The Society for Computers and Law

It's not quite the jingle of sleigh bells or the scent of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but the annual request from the Society for Computers and Law for members' predictions for 2012 is a sure sign that the festive season is on the way.

I think 2012 will be an interesting year for law firms and for legal IT, but I will be keeping my powder dry for now and saving my Magic 8-Ball powers for the SCL magazine.

I have been a member of SCL for a couple of years now and have found it really useful, but have struggled to get to any events as they tend to be Manchester or London based.

Last week I made it to the Is technology risk a threat to your business? seminar hosted by Sidley Austin LLP and it was well worth the trip.

Cloud computing and social media are pet subjects of mine anyway, and it was fascinating to get the perspective of senior in-house counsel and security experts from organisations like HSBC, Fujitsu and QinetiQ on how they deal with managing the risks.

One theme in particular struck me: that it is no longer realistic for lawyers or IT directors to "hold back the tide" by banning access to social media.

Firstly, this is increasingly likely to conflict with the commercial interests of the business. Secondly, the spread of smart phones and tablets and the "consumerisation" effect means that blocking solutions on the corporate network can never be totally effective.

The focus now needs to be risk management; policies have to be the key, but they need to be pragmatic, and applied and communicated consistently and regularly so that they become part of the culture.

An interesting take from some large organisations who I might have expected to be taking a more conservative approach.

If you have an interest in the law relating to IT, the Internet and social