Local IT support, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 management, backup and disaster recovery, and legal technology support for law firms throughout Rockland County.

XSolutions is a managed IT services and cybersecurity company headquartered in New City, NY. Since 1999, we have helped businesses throughout Rockland County and the surrounding region keep their technology secure, reliable, and easier to manage.

For law firms, that responsibility is especially important.

Nearly everything your firm works on runs through technology: client communications, case files, financial information, court documents, billing records, calendars, confidential conversations, and legal applications.

When that technology isn’t properly managed, the problem isn’t simply an annoying computer issue.

It can become a client issue, a cybersecurity issue, lost billable time, or a major business interruption at exactly the wrong moment.

For Rockland County law firms, managed IT should accomplish three things:

• Keep the firm secure.
• Keep attorneys and staff productive.
• Make sure someone is actively responsible for the technology before a small problem becomes a major one.

That is what XSolutions is built to do.

Need a second set of eyes on your law firm’s IT? Call XSolutions at 877-807-1332 or schedule a discovery session.

Managed IT Services for Rockland County Law Firms

Managed IT means having one technology partner responsible for the health, security, support, and ongoing management of your firm’s IT environment.

Instead of calling someone only after something breaks, your systems are continuously monitored, maintained, secured, documented, and reviewed.

For a law firm, managed IT may include:

• Helpdesk and end-user support
• Cybersecurity
• Microsoft 365 management
• Computer and server monitoring
• Security patching and updates
• Endpoint detection and protection
• Email security
• Multi-factor authentication
• Device encryption
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Secure remote access
• Employee onboarding and offboarding
• Network and Wi-Fi management
• Vendor coordination
• Technology documentation
• Cyber insurance support
• Technology planning and budgeting

The goal is not to add more technology.

The goal is to make the technology your firm already depends on more secure, reliable, and manageable.

Why Law Firms Need More Than Basic IT Support

Traditional break-fix IT focuses on what happens after something stops working.

• Your computer won’t start.
• Outlook won’t open.
• Someone can’t connect remotely.
• The server is unavailable.
• The printer stops working five minutes before a meeting.

Those problems absolutely need to be resolved quickly.

But they represent only one part of managing technology for a law firm.

The bigger risks are often happening quietly in the background.

• Is multi-factor authentication enforced for every employee?
• Are laptops encrypted?
• Who has administrative privileges?
• Are old employee accounts still active?
• Are backups simply running, or have they actually been tested?
• Who receives an alert if suspicious activity is detected after hours?
• How quickly is access removed when an associate, paralegal, or staff member leaves?
• Can employees access client information from unmanaged personal computers?
• Is Microsoft 365 configured securely or simply operating with default settings?

These are not questions a law firm wants to begin asking after a security incident.

A managed IT provider should be able to answer them before there is a problem.

Why Rockland County Law Firms Choose XSolutions

Law firms do not need another technology vendor pointing them toward a support number.

They need someone to take responsibility.

XSolutions acts as an outsourced IT department for businesses that need responsive support, proactive technology management, and cybersecurity built into the environment.

Local Rockland County IT Support

XSolutions is headquartered in New City, NY.

Most IT issues can be resolved remotely, which means attorneys and staff can get help quickly without waiting for a technician to drive to the office.

But some problems require someone onsite.

• A failed network.
• A firewall problem.
• A server issue.
• New equipment.
• A new office.
• A major outage.
• A security incident.

When physical support is required, it helps to have an IT company that is already local.

Fast Response When Employees Need Help

An attorney working against a filing deadline does not want to submit a ticket and wonder when someone will respond.

Our focus is on quick response, clear communication, and getting employees back to work.

Experience Supporting Law Firms

Law firms have different technology requirements than many other small and midsize businesses.

They depend heavily on email, document access, secure remote work, case management applications, billing systems, Microsoft 365, and reliable access to information.

They also hold highly confidential client information.

Your IT provider should understand both sides of that equation: productivity and security.

Cybersecurity Is Part of Managed IT

Cybersecurity should not be treated as an optional add-on after the rest of the technology environment has been built.

Security should be incorporated into how accounts, devices, email, remote access, backups, and employee permissions are managed from the beginning.

