict of interest checking, and an electronic law library. After June, the service will cost $99 per month per attorney for unlimited usage, including legal research through Versus Law. Currently, the service is free.

LextraNet.com (http://www.lextranet. com) is a "collaborative litigation" site. This ASP offers a multimedia repository for all case files, images, and transcripts, plus e-mail, BBS conferencing, customizable databases, a deposition and transcript manager, indexing, and a research section.

Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to use an ASP.

* Will it do what you need?

At least for now, ASPs provide simple interfaces without bells and whistles. Running programs that require video or use complex graphics--those that take a lot of processing power and network capacity--may be more efficient on a PC.

To use even simple word-processing programs online, you will need a lot of bandwidth connecting you to the Internet. A fast DSL or T-1 connection is preferable. Even so, if you are easily frustrated by waiting for your browser to load a Web page, the tiny time delay caused by keyboard commands being transmitted through various switching stations along the Internet to the ASP's server before what you've typed appears on your screen may seem too bothersome.

Access is another issue. You cannot work unless you're connected to the Internet--not in a plane, not in a car, not on a train, or at a bar (conference). And if the information isn't in your office but has to come over the Internet, there are more potential bumps in the road. Your PC or your local area network could crash and prevent you from working in any case, but when using an ASP, potential dial-up problems on the part of your Internet service provider (ISP) or the ASP could also hold your data hostage.

* Will you be saving money?

With an ASP, instead of paying once for a software program, you pay a fee every month to use the programs. A recent Lawyers Weekly USA article estimated the cost of basic service from an ASP at $50 per user per month, for a total of about $600 a year, plus legal research costs--whereas one lawyer estimated buying the same software would cost about $500.(5) Your cost analysis should take into account how often you upgrade your software.

* Will you save staff time and effort?

Even if you move all your computer operations to an ASP, you cannot eliminate law firm tech support. You still have to maintain hardware and a computer network. And you will still buy software for laptops that you can use when you may not have an Internet connection available--such as in the courtroom. These programs and machines are bound to need troubleshooting. And who's going to hold your hand while you maneuver through your ASP's latest software upgrade?

* Is it secure?

The major ASPs promise security with user passwords and sophisticated encryption systems. Banks have been transmitting delicate financial data among themselves for years now, and many people use their credit cards with confidence over the Net. But cautious lawyers may want to test the waters with a single-service ASP before committing to storing all their sensitive information on the remote server of an unrelated company.

And how reliable is the ASP? Technology columnist and Chicago attorney Paul Bernstein recommends that firms use their office file server to "mirror" information stored online. "Thus, your office server becomes the backup for the information at the vendor's service," he says.

Perhaps your firm's ideal weight is somewhere between fat and thin--you may want to use a calendar, address book, and time and billing program through an ASP that will eliminate the headaches of integrating the information, but still keep your case management system and sensitive files on your office computer network. Choose the diet you can stick to.

Notes

(1.) An ASP industry directory is available at http://links.aspnews.com/get_links/default/aspnews/ 100/.

(2.) Other single-service ASPs include Efax.com (http://www.efax.com), which offers free faxing; @Backup (http://www.backup.com), which offers online backup services; and Mcafee (http://www. mcafee.com), which handles virus checking and file storage.

(3.) Other full-service ASPs include Intranets.com (http://www.intranets.com), Speiros (http://www. cyrusintersoft.com), Desktop.com (http://www.desktop.com), MyFreeDesk (http://www.myfreedesk.com), and MyWebOS.com (http://www.mywebos.com).

(4.) Some legal-oriented ASPs include Docman Technologies (http://www.docmantech.com), which provides document management services; Casecentral.com (http://www.casecentral.com), which offers a Web-based document repository; and the litigation support sites http://ikon-vfr.com and http:// merrilldirect.com.

(5.) Elaine McArdle, Free Yourself from Your Software, LAW.WKLY.USA, Mar. 6, 2000, at B12.

Rebecca Porter is an associate editor with TRIAL. The views expressed in this column are the author's and do not constitute an endorsement of any product by TRIAL or ATLA.