Arguably, one of the biggest problems about migrating to a pure cloud solution, such as Azure or Windows 365, is the insidious little beast known as data creep. What happens is that most law firms and CPAs never migrate old files, emails, and image files to archive storage. This creates a problem of data creep that may drive your storage cost and outrun your core cloud services cost. This has made many companies pay more and more for data storage, with many giving up totally on cloud computing as a viable option.
It was during one of these meetings in San Antonio when a managing partner described this very problem of data creep. For that reason, he had left Azure before and now faced the same issue with Office 365. Then, out of the blue, the COO of our IT company addressed the issue by telling them that we can automate moving the old files to cheaper archive storage. He assured the prospect that this solution can actually greatly reduce the need for buying additional storage.
We were both astonished, and I asked him why no previous IT providers had ever offered this solution. The managing partner was equally astonished. This experience drove home a critical lesson: if you’re stuck with the problem of data creep and paying more and more for additional cloud storage, you might have the wrong IT company.
Automating the Process
It can support a law firm in automating processes for moving old files to inexpensive storage in a number of ways, which may be as follows:
Cloud Storage Solutions: Services like Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage offer scalable and cost-effective options for storing large volumes of data.
Document Management Systems: Implementation of a DMS will go a long way toward automated organization, storage, and retrieval. Systems can be integrated with cloud storage for ease, using NetDocuments, iManage, or Clio.
Automated File Transfer Protocols: Transferring via SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) or FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) will securely transfer files to cloud storage.
Data Archiving Solutions: Some of the solutions that work for AWS Glacier or Azure Archive Storage in long-term data storage.
WF Automation Tools: It includes Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, and scripts written based on their own requirements to automate the process of locating, moving, and archiving older files based on predefined criteria.
Backup and Recovery Solutions: The backup solutions, with the inclusion of automated archival functionality, would ensure that older files are moved to cheap storage and maintain data integrity and availability.
Protocols Involved
Data Encryption: Ensuring the data in motion and at rest is encrypted for sensitive information.
Access Controls: Stringent access controls should ensure that internal personnel with authorized credentials can access or relocate the files.
Compliance Policies: Compliance with regulatory laws and policies concerning data storage and management, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or any other data protection policies of your country.
Audit Trails: Maintaining proper and detailed logs of every file transfer and access, allowing for traceability and accountability.
By leveraging these technologies and protocols, an IT company can help a law firm efficiently and securely automate the process of moving old files into inexpensive storage, ensuring both cost savings and compliance with legal standards. If you’re struggling with data creep, it might be time to reassess your IT provider and explore these solutions!
Article by David Walter