Should Google Apps Power the Next Generation Legal Aid Office?

Analyzing the Cost-Savings, Coolness-Factor, and Controversy

May 13, 2010

Today’s Panelists

• Glenn Rawdon, Program Counsel at LSC• Steven McGarrity, Associate Director of

Community Legal Aid Services• Kathleen Brockel, Executive Director of

LSNTAP• David Bonebrake, Project Coordinator at

LSNTAP

Today’s Presentation

• Google Apps and the Cloud• Cost-Savings• “Coolness-Factor” (Features & Benefits)• Controversy• Implementation• Google Apps as an Extensible Framework

The Google Apps in Legal Aid Survey

• 12 responses from Google Apps users in the legal aid community.

The Takeaway

• If you’re struggling to keep up with IT, Google Apps deserves a look.

• Google Apps is not untested in the legal aid community.

Google Apps and the Cloud

• Cloud Computing Explained• Google Apps Intro

Google Apps: The Cost-Savings

• Google Apps is free for US non-profits with less than 3000 users

• Will it stay free?

The Coolness-Factor(And Why Cool Matters)

• Google has usability down - users get more out of products they know and like

• Innovation is exciting

Google Apps Includes:• Gmail• Google Calendar• Google Docs• Sites • Contacts• Start Page• Google Video• TalkGoogle Apps does not include Google Voice, GoogleBuzz, and Google Wave.

Benefits of Google Apps

• Powerful search• Collaboration• Cloud access• Spam filtering• Mobile integration• Disaster Recovery

Powerful Search

Collaboration

Is there any bettertool for onlinecollaboration thanGoogle Docs?

Collaboration

• Not just for Gmail users

• Sign up for a Google Account

Cloud Access

• Users can securely access Google Apps from any location with an Internet connection, without using a VPN.

• With the proper configuration, that connection can be securely encrypted from wherever the users accesses Apps.

Cloud Access and SSL

• Common Internet encryption protocol• http vs. https• Can be automatically turned for all users

Spam Filtering

• Fantastic spam filtering within Google Apps• It just goes away

Mobile Integration

• Displays very well on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

• Includes support for Google Docs

Disaster Recovery

• Data is stored off-site on duplicate Google servers

• Continuing operations simply a matter of finding a working Internet connection

• Switching MX records after a disaster

Google Apps: The Controversy

• The Google Apps main controversy is over security and data privacy

• Security and privacy are paramount concerns• That said, we need to be realistic in our

assessments

“Can We Do Better?”

• Attorney-Technologist Dennis Kennedy:Make a realistic comparison of what you're doing now. Attorneys often worry about security and confidentiality issues with [cloud providers] while employing practices in their office that are all but laughably unsecure." http://denniskennedy.com/blog/2009/07/working-in-the-cloud-lawyers-and-saas

The Weakest Link is in this Room

• Typically the weakest link in any security setup, whether on-premise or cloud-based, is the user

Advanced Password Settings

Good Password Policy Guidelines• A password policy should have the following:

– Maximum password age: 90 days– Same password should not be used on sites like Facebook, Flickr, or Amazon– Minimum password length: 8 characters– Password must meet complexity requirements.

• The password complexity requirements are:– Not contain all or part of the user’s account name– Contain characters from three of the following four categories:

• English uppercase characters (A through Z)• English lowercase characters (a through z)• Base 10 digits (0 through 9)• Non-alphabetic characters (for example, !, $, #, %)

• It’s always a good reminder to set strong passwords and change them regularly between 90 -120 days, even if it means adding or changing the last character in the password.Source: http://crmhelpdesksoftware.com/google-apps-premier-edition-allows-better password-control/

Additional Security Considerations

• Mitigates risks associated with lost laptops and thumb drives. Files are stored and worked on in the cloud.

• Although it's important to keep our data private, it's not a high target. There is no great financial incentive to get our clients information.

What happens if Google is subpoenaed for my email records? Does Google just hand them over?

• 6.3 Required Disclosure. Each party may disclose the other party’s Confidential Information when required by law but only after it, if legally permissible: (a) uses commercially reasonable efforts to notify the other party; and (b) gives the other party the chance to challenge the disclosure.

Ethics Considerations

• Bars have been quiet on cloud computing and Google Apps, but law firms are moving forward

• NC Proposed Ethics Opinion: Cloud okay if you make efforts to minimize the risk

• Due diligence is essential

Protect your firm with CoreVault!

• Can you imagine losing hundreds of legal briefs, thousands of billable records or multitudes of vital client e-mails? Protect your firm’s critical data automatically, securely and off-site every day with CoreVault, recommended by more than 15 bar associations across the country….-SC Bar Email Blast

Client Data• Most programs do not have formal policies for handling client data,

but do store at least some client data on Google’s servers• One approach: only use client first name and last name initial. Refer

to case # if necessary• Survey Answer: Yes. As a general proposition we are very

comfortable with Google's privacy and security controls. In general, our concerns are not with client data being hosted by Google, any more than we would be with any other TP hosting service with proper privacy and security controls. The real issue is the users, i.e., assuring that they understand and properly use the Google Apps to assure client confidentiality is preserved. This is especially important given the ease with which Google Apps content can be shared

Moving your Domain to Google Apps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Administration with Simple Dashboard

 

Step-by-Step Setup Guide Available

 

TCO Calculator Provided

Moving EmailIt's as Easy as 1, 2, 3

1.

2.

3.

Email Before Move to Google Apps

Email After Move to Google Apps

 

Email in Gmail Interface

 

 

Free Sync Tool for Outlook

 

 

 

Importing Existing Documents

 

 

 

You can select multiple files and types

 

Automatically convert as you upload

 

Don't forget, you can take a test drive before you commit!