Sherman & Sterling is a multinational law firm with a long and distinguished 150-year history of supporting their clients wherever they do business. The firm wanted to replace their outdated legacy document management tool with a modern, comprehensive solution that would give their lawyers data mobility and a single source of truth. Security was a strong motivating factor in their decision to move to the cloud. iManage met Sherman & Sterling’s requirements for fast and intuitive search, service, and value.
The Challenge
A modern, agile solution for knowledge management
Shearman & Sterling faced several challenges with knowledge management, beginning with more than a billion documents stored in multiple locations. Approximately four percent were housed in a legacy, on-premises system, while the rest were stored in disparate repositories throughout the firm.
They knew they wanted to replace their outdated legacy document management tool with a modern, comprehensive solution that would consolidate files stored across a variety of libraries and systems into a single, centralized repository, without having significant infrastructure to manage.
Security was critical, and a strong motivating factor when Shearman & Sterling chose to move to the cloud. Their lawyers needed a modern, agile solution that would provide broader access to information with market-leading security and governance — secure access on any device, at any time.
The solution
Fast, intuitive, and secure: the journey to data mobility and a single source of truth
Very tight data classification was essential. This demanded a security model that would enable the firm to manage security at a client matter level, across practice groups, to apply different security policies, and to ensure that the right people get eyes on the right document. Having a single system for information management — including iManage security Policy Manager and iManage Threat Manager — was a key factor in the firm’s selection of iManage.
Virtualized deployment amid a global pandemic
Aware that thoughtful, planned, end-user adoption is crucial to success, the firm wanted to ensure that everyone attended training, learned how the system worked, and used iManage during implementation. A full iManage Cloud rollout with 2200 users and 23 global offices, all working remotely, meant a virtualized deployment — but a clear folder structure that mimicked the way the users worked, regardless of the matter, helped users hit the ground running, from day one.
The benefits
Secure, accessible knowledge adds to client service and value
The firm knew that transforming 150 years of information into accessible knowledge that their lawyers could view at any time, on any device, would improve the already high level of client service and value they provide.
“At Shearman & Sterling, client service is paramount. With iManage Work 10, we have an accurate single source of information for our professionals to quickly find and access whatever documents and data they need, saving valuable time. We see this as key to enabling our professionals to confidently service our clients, at any time, from anywhere, on any device,” said Lawrence Baxter, CTO, Shearman & Sterling LLP.
Looking ahead
Embracing the cloud, the future, and iManage
With iManage, Sherman & Sterling was able to realize their vision of a system with fast and intuitive search, secure mobile access, and advanced cloud security, resulting in greater productivity and outcomes. This enables them to better comply with fast-evolving client and regulatory demands.
And, as a progressive leader in their field, Shearman & Sterling also appreciates the vision that iManage has for the future development of its platform. Having iManage Work 10 at the center of an overall knowledge and information ecosystem in the cloud is compatible with the firm’s own goals.
