A full-service law firm headquartered in New York, Bond, Schoeneck & King have a history that spans more than 100 years. Data security, responsiveness, and ease of client file access and filing were just a few of the outcomes desired in implementing a new document management system. The business case for iManage was its ability to pull together all the data about a matter and oversee the complete lifecycle of that data while securing, governing, and even disposing of it in due course through records management.
The Business Challenge
The firm knew that their email filing was very cumbersome and they needed to get that right for the sake of both attorneys and clients.
“I think every firm struggles with email management,” said Joe Fousek, Chief Information Officer at Bond, Schoeneck & King. “Especially when you have an attorney that leaves the firm. If they haven’t been properly saving their email into the document management system, then somebody else in the firm inherits a mess.”
Data security was another important upgrade. Security risks are a given when running close to 300 applications, offices across several states, and multiple points of access. As stewards of client data, intellectual property, and the firm’s own reputation, advanced security measures are a necessity.
The Solution
Fousek admired the completeness of the iManage strategy — looking at matter data more holistically than just managing a collection of documents.
"Right from when it comes in the door, all the way through, the data is governed, secured, and eventually even disposed of appropriately through records management," says the CIO.
The email filing issues at the firm are now a distant memory "It’s so simple to file meta-related emails in iManage," says Fousek. "This functionality is quite brilliant."
Fousek also appreciates the peace of mind and flexibility built into iManage data protection and security. “You can either secure the whole matter, a folder, or just one document," he explains. "The possibilities are endless.”
Business outcomes
The efficiency of the email filing in iManage Work 10 quickly overcame any initial opposition to using a new system, and iManage really made a difference with people working remotely, in separate offices, and different states, "greatly facilitating collaboration throughout the company,” says Fousek.
The multiple servers Bond, Schoeneck & King used to use are gone, along with the maintenance, security, patching, redundancy, business continuity, and disaster recovery measures this hardware required.
“Just administering the system itself, making sure that you have the appropriate applications, performing patches and upgrades takes so much of your staff’s time," says Fousek. "But you free it up by moving to the iManage Cloud.”
Looking ahead
Bond, Schoeneck & King can now safely navigate any obstacles to knowledge management that the firm encounters, while continuing to earn their clients’ trust for the next hundred years.
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