One Company Takes Ownership

When an attorney says, “Clio isn’t syncing with Outlook,” they shouldn’t have to determine whether the problem belongs to Microsoft, Clio, the internet provider, or someone else.

They contact us.

We investigate the issue, determine where the problem is, and coordinate with the appropriate vendor when necessary.

Your employees should not have to become their own IT project managers.

Cybersecurity for Law Firms in Rockland County

Cybersecurity for a law firm requires more than antivirus software.

A modern security strategy should combine multiple layers of protection because no single cybersecurity product can stop every possible attack.

Here are several areas we consider particularly important when evaluating a law firm’s technology.

Multi-Factor Authentication

A stolen password should not automatically give someone access to your firm’s email and client information.

Multi-factor authentication adds another verification step when an employee logs into an account.

For law firms, MFA should be considered across more than Microsoft 365.

That can include:

• Email
• Case management applications
• Billing systems
• Cloud storage
• Remote access
• Accounting applications
• Administrative accounts
• Other cloud platforms containing confidential information

The right question is not:

“Do we have MFA?”

The better question is:

“Everywhere someone could access sensitive information, what is protecting that login?”

Laptop and Computer Encryption

Attorneys work from more than one location.

They work at the office, at home, in court, at a client’s location, and while traveling.

That means laptops containing access to firm information are constantly moving around.

If a computer is lost or stolen, encryption provides another layer of protection against unauthorized access to information stored on the device.

Windows computers commonly use technologies such as BitLocker, while Macs may use FileVault.

The important part is not assuming encryption is enabled.

It should be verified and managed.

Email Security and Phishing Protection

Email remains one of the most attractive ways for an attacker to target a law firm.

The attack does not always look sophisticated.

An employee receives an email that appears legitimate.

They click a link.

They enter their Microsoft 365 credentials.

Now someone else has their username and password.

Access to one law firm mailbox can expose client conversations, invoices, attachments, calendars, financial communications, contacts, and information about ongoing matters.

In some attacks, the person accessing the mailbox may quietly watch conversations until they see an opportunity to impersonate an attorney, employee, vendor, or client.

That is why email security requires multiple layers.

• MFA helps.
• Email filtering helps.
• Employee training helps.
• Endpoint security helps.
• Monitoring helps.

Good security combines those controls rather than depending on one product to solve the entire problem.

Endpoint Security and Monitoring

Traditional antivirus is no longer enough by itself.

Modern endpoint security looks for suspicious activity and behaviors occurring on computers rather than relying entirely on known-virus signatures.

But installing security software is only half the job.

Someone must also be responsible for what happens when the technology identifies something suspicious.

If an employee’s computer begins showing signs of a security incident at night, the first indication should not be that employee discovering something unusual when they arrive the next morning.

Security tools need people and processes behind them.

Employee Access and Offboarding

Employee access is one of the easiest areas for a business to overlook.

An associate moves to another firm.

A paralegal leaves.

A temporary employee finishes an assignment.

A staff member changes responsibilities.

Who makes sure their access changes everywhere it should?

Disabling an email account may not be enough.

The employee may also have access to:

• Microsoft 365
• Case management software
• Cloud storage
• VPN or remote access
• Accounting systems
• Shared applications
• Document management systems
• Third-party cloud services
• Administrative portals

There should be a repeatable onboarding and offboarding process.

New employees should receive the access necessary to perform their jobs without automatically being given access to everything.

When someone leaves, that access should be removed in a coordinated and documented way.

Backup and Ransomware Recovery

Most businesses will tell us they have backups.

Our next question is usually:

When was the last time someone successfully tested a recovery?

Those are two different things.

A backup system can report successful backups and still leave an organization with problems when it actually needs to recover information.

For a law firm, important questions include:

• How much information could we lose?
• How quickly can information be restored?
• What happens if the primary system is unavailable?
• Are backups protected from the same event affecting production systems?
• Who is responsible for initiating recovery?
• Has the recovery process actually been tested?

A backup is valuable only if you can successfully recover from it.

Recovery testing should be part of normal IT management rather than something attempted for the first time during an emergency.

Secure Remote Access for Attorneys and Staff

Remote work is normal for many law firms.

