LawCloud Technical FAQs

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Here are few answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Lawcloud and cloud based systems…

Q – What is the minimum specification for a PC to access LawCloud?

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A – It is recommended that a PC runs any supported version of Windows with the latest service packs applied for best security purposes. Whilst you can use other operating systems with remote connectivity, you do need to check that any third party tools are as secure. LawCloud will run quite happily on a Mac / iPad and other tablet devices using Remote Connection software.

Q – What version of the LawWare Practice Management software is on LawCloud?

A – LawCloud is kept up to date at all times with the latest version of LawWare software. Software upgrades take place outside normal working hours to minimise disruption. All our clients are informed when upgrades are to take place and again once they have been completed.

Q – What version of Microsoft Office is on the LawCloud?

A – The LawCloud subscription includes the licence to the latest version of Microsoft Office that we host on LawCloud for you. We endeavour to update Office (which includes Word, Outlook, Excel & Powerpoint) to the latest versions whenever possible. However, update timings are at our discretion.

Q – What kind of mailboxes are hosted on LawCloud?

A – We can host your mailboxes using Microsoft Exchange through Office 365 or another UK based host if required. This offers full Exchange back end functionality including high capacity mailboxes and shared diaries.

Q – What other software is on LawCloud and can I have other software packages on the LawCloud?

A – The LawCloud system is a secure managed system that runs the applications you need to manage your business. We include LawCloud “approved” products which at present encompasses LawWare Practice Management Software, Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF reader. If you would like to include other software packages on LawCloud then they would need to be “approved” first. If you would like to submit a software package for approval or find out if a software package is likely to be approved, please contact us.

Q – Is there a minimum specification of Broadband required for each user?

A – As your system is delivered via a broadband connection, it is recommended that you purchase a business grade broadband service with a good Service Level Agreement in place. We suggest that the best broadband available at an economical cost is a good investment for any firm and this is worth paying extra for. LawCloud uses the latest technology to optimise the bandwidth it uses to deliver the system to your desktop. This means that LawWare will operate on slow connection links but slower connections will compromise performance. This may be OK in temporary situation but for best usage, the maximum bandwidth that you can achieve is advised.

Q – What is the Service Level Agreement that covers LawCloud and where is my data stored?

A – LawCloud takes security, availability, updates, backups and disaster recovery very seriously:

LawCloud is secured by a Service Level Agreement with 99.9% availability, which includes inbuilt disaster recovery. It utilises the latest technologies provided by the latest Microsoft Windows server operating system. The server sits on top of a clustered server architecture with RAID protected SAN storage which eliminates downtime, provides full redundancy with automatic failover. There is no single point of failure at all on the platform, ensuring maximum up time and business continuity.

Your data is held in one of 2 secure data centres located in the UK. They are maintained 24×7 by an expert team of engineers. Every possible consideration is made for the servers to be running at their full potential so that they can deliver the highest level of uptime, security and performance.

The server offers unrivalled connectivity and is plugged directly into the backbone of the internet through a fully redundant Tier 1 connection ensuring you’ll never experience interruption at our end. It is safeguarded by comprehensive physical and environmental security measure ensuring the highest levels of uptime and reliability.

The data centre is the safest place for your data with ultimate security. It is strictly limited to security cleared personnel, controlled by extensive CCTV monitoring and state of the art access control systems. CCTV covers all areas of the data centres and corporate offices. It is manned by highly experienced security guards on duty 24x7x365. Access control requires swift-card, multiple digit PIN, finger-print plus accurate weight matching ensuring absolutely no access to unauthorised personnel.

In addition:

Extensive environmental controls are employed to make sure the equipment delivers high performance day in day out including climate control adjusted to perfection at all times, top of the line air conditioning units, humidity analysers and temperature monitors. Fire suppression equipment with FM200 gas discharge within 2 seconds to suppress any affected area should the worst happen.

All equipment is connected to the most advanced uninterruptible power supply unit. In the case of a power outage, the supply instantly switches (with absolutely no interruption) to a diesel generator capably of running the data centres for 30 days.
In addition to sophisticated monitoring systems, a team of expert engineers monitor the data centre 24 hours a day. They ensure that any potential issues with the platform are prevented before they can ever happen.

Q – How can I access my data directly?

A – All data is accessible through the LawCloud system. If you would like your data provided in a different format then this can be requested. This service is outside the standard agreement and may incur a charge depending on the volume and format of data you require. Your actual documents held in LawWare can be made available on DVD and sent to you by post or via FTP upload. This may include word, email, scanned attachments, spreadsheets, .pdf files etc that you have uploaded into LawCloud. The data in your database including client names, addresses, matter details, activities and financial postings, can be provided back to you through a series of Excel spreadsheets or comma separated value data files.

Q – What is the potential impact for a firm with old IT?

A – So long as you have PCs connected to the Internet, then it could mean that you don’t need anything else. This has an impact on a number of aspects from not needing to renew your IT as frequently through to not needing to renew your IT at all and this means thousands of £’s of savings. There are compelling reasons to seriously consider using LawCloud. We will appraise you fully as part of your initial discussions with us.

Q – What is the potential impact for a new start-up firm?

A – For a new start, removing the need to purchase a server can save thousands of pounds in initial outlay. LawCloud is a Server, one that is simply rented on a monthly basis, plus it has MS Office already installed which means further savings on software licences. There are compelling reasons to seriously consider using the LawCloud. LawWare will appraise you fully as part of the initial discussions.

Q – How is my data backed up?

A – We take backup and disaster recovery very seriously and take a full on belt and braces approach to this.
All data is backed up from LawCloud in triplicate.


We have 2 separate servers in the LawCloud domain that both hold a live mirrored copy of the data. The environment is secure and robust and uses Microsoft Server DFS.


Our data centre provider also takes snapshots of the entire system every 6 hours.

You can find out further information about LawCloud security by reading this article.

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