An extranet is a secure web portal that allows a law firm to share information with clients and outside counsel. There are different options for implementing an extranet, including using existing document management systems (DMS) with web portals, general collaboration tools like Microsoft SharePoint, or specialized extranet software. While an extranet can be built in-house, hosted extranet services provide advantages like no downtime, no maintenance requirements, and better security since users are not on the firm's internal network.
3. What is an Extranet?
An extranet is a web portal that is
used to share various information with
non firm employees.
An intranet shares information with
employees.
4. Details
Available in a web browser.
Secure and not opened to the public.
First uses in Law Firms in the mid
1990s.
5. Standard Features
Document Versioning.
Check In / Check Out
Notification when new documents
added to the system.
Shared Calendar's with Attorneys and
Extranet Users.
Full text searching.
Shared Contact Information.
6. What It is Not
Google Docs
Microsoft LiveSync
Sync Tool
7. Uses in the Law Firm
2 Types of Legal Extranets
1. Share Information with Clients (Client
Extranet)
2. Collaborate with Outside Counsel,
Experts (Collaboration Extranet)
8. Client Extranets
Bills and Client Costs
Documents
Firm Newsletter
FAQ Questions
Some Firms charge for this service.
9. Collaboration Extranets
Share Documents with Versioning
EX: Tobacco Case with 22 states and 60 law firms
Upload / Download Large Files (Pics)
EX: Trouble sending large pictures and scanned
documents through email. Email is not secure.
10. Extranets Solutions
Microsoft SharePoint (Quickbooks like
approach).
Document Management Systems (DMS)
that have Web portals. (Worldox Web,
Interwovens Worksite, NetDocs, and
Clio).
Specific Extranet Software: Xerdict,
Trialnet.com, AMS Collaborator.
11. What is SharePoint
Microsoft s DMS and
Collaboration tool.
Host Documents, Blogs, and Wikis.
Intra and Extranet solution
12. SharePoint
Good Chance you might have it already
at your firm.
Like Quickbooks, very general, will
need customization for it to work with
the firm.
Can be hosted or in-house.
14. DMS Extranet
Do not buy a DMS because you want an
extranet, however, you should have a DMS.
Best DMS are Closed Systems.
Your Extranet should either be your DMS
or work with it so you dont have to use
separate systems.
15. Worldox
Law Office Technology resells Worldox.
Worksite and Net Documents are great
products!
Law Office Technology uses one of two
methods to implement an extranet into
worldox web.
16. Worldox: Separate Profile
A separate profile group is established and
designated as quot;Externalquot;.
The internal staff picks and chooses which
documents are made available to the clients by
publishing documents to and from this external
group.
External clients are given access to this group, and
their particular subset of files.
18. Worldox: Field Code
An extra field code is added to an
existing profile group, usually called
WDWEB.
If an internal user profiles a document
and chooses EXTERNAL as a value for
this field for example, this document
will automatically be available to the
client logging in based on security rules
that allow this.
20. Worldox: User View
From the client point of view, the initial welcome
screen after login is usually populated with
predefined bookmark buttons that will automatically
display all of the files that client has access to.
Access to those files can be restricted to the point
where ONLY view access is allowed, to a full control
environment where the client has power to review
the documents, and even upload new material (and
everything in between). If material is uploaded or
modified by the client, nothing needs to be done to
make this available to the firm, those documents will
be instantly available via the standard Worldox client
on the workstations.
25. Legal Specific Extranets
These are usually hosted solutions.
Offered as a SaaS (Software as a
Service) Model.
Pay a monthly fee.
Much lower security risk because the
extranet is not at your site.
26. AMS-Legal: Collaborator
Hosted SaaS Solution.
Connects with most DMS
99.7 Uptime
Started In 1996
Price???
http://www.ams-
legal.com/home/index.ashx
30. Build vs Buy vs Host
Should you:
1. Build from scratch with SharePoint?
2. Buy a DMS and set it up in your
office?
3. Used a hosted product?
31. Skills needed to Build
SSL Certificates
Firewall
Active Directory
Web Server
Security
Document Management
Probably some SQL
32. Cost Analysis
25 Users of SharePoint for the First Year
In-House vs Hosted
Hardware/Software In-House Hosted
Front-end Server $2000.00 Included
Hardware $2000.00 Included
Server License $4424.00 Included
25 User Licenses $2350.00 Included
Set Costs ($125.00 hour) $6250.00 Included
$17,024.00 $3900.00
33. Hosted Extranet Features
No Downtime (99.7%)
No Installation, Configuration or Ongoing
Maintenance
No Backups (Co-Locations)
No Upfront Investment
No need for an IT Services
Natural Disaster Proof
34. Security
An Extranet allows non-law firm
employees access to your firm network
(in-house extranet).
This is why you install firewalls in the first
place!
35. Security (Hosted)
Hosted Solutions are better in a
security sense because the users are
not connected to your work network.
Just need to need have usernames and
passwords.
Complex Passwords, Lockout policies,
ect.
36. Security (In-House)
Use Custom Port #s
Consider using 2 Factor Authentication
like Smart Cards or One Time Password
Tokens.
Separate Web Server from
Document Server
37. Resources
List of Links to Blogs, Articles and Vendors on Extranets:
http://delicious.com/craigbayer/Extranet
Tiny URL: http://tiny.cc/gXtWl
38. Thank You For Listening!
Law Office Technology
www.lawot.com
www.lawotblog.com
Craig Bayer Cbayer@lawot.com
#7: 1996Automatic Notificationshttp://www.ams-legal.com/home/index.ashxUse Sun GuardConnection with dms
#8: The answer is 2 or 3.Most firms that start out with a SharePoint Extranet end up buying and converting to a specific legal extranet product.Most firms that use a DMS Extranet move to a hosted solution
#9: Server Costs $4424.00Client Access License Standard $94Set Costs. 50 Hours at 125 an hour50GB of Sharepoint $275.00 a Month25 Sharepoint Users $50.00 a Month
#13: Check in and Checkout, Comparison bills and invocies