The challenge is allowing attorneys and staff to work conveniently without creating an unnecessary path into firm systems.

Technology environments often evolve over time.

One employee needed remote access, so a solution was installed.

Then another person needed access.

Someone started working from a personal computer.

A new cloud application was added.

Several employees changed roles.

Years later, nobody is completely certain who can connect, from what device, or through which system.

Managed IT gives the firm an opportunity to standardize remote access.

You should know:

• Which accounts can connect remotely.
• Which devices are permitted.
• How users authenticate.
• Which resources they can reach.
• Whether devices meet security requirements.
• How remote access is removed when it is no longer necessary.

Remote access should be convenient, but it should also be controlled.

Client Confidentiality and Law Firm Cybersecurity

Law firms have an additional responsibility because of the information entrusted to them.

ABA Model Rule 1.6 includes a requirement for lawyers to make reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized access to or disclosure of information relating to client representation.

New York State Bar Association ethics guidance has also addressed the use of technology for remote access to electronic client files and the importance of taking reasonable steps to protect confidential information.

That does not mean every attorney needs to become a cybersecurity engineer.

It does mean cybersecurity cannot simply be ignored or delegated without oversight.

A law firm’s technology controls should be appropriate for its environment and reviewed as technology and cyber risks change.

XSolutions helps firms implement and manage technical safeguards that can support their cybersecurity, confidentiality, contractual, and cyber-insurance requirements.

We do not provide legal advice or certify that a firm is “ABA compliant.”

Our job is to help make sure the technology controls your firm relies on are being actively managed, documented, and reviewed.

IT Support for the Technology Your Law Firm Uses

A law firm’s technology environment extends far beyond Windows computers and Microsoft Word.

Depending on the firm, systems may include:

• Microsoft 365
• Outlook
• Microsoft Teams
• SharePoint
• OneDrive
• Clio
• MyCase
• PracticePanther
• Time and billing applications
• Document management systems
• Accounting software
• E-discovery applications
• Secure file-sharing platforms
• Adobe Acrobat
• Scanners and multifunction printers
• Internet and telecommunications systems
• Third-party legal applications

Your managed IT company does not necessarily replace each software vendor.

Instead, your IT company should understand how those systems work together and take ownership when something isn’t working.

If an Outlook problem is actually being caused by a legal application integration, your attorney shouldn’t have to spend the afternoon calling three different companies.

That coordination is part of good managed IT support.

Microsoft 365 Support for Law Firms

Microsoft 365 is central to the operation of many law firms.

It may contain email, calendars, contacts, documents, collaboration tools, and access to other business systems.

Managing Microsoft 365 therefore involves more than creating email accounts.

A properly managed environment may include:

• User and license management
• Multi-factor authentication
• Administrative access controls
• Email security
• Spam and phishing protection
• SharePoint and OneDrive management
• Employee onboarding and offboarding
• Device management
• Security configuration
• Monitoring
• Backup strategy
• Account recovery
• Vendor integrations

Microsoft provides the platform.

Your IT provider should make sure that platform is configured and managed appropriately for your firm’s needs.

Day-to-Day IT Support Still Matters

Cybersecurity is critical, but attorneys and employees also need technology that simply works.

An attorney preparing for a deposition does not care about an impressive uptime statistic if Outlook will not open.

They care that they cannot work.

The same applies when:

• A document will not print.
• A laptop is running slowly.
• Microsoft Teams is not working.
• A scanner stops communicating.
• An attachment won’t open.
• A password needs to be reset.
• An attorney can’t connect remotely.
• A new employee needs to be set up.
• A legal application stops working correctly.

Employees should know exactly who to contact.

They should not have to decide whether a problem belongs to Microsoft, the internet provider, a software vendor, or another company.

They contact XSolutions.

We figure out what is happening and work toward getting the employee back to work.

What We Look at During a Law Firm IT Assessment

When XSolutions evaluates a law firm’s environment, we do not begin with a predetermined list of products we want to sell.

We first need to understand what you already have.

