How Can I Be Sure My Data Is Safe with Legal E-Billing Software?

Even many otherwise highly sophisticated CFOs and financial departments have difficulty estimating expenses and doing fundamental accounting and bookkeeping, they need to control costs and keep outside counsel appropriately reined in.

You know it is time for a change to bring your legal billing process up to date. But you face a problem. Over the past several years, many legal e-billing software and billing apps have sprouted up. While you see the value of this kind of software, in the abstract, you are probably overwhelmed by all the choices and concerned about security and safety.

You’re not being paranoid. There are excellent reasons to be concerned. First of all, untested software (or at least software untested for the kinds of billing needs you need to get done) is out there and can expose you and your team to problems.

You want to maintain control of the billing process and avoid exposure to liability risks (for instance, what if billing data somehow got leaked?). Likewise, you want software without superfluous features that could complicate what you are trying to do.

LEGAL E-BILLING: HOW TO TELL IF YOUR BILLING SOFTWARE IS SECURE ENOUGH

Here are some tips for ensuring your data is safe with the legal e-billing application you select.

• Choose a provider that takes information security seriously. BusyLamp is ISO 27001 certified, meaning we have a framework with specific policies and procedures around data risk identification, implications, and control.
• Choose software with an excellent track record. BusyLamp works with many financial institutions, banks, and law firms. Our software helps them comply with complicated regulatory requirements, and we successfully work with institutions with significant data and privacy concerns. We use sophisticated encryption techniques as well as password-protected access to safeguard data.
• Before purchasing billing software and installing it, ask good questions. For instance, how can you protect data and billing information from being vulnerable to unauthorized access, manipulation, or destruction due to a fire or accident?
• Be watchful and systematize data review and backup. Even if the best hacking minds could not crack your systems, you still want to assess your billing statements and processes regularly to identify anomalies or red flags that could indicate problems.
• Avoid using untested legal e-billing solutions. BusyLamp’s scalable software as a service model has allowed us to provide diverse e-billing and fee-tracking tools. Our product is unique in the world of legal expense management.
• Respond immediately if you identify a security issue. A data breach or loss of important information is containable if caught quickly enough. By tracking your billing processes precisely and accurately, you will be able to respond faster if a problem occurs.
• Remember: Encryption is key. To our knowledge, BusyLamp is the only provider that encrypts stored data and not only the end-to-end communication.

Read and bookmark our checklist for more data security considerations.

We would love to understand more about your e-billing concerns and help you find the right solution for your team and budget. Contact us today.