By Brett Burney
All litigation support software gives you essentially the same thing -- a searchable database to host documents and analytical information related to a litigation matter.
All litigation support software gives you essentially the same thing -- a searchable database to host documents and analytical information related to a litigation matter.
The legal world has come to expect a standard set of tools in litigation support software. Every review platform provides a way to import, view, search, sort, filter, tag, code, redact, export and produce documents from a central database. Since you can find these tools in practically any litigation software, manufacturers usually resort to adding extraneous features in their products to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Furthermore, whenever there is standardization surrounding an activity, there are entrepreneurs who see a serviceable opportunity. For instance, if all litigation review teams have the same substantive needs when reviewing documents, then why not offer to shoulder the behind-the-scenes administrative burdens so that the legal team can focus on legal analysis rather than the maintenance of a database?
That question is the crux of "software as a service," regularly referred to by the camelback acronym SaaS. The SaaS concept has been around for several years, and is commonly associated with business software that is hosted and maintained by a vendor over the Internet as opposed to the traditional internal software installation. SaaS is very similar to an ASP model (Application Service Provider), although ASP is a broader term referring to software delivered through any network while SaaS focuses more on Web-based applications delivered over the Internet through a Web browser.
SaaS is traditionally associated with business-class, enterprise software. The consumer equivalents of SaaS applications are the numerous "Web 2.0" and Internet-based services. For example, you could use an e-mail client like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla's Thunderbird to retrieve and download your e-mail, or you could elect to keep your e-mail completely online with services such as Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. You then access your e-mail through a Web browser. Other examples of consumer-based Internet services include Ta-da Lists (online to-do lists that you can share with others) and FreshBooks (online invoicing and time tracking service).
The most admired example of SaaS today is Salesforce.com, which transcends both the consumer and business worlds. Instead of installing a stand-alone customer relationship management (CRM) application within your firm or company, Salesforce.com provides a robust CRM platform over the Internet, accessible by all employees via a Web browser.
When it comes to the structured world of business, however, the comfort zone is firmly settled around "owning" the software and maintaining it internally. Law firms are certainly no different. Due to the fact that law firms deal with so much sensitive material and always have a general resistance to adopting new and efficient technology, outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining software is a scary concept. Most law firms will disregard the idea immediately without giving it any consideration. >more
Furthermore, whenever there is standardization surrounding an activity, there are entrepreneurs who see a serviceable opportunity. For instance, if all litigation review teams have the same substantive needs when reviewing documents, then why not offer to shoulder the behind-the-scenes administrative burdens so that the legal team can focus on legal analysis rather than the maintenance of a database?
That question is the crux of "software as a service," regularly referred to by the camelback acronym SaaS. The SaaS concept has been around for several years, and is commonly associated with business software that is hosted and maintained by a vendor over the Internet as opposed to the traditional internal software installation. SaaS is very similar to an ASP model (Application Service Provider), although ASP is a broader term referring to software delivered through any network while SaaS focuses more on Web-based applications delivered over the Internet through a Web browser.
SaaS is traditionally associated with business-class, enterprise software. The consumer equivalents of SaaS applications are the numerous "Web 2.0" and Internet-based services. For example, you could use an e-mail client like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla's Thunderbird to retrieve and download your e-mail, or you could elect to keep your e-mail completely online with services such as Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. You then access your e-mail through a Web browser. Other examples of consumer-based Internet services include Ta-da Lists (online to-do lists that you can share with others) and FreshBooks (online invoicing and time tracking service).
The most admired example of SaaS today is Salesforce.com, which transcends both the consumer and business worlds. Instead of installing a stand-alone customer relationship management (CRM) application within your firm or company, Salesforce.com provides a robust CRM platform over the Internet, accessible by all employees via a Web browser.
When it comes to the structured world of business, however, the comfort zone is firmly settled around "owning" the software and maintaining it internally. Law firms are certainly no different. Due to the fact that law firms deal with so much sensitive material and always have a general resistance to adopting new and efficient technology, outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining software is a scary concept. Most law firms will disregard the idea immediately without giving it any consideration. >more
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