Microsoft - The Promise of New Technology

As one of our authors puts it, "The legal industry is a Microsoft industry — it’s simply the software they use."  But while older Microsoft software dominates legal PCs, the company is constantly introducing new software into the market and upgrading the versions you’re using now, all of which means your documents may face serious compatibility issues in the future.

Beyond the compatibility issues, introducing a new Microsoft application may also involve customization.  Because not all Microsoft products were created with the legal profession in mind, the IT staff is tasked with making new software work with existing applications and then training staff on how to use these new tools.  For a lot of firms, the transition doesn’t seem worthwhile, yet.

Some change, however, is unavoidable, and that’s the case with the rules surrounding metadata.  With each state dictating its own set of rules for viewing and using metadata, it’s the job of the IT professional to understand these rules and their impact on how the firm should create, change and transmit its documents.

Another inevitable change might come in the form of SharePoint, which Microsoft hopes will replace your current document management system.  The company has also pinned its hopes on its latest offering, SQL Server 2008.  Once again, it’s up to the legal IT professional to determine its value for his or her firm.

We explore all these topics in this white paper, which we think will help you work through your challenges with Microsoft. Thanks to our authors for sharing their insights and to the Microsoft Peer Group Steering Committee for their guidance with this white paper.