I was sharply critical of the Law Firm CIO 100 panel for being dismissive of using Enterprise 2.0 tools. [See: Web 2.0 - What is Means to Law Firms] The Law Firm CIO 100 had a presentation on Google Apps and were impressed with the functionality and cost savings.  Apparently they were impressed with cloud computing approach of Google Apps, not the collaboration approach.

As Dave Rigali commented on that post:

“In the end, it was the economics of something like Google Apps that caught the CIOs attention. Isn’t this where their focus should be?”

Cloud computing can show a tangible cast savings and return on investment.  The same is not true for enterprise 2.0 for law firms.  The benefits of the knowledge sharing and platform communications are difficult to measure at law firms. Law firm revenue is tied to hourly billing. Most enterprise 2.0 and knowledge management tools lead to efficiency, which is a reduction in hours for a task, and a direct reduction in revenue. You need to make the leap that those gains in efficiency will lead to better client satisfaction, increased realization, stronger client relationships and improved attorney satisfaction.

Cloud computing offers lots of possibilities.  I first became interested in the possibility after listening to Rishi Chandra, Product Manager, Google Enterprise, give a brief presentation on cloud computing at the Enterprise 2.0 Conference: Working in the Cloud: How Cloud Computing is Reshaping Enterprise Technology.

Anita Campbell posts on the {App}Gap:  Cloud Computing – Get Used to the Term.  The term “cloud computing” did not spring up as significant Google search term until October, 2007. Anita offers a few definitions of cloud computing.

Over the past weekend, I saw Dennis McDonald post on his Lesson Learned From Using Google Docs. Like the Law Firm CIO 100, he thinks the product needs a lot of improvements but sees much value:

“In summary, Google Docs is impressive. The fact it is available free and can be configured to run locally are additional reasons to consider it for serious applications. Still, I can see how introducing its use into an organization accustomed to more traditional tools might take some time.”

I have used Google Docs to write a few of my print articles. See: Wiki While You Work and Wikis and Document Management Systems at Law Firms. I find it a great way to collaborate with co-authors and editors. I really like that I had quick and easy access to edit the articles whenever I had internet access.

It is clear that the tools need some improvement before they will be adopted by large law firms. But the cost savings and ease of maintenance make for a compelling reason to consider cloud computing.