It is often said that the human factor is the most important part of cybersecurity. In many ways this is true. Cybersecurity tech plays a vital role in everything from blocking dangerous traffic and spotting suspicious activity on an account, to offering the kind of 24/7 surveillance that simply isn’t practical (or possible) for humans to carry out themselves. But ultimately, this is only a part of cybersecurity.

In reality, tech can only take your cybersecurity so far. No amount of software can protect you from employees that can’t spot a phishing email or a type of virus that can evade detection. To remedy this, there has always been (and likely always will) a need for human research, thinking and creativity. 

Nevertheless, it is important to realise that tech innovation is actually playing an increasingly important role across the cybersecurity industry. This is especially true when it comes to protecting vulnerable industries such as law and legal services. In this article, we’ll take a look at how a revolution in tech and how your business thinks about it could make a huge difference to your law firm. 

Making the investment 

One important aspect of the tech innovation in cybersecurity for law firms is simply in the fact that the businesses are understanding that if they want to stay protected against cybercrime, they need to put in money accordingly. 

“The first thing to say is that good cybersecurity requires investment,” says Edward Hill, Chief Technical Officer at law software provider Insight Legal. “It is no longer appropriate to simply install antivirus and firewall software and hope for the best. Modern cybersecurity requires 24/7 protection, skilled professionals, and regular analysis to help find and repair vulnerabilities in the system.

Crucially, this takes investment, and law firms should adjust their budgets accordingly. It is a good idea to consult with cybersecurity experts to get an idea of the kind of processes, software and staff you need to have in place. This will provide you with the information you need to create a realistic budget.” 

When those at the top of law firms understand the cost involved, it provides the ability to invest in the right technology. 

Going beyond traditional security measures

As mentioned above, it was once the case that law firms believed that a standard firewall and antivirus software would be enough to protect them against cybercrime. While these types of technology have gone through a period of their own evolution, and they do still have a vital role to play in cybersecurity, you can’t treat them as a silver bullet.

Modern forms of cybersecurity technology include concepts such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). This is software that is used to collect as much data as possible from a business to understand what constitutes ‘normal’ behaviour in the company. Then in future, when something abnormal occurs, the software creates an alert.

This type of analysis feeds into more advanced forms of cybersecurity such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR), which is designed to track attacks as they occur in real-time and respond to them as quickly as possible. 

Overcoming the cybersecurity skills gap

Perhaps one of the most important reasons that cybersecurity technology has become vital for businesses such as law firms is the cybersecurity skills gap. It has been well documented that there are simply more cybersecurity jobs than there are enough skilled candidates with the relevant experience and training. 

According to the latest figures, in spite of efforts to train more professionals, there is still a shortfall of 2.72 million cybersecurity staff ready to fill positions. This shows that it is very hard for businesses to recruit the kind of cybersecurity professionals that they need in order to keep themselves secure. 

Of course, technology cannot replace cybersecurity staff, but in some areas, it is possible to invest in technology that can minimise the impact of lacking key team members. 

Law firm software has a role to play

Interestingly, it is not just cybersecurity software that can have an impact on your security. There has been a growing interest in software specifically designed for law firms, such as case management software. This can have quite an important role in ensuring that a business is defended properly. 

Having a single piece of software that can be accessed by both the firm and the client can make it much easier to manage everything from a cybersecurity perspective. This allows you to track who has access to the system and what kind of data they can access. 

Tech innovation has been a huge benefit to cybersecurity, and this is showing up in industries like law and legal services. It is especially true for smaller businesses which may not have previously had the kind of budget that allows for powerful cybersecurity. Advanced technology has actually made things more affordable for smaller law firms.