As accounting and finance professionals look to the cloud and Internet technologies to address collaboration, mobility, and improvements in service delivery, they should also be looking at ways to ensure the protection and security of client financial information. Professional services organizations of all types are embracing cloud products and services, sometimes without properly considering how it might impact information security and business risk. The security requirements for accounting and finance professionals using cloud services are no less stringent than those governing lawyers.
In her article “NC Bar Council issues final opinion on the cloud “, author Nicole Black points out some of the essential considerations for using cloud computing services in a professional legal practice. Accounting and finance professionals should recognize this guidance as being applicable to their businesses, too.
The main question stems from the ethical issues faced by “lawyers who intend to store confidential client information on servers owned and operated by third parties”. An opinion issued by the North Carolina State Bar Council addressed two primary questions in this area:
1. Is it OK for a law firm to use Software as a Service or cloud computing products?
2. Are there any special vendor assessments or other measures which should be taken by lawyers who wish to minimize the security risks of implementing this type of solution?
Read the entire article by Nicole here (PDF format)
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and the Vice President of Business Development and Community Relations at MyCase, a powerful and intuitive cloud-based law practice management platform. She is also a GigaOM Pro Analyst and is the author of the ABA book Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors the ABA book Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York, a West-Thomson treatise. She is the founder of lawtechTalk.com and speaks regularly at conferences regarding the intersection of law and technology. She publishes four legal blogs and can be reached at nblack@nicoleblackesq.com.
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original post April 5, 2012
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