Solicitors hold confidential client information, handle client money and work to deadlines set by courts and counterparties. Host-It provides managed IT and cybersecurity for solicitors and law firms in Bray, Greystones, Dublin and across Ireland, built around protecting client confidentiality and keeping case files available when they are needed.
What is different about IT in a law firm
- Confidentiality and privilege. A breach does not only cost money. It can damage the trust that clients place in the firm and raise professional and regulatory questions.
- Payment-redirection fraud. Firms that handle client funds are a target for emails that appear to come from a client or another firm and ask for payment details to be changed. The most effective defence is a mix of technical controls and a firm procedure for verifying changes by phone.
- Document-heavy work. Large case files, shared folders and email attachments make access control and backup especially important.
- Deadlines. Court dates and completion dates leave little room for downtime or lost files.
- Mobile working. Solicitors work from court, client premises and home, so laptops and phones carry client data outside the office.
How we set up a firm
| Risk to the firm | What we put in place |
|---|---|
| Compromised email account | Multi-factor authentication and conditional access on Microsoft 365, so a stolen password is not enough |
| Malware or ransomware | Huntress managed endpoint detection and response on every device |
| Malicious links and sites | DNSFilter blocks known malicious sites before they load |
| Lost or stolen laptop | Managed devices with disk encryption |
| Lost case files | Comet backups with regular, documented restore tests |
| Open access to files | Permissions reviewed so staff see the matters they should |
Practical security, aligned to a framework
We use the CIS Controls as our checklist, align to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and prepare firms for Cyber Essentials. We can also help with the written policies and evidence that clients, insurers and auditors increasingly ask for. See our cyber security services for more detail, or read how our managed service works. We also support accountancy practices.
Common questions
Can you work with our case-management and document systems?
We look after the devices, network, Microsoft 365 and access that those systems depend on, and we work with the vendor when an issue is theirs. Tell us what you use and we will confirm how we would support it.
How do you help with payment-redirection fraud?
Technical controls such as multi-factor authentication and filtering reduce the chance of an account being compromised. The remaining control is procedural, a call-back to a known number before any change to payment details, and we can help you document it and brief staff.
Can you help with the security questions we get from clients?
Yes. Because your setup is documented, we can help you answer questions on MFA, backups, encryption and access accurately.
Do you support firms outside Dublin?
Yes. We are based in Bray, Co. Wicklow, and support firms across Wicklow, Dublin and the rest of Ireland. See IT support in Wicklow and Bray.