Moving to a More “Green” Law Environment
There are so many legal companies talking about the benefits to cloud computing when it comes to profit generation and efficiency, but few companies talk about how making the switch to more modern technology is also a green solution for your business.
Making the move to digital files and cloud-based software solutions can help cut your energy consumption, reduce the size of your office, and even reduce the overall travel amount for you and your employees. Each of these things will save you money and time, but also help the environment.
Consume Only What You Need
One of the biggest waste contributors at companies is excess. Law firms and other companies around the world buy larger equipment than necessary to do the job, or invest in more supplies than what are needed to handle things; like filing, mailing, storing electronic data and other important activities.
That is because the company must handle all these requirements itself, and it is vital to have more than necessary to ensure there is never a slowdown. When using cloud computing solutions you have more control over the exact amount of resources that you consume, and it is much easier to consume less power, obtain fewer resources and use just what your company needs rather than buying way too much.
Not only does this save money, but it saves resources and creates a smaller carbon footprint overall, which is great for the environment.
Cut Energy Consumption with Thin Clients
Thin clients are smaller computers that have less powerful components. They are built specifically for accessing the internet and making use of resources available online. They don’t consume nearly as much money as a traditional desktop computer that has to run a host of applications locally, that’s because servers online are handling all these processing tasks instead.
Your company can lower its power consumption dramatically by relying on thin clients for all the day-to-day work. This saves you money while also helping out the environment by leaving processing tasks up to much more efficient servers.
Less Paper and Space Requirements
Many lawyers that rely on cloud computing are able to downsize their office buildings because of the switch. That’s because all the hard copies of files are no longer necessary and less employees are needed. Instead a couple electronic copies are kept stored in different locations and made easily accessible.
Not only is this much more efficient, but it’s also more environmentally friendly. Much less paper and ink are used with electronic files because you don’t have to print anything else. You also don’t need to rely on as many workers to complete tasks any longer.
No more secretaries for managing all those files, and less workers can accomplish research tasks since they are working more efficiently and collaboratively as well. Not only that, but smaller office buildings have lower power demands. That also helps lower your carbon footprint.
Less Travel
Legal offices that store their important papers in the cloud don’t have to travel nearly as much. Lawyers won’t have to go into the office to pick up important files and instead can access them on laptops or tablets from home or the nearby coffee shop.
Assistants and paralegals won’t be moving documents from one place to another nearly as often, and can often work from home if they prefer. Converting to digital information that’s over the Internet will help lower the overall travel costs for your business and lower the carbon emissions produced by all those vehicles as well.
This is just another example of how becoming more efficient and modern can help the environment as well as your bottom line.
Even if you don’t believe that making the switch to cloud computing will save your company any money, and it most likely will, you should think about how it can help the environment and lower your carbon footprint, because that’s a change that you can feel good about.
Contact NexStep to get your law office more environmentally friendly and efficient by using cloud based network and increase your law practice experience.