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What Every Law Firm Office Should Have: the IT checklist
Most firms find out what is missing on the day they need it
A server dies, a laptop goes missing, or an email asks for a wire transfer. This is the IT we would want in place before any of that happens, drawn as one small office.
Ask Tony for a free 30-minute insurer readiness review.
What you can count on
- Under 2 hrsto restore a failed server from local backups
- 30 days lockedbackups no one can delete early, not even us
- 3-2-1backup copies, one offsite in Vancouver, BC
- 24/7a person answers (604) 813-7881
The office, item by item
Green shields are the 6 security layers. Grey circles are the rest of a good build. The cards below explain each one.
- A business firewall at the front door
- DNS filtering, in the office and at home
- Huntress and BitLocker on every laptop
- Multi-factor sign-in with number matching
- Backups locked for 30 days, with an offsite copy
- Email that is hard to fake
- A server rack with a Hyper-V host
- RAID 10 storage
- Wi-Fi with a separate guest network
- Printers and scanners on their own network
- A UPS (battery backup)
The checklist
The 6 security layers
These are the layers that keep client files private. See how our cybersecurity works.
Security layer
A business firewall at the front door
Why it matters. Everything that comes in from the internet passes through here first.
A Cisco Meraki MX firewall with Advanced Security, sized to your internet speed so protection does not become the bottleneck.
Security layer
DNS filtering, in the office and at home
Why it matters. Many attacks start with one click on a bad link.
DNS filtering blocks known bad sites before they load. A roaming agent keeps it on when a laptop leaves the office, so working from home is covered too.
Security layer
Huntress and BitLocker on every laptop
Why it matters. A lost laptop or a quiet attack should not become a breach.
Huntress Managed EDR is on every computer we manage, watched 24/7, with email and SMS alerts to our team. BitLocker full-disk encryption comes with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, our standard plan for firms under 300 users, along with Intune, Defender for Business, Conditional Access and Purview Message Encryption.
Security layer
Multi-factor sign-in with number matching
Why it matters. A stolen password is far less useful on its own.
Email and remote access ask for a number match on your phone. Remote desktop is never exposed to the internet. Remote access goes through a secured gateway instead.
Security layer
Backups locked for 30 days, with an offsite copy
Why it matters. Ransomware goes after backups first. A locked copy and an offsite copy mean there is always one it cannot reach.
The 3-2-1 plan: three copies, two kinds of storage, one offsite in Vancouver, BC. Each backup is locked for 30 days, and nobody can unlock it early, not even us. We spot check multiple copies and run a yearly disaster recovery test. Restores run as fast as the backup storage allows.
Security layer
Email that is hard to fake
Why it matters. Many fake wire instructions start with an email that looks as if it came from your firm.
We recommend SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your firm’s domain, and we can set them up and check them.
The rest of a good build
A server rack with a Hyper-V host
Why it matters. One dead server should not stop the firm.
We build at least 2 virtual servers: one for sign-in (the domain controller) and one app server for your legal software. We add a second domain controller if the firm cannot tolerate downtime.
RAID 10 storage
Why it matters. A failed drive should not stop the work.
RAID 10 for virtual machine storage is standard in our builds, set up and changed using ITIL change and configuration practice. RAID is not a backup.
Wi-Fi with a separate guest network
Why it matters. Visitors should never share a network with client files.
We recommend separate networks (VLANs) on Layer 3 PoE switches, and we can set them up.
Printers and scanners on their own network
Why it matters. Scanners hold client documents too.
We recommend keeping printers and scanners on their own network, and we can set it up.
A UPS (battery backup)
Why it matters. A power blip should not corrupt the server.
We recommend a UPS and can include one with the build. It gives the server time to shut down cleanly.
Also on our list: weekly patching (we recommend it and can set it up), awareness training for everyone, and a written plan for downtime.
What worries law firms most about IT
Eight risks to your clients and your firm’s name. Each has a short, plain guide.
Could a fake email move our client’s money?
How hijacked mailboxes and fake wire instructions work, and the call that usually stops them.
Could we work again on Monday morning?
What a ransomware weekend can look like, and the three questions behind the Monday-morning test.
Why is Word so slow?
Laptop, network, server or the vendor’s cloud. How to find out which one it is.
Can we work from home safely?
The same way of working at home as at the office, with no door left open to the internet.
What do the Law Society and our insurer expect?
What the BC and Alberta sources say, in plain words, and where IT fits in.
Who has access when people join or leave?
A calm checklist from the first day to the last day.
Why does the scanner keep breaking?
Scan to email, drivers, and the copier nobody ever updates.
What if the system is down before a deadline?
How long is too long, and how much work can you lose? Questions to answer before it happens.
Should our servers run on Hyper-V?
Why we build law firm servers on Hyper-V, and what it does not do for you.
An insurer-ready evidence report, every quarter
A short report you can hand your insurer, broker or law society. Included on our premium plan.
What insurers and law societies tend to ask
- Is multi-factor sign-in on for email, remote access and admin accounts?
- Are backups tested, and is there a copy an attacker cannot change?
- Are computers kept up to date and watched by security software?
- Do staff get security awareness training?
What we hand you each quarter
- Multi-factor sign-in status for your accounts.
- Backup test results.
- Patch and security status for your computers.
- Your team’s training report card.
- A summary of the security events Huntress and our monitoring dealt with.
The report shows what is in place and what we checked. It does not replace your insurer’s own questions or legal advice. What the law society and your insurer look for
Use this as a checklist
Take it to a quote or a second opinion, and ask which items are in place today. Every firm is a little different, so we are happy to go through it with you.
Talk to a person.
(604) 813-7881
24/7 emergency line
Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm MT. Emergency support 24/7 at (604) 813-7881, always answered by a person.