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06 August 2009 / Greg Wildisen
Issue: 7381 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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Clouds on the horizon

Greg Wildisen explains why law firms should embrace cloud technology

One of the phenomena of the technology market in recent years has been the growth of “cloud” computing into a multi-billion pound industry in little more than three years.

Cloud computing has a number of manifestations, but for the purposes of simplification, it is the use, via the internet, of software, processing power or storage provided remotely by another company.

In the consumer field, a clear example is Google Docs, a word processor which people can use to create and store documents online without needing to have the word processor software installed onto their own computers.
For many companies, there is a significant benefit to using this approach.

The main one is that by “renting” software via the cloud, companies have access to up-to-the-minute applications without the capital expenditure or maintenance costs. The cloud also delivers access to additional processing power without the need to buy more hardware, providing the capacity to cope with temporary spikes in demand without having to make

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

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NEWS
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A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Should a conviction stand when a later ruling reveals that the law underpinning it was wrong? The answer exposes a clash between finality and justice
The Environment Agency can prosecute offences beyond environmental legislation where proceedings support its statutory functions, the Divisional Court has confirmed
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