Some of the questions we examine include:

• Is multi-factor authentication consistently enforced?
• Are laptops and computers encrypted?
• Are devices centrally monitored?
• Are security updates being installed?
• Is endpoint security centrally managed?
• Is Microsoft 365 configured securely?
• Are backups operating correctly?
• Have backups been successfully tested?
• How is remote access handled?
• Which users have administrative access?
• How are employees onboarded?
• How is access removed when employees leave?
• Are old accounts still active?
• How is email protected?
• Who receives cybersecurity alerts?
• Who responds when suspicious activity is detected?
• Is the environment properly documented?
• Does the firm have technology or cybersecurity requirements from its cyber insurer?

From there, we can identify what is already being handled properly and where there may be gaps.

Sometimes a firm does not need to replace everything.

It simply needs someone to take responsibility for what is already there.

How Much Does Managed IT Cost for a Law Firm in Rockland County?

There is not one universal price for managed IT because law firms have different technology environments, security requirements, and support needs.

Pricing can be affected by factors such as:

• Number of employees
• Number of computers and devices
• Number of offices
• Servers and network infrastructure
• Microsoft 365 licensing and configuration
• Cybersecurity requirements
• Backup and disaster recovery needs
• Legal applications
• Cloud infrastructure
• Onsite support requirements
• Compliance or cyber-insurance requirements
• Current condition of the IT environment

The best way to determine cost is to first understand what the firm currently has and what needs to be managed.

That is one reason we start with a conversation and assessment rather than trying to prescribe a package before understanding the environment.

A well-designed managed IT agreement should also make technology costs more predictable and reduce the constant cycle of unexpected break-fix invoices.

Local IT Support Throughout Rockland County

XSolutions is headquartered at 20 Squadron Blvd. in New City, NY, which puts our team directly in the Rockland County business community.

We support businesses throughout Rockland County, including firms in and around:

• New City
• Nanuet
• Pearl River
• Suffern
• Nyack
• West Nyack
• Spring Valley
• Congers
• Haverstraw
• Stony Point
• And surrounding Rockland County communities

Most support can be delivered remotely, which allows many issues to be addressed quickly.

When a situation requires physical assistance, however, your IT provider should not be several states away.

Local presence gives Rockland County law firms access to both responsive remote support and technicians who can assist onsite when necessary.

Thinking About Switching IT Companies?

Changing IT providers can sound disruptive.

A good transition should not be.

The first step is understanding the existing environment.

That typically includes gathering information about:

• Computers
• Users
• Microsoft 365
• Networks
• Firewalls
• Servers
• Backup systems
• Security tools
• Cloud services
• Legal applications
• Vendors
• Administrative accounts
• Existing documentation

From there, the new provider can identify missing information, document the environment, establish monitoring and support, address priority risks, and create a longer-term technology plan.

You should not have to replace every computer or rebuild the entire environment simply because you changed IT companies.

The objective is a controlled transition with as little disruption to attorneys and staff as possible.

Five Questions to Ask Your Current Law Firm IT Provider

Not sure whether your current IT company is doing enough?

Start with five questions.

1. Is multi-factor authentication enforced for everyone?

Not simply available.

Enforced.

Your provider should also be able to explain which systems are protected by MFA and where additional controls may be needed.

2. Are all of our laptops encrypted?

Your provider should be able to verify the answer rather than assume encryption is enabled.

3. When was our last successful backup recovery test?

A successful backup report and a successful recovery test are not the same thing.

Ask when information was last restored successfully.

4. What exactly happens when an employee leaves?

There should be a documented process for disabling accounts and removing access from all relevant systems.

5. What happens if one of our computers shows signs of a cybersecurity incident tonight?

Who receives the alert?

Who investigates it?

Who determines what happens next?

Who contacts your firm?

The answers to those questions will tell you quite a bit about whether your technology is being actively managed or simply repaired when something goes wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions About IT Services for Rockland County Law Firms

What does managed IT include for a law firm?

Managed IT for a law firm can include helpdesk support, computer and server monitoring, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 management, email security, patch management, device encryption, multi-factor authentication, backup and disaster recovery, remote access, employee onboarding and offboarding, vendor coordination, documentation, and long-term technology planning.

The exact services should be based on the firm’s environment and requirements.

Why does a law firm need managed IT instead of regular computer support?

Regular computer support typically focuses on fixing problems after something breaks. Managed IT adds proactive monitoring, maintenance, cybersecurity, documentation, backup management, account management, and ongoing responsibility for the technology environment.

