Today's issue of TL NewsWire covers a virtual desktop and private cloud storage service designed for the needs of law firms (see article below), a cloud app for assigning work to lawyers in your firm, an iOS app for notes and tasks, and a network storage appliance. Don't miss the next issue.
When feasible, companies should use their own products (colloquially known as "eating your own dog food"). Everyone in the mostly open office space at Tabush Group uses a tiny computer connected to one or two monitors. These aren't Windows PCs but the employees are using Windows.
Boxtop … in One Sentence
Tabush Group's Boxtop is a private cloud service that enables law firms to use virtual Windows desktops with all their favorite applications but without any infrastructure management.
The Killer Feature
Tabush Group Founder and President Morris Tabush explained to me during my tour of the office that the secure thin client appliances on everyone's desk are optimized for Boxtop and included at no additional charge. They're outfitted with solid state drives (SSDs) and a Gigabit Ethernet port. However, Boxtop also works on your existing PCs as well as Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Android phones and tablets.
Boxtop's "device agnostic" approach enables you to use your Windows desktop with your Windows and web apps and your documents regardless of your location or the device you're using. Boxtop even preserves the "state" of your virtual desktop. For example, if you leave the office in the middle of a sentence in a Word document, logging in at home will take you right back to that sentence.
"Lawyers and their staff need to be fully productive with seamless access to their entire IT environment from anywhere, and not have to think about how the IT works," Tabush told me. "Boxtop helps them achieve this by moving everything together to the cloud. Our clients love that Boxtop is just so simple, and provides them secure access to their work from any Internet-connected device."
Other Notable Features
Because of Tabush Group's origins as an IT consultancy, Boxtop offers a lot of support — "high touch, high customization" as Tabush puts it. First, Boxtop provides a complimentary assessment of your firm's Internet connection. Boxtop recommends a minimum speed of 10-15 Mbps. If your firm needs to upgrade its Internet access, this cost is more than offset by no longer having to pay for servers and their maintenance according to Tabush.
Next Boxtop evaluates the legacy applications you use. Boxtop is compatible with popular legal products such as Amicus Attorney, HotDocs, PCLaw, Tabs3, Time Matters, Worldox, and many others. Boxtop supports Microsoft Office either via your own license or an Office 365 subscription.
Finally, Boxtop migrates all your documents. Boxtop offers both virtual network drives as well as private storage space for each user. BT Sync is a Dropbox-like technology included with Boxtop for accessing documents offline. Boxtop connects to local printers in your office, home, and even at hotels without compromising security. This eliminates risky methods such as using a thumb drive on a public computer.
Boxtop houses your data and applications in high-security datacenters in New York and Seattle. "Private cloud" means that Tabush Group owns the servers, not the datacenter. Your data is encrypted at rest and in transit.
What Else Should You Know?
Boxtop starts at $149 per user per month with no long-term contract required. Approximately, 15% of Boxtop users in a law firm opt for the Power User upgrade, which gives them more storage and administrative control of their virtual desktops. A one-time onboarding fee depends on your legacy environment. It takes about 3-4 weeks to move your firm to Boxtop and train everyone. Learn more about Boxtop.
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