That proactive approach is particularly important for law firms because they depend heavily on technology and store confidential client information.

Does XSolutions provide onsite IT support in Rockland County?

Yes. XSolutions is headquartered in New City, NY and supports businesses throughout Rockland County.

Many technology problems can be resolved remotely, but we can also provide onsite assistance when an issue requires physical attention.

Can XSolutions support Microsoft 365 for a law firm?

Yes. XSolutions supports Microsoft 365 environments, including user management, security configuration, MFA, email, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, onboarding, offboarding, and other Microsoft 365-related technology needs.

Can XSolutions assist with Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther?

We can co-ordinate with your vendors to ensure that your IT environments applications work.

The goal is to prevent your attorneys and employees from getting caught between multiple vendors when a technical problem affects their ability to work.

Can you help with law firm cybersecurity?

Yes. Cybersecurity is a central part of our managed IT approach.

Depending on the environment, that can include MFA, endpoint protection, monitoring, email security, device encryption, employee security controls, patching, secure remote access, backup and disaster recovery, and other safeguards.

Can you help with cyber insurance requirements?

We can help identify, implement, manage, and document technical cybersecurity controls that may be requested by a cyber insurance carrier.

The insurance carrier determines its requirements and coverage, but your IT provider should be able to help you understand and manage the technical controls involved.

How quickly does XSolutions respond to IT problems?

XSolutions is built around responsive support and maintains an average initial response time of less than 15 minutes.

The objective is to acknowledge the issue quickly, communicate clearly, and begin working toward resolution without leaving attorneys and staff wondering whether someone received their request.

What happens when an employee leaves a law firm?

The employee’s access should be removed through a defined offboarding process.

Depending on the environment, that may include Microsoft 365, email, remote access, legal applications, cloud storage, accounting software, shared systems, and other third-party applications.

Offboarding should also address company-owned devices, data retention, email forwarding or delegation requirements, and other firm-specific needs.

Do law firms need encrypted computers?

Encryption is an important security control for computers that contain or provide access to sensitive information.

It provides additional protection if a laptop or other device is lost or stolen.

Encryption should be centrally verified and managed rather than simply assumed to be active.

How often should a law firm’s backups be tested?

Backup systems should be tested on a defined schedule based on the firm’s recovery requirements and technology environment.

The important distinction is between confirming that backup jobs completed and proving that information can actually be recovered successfully.

Your IT provider should be able to explain both your backup process and your recovery-testing process.

How do I know if my law firm’s IT provider is doing enough?

Ask your provider to explain your MFA coverage, encryption status, endpoint monitoring, Microsoft 365 security, backup testing, employee offboarding process, administrative access, remote access, cybersecurity response process, and technology documentation.

A managed IT provider should be able to clearly explain who is responsible for these areas and how they are being managed.

Managed IT Should Reduce Uncertainty

The purpose of managed IT is not to make technology more complicated.

It should do the opposite.

You should know who is responsible for your environment.

You should know employees have somewhere to call when they need help.

You should know systems are being monitored and maintained.

You should know basic cybersecurity controls are not being left to chance.

You should know what happens when an employee joins or leaves.

You should know what happens when a backup needs to be restored.

And you should know who responds if something suspicious occurs.

For a law firm, that level of accountability is especially important because your technology contains information your clients have trusted you to protect.

You do not need dozens of disconnected cybersecurity products.

You need the right controls, properly configured, consistently managed, and reviewed over time.

Not Sure Where Your Law Firm Stands?

That is a good place to start.

XSolutions can review your current technology environment and help identify potential security, reliability, support, and documentation gaps.

You do not necessarily need to replace everything.

First, you need to understand what you have, what is working properly, and what may need attention.

XSolutions is headquartered in New City and has served businesses throughout Rockland County and the surrounding region since 1999.

If your Rockland County law firm wants a second set of eyes on its technology, call XSolutions at 877-807-1332 or schedule a discovery session.

We’ll learn about your current environment, discuss where you’re experiencing problems or uncertainty, and help determine what makes sense to address next.

XSolutions IT
20 Squadron Blvd., Suite 320
New City, NY 10956
Sales: 877-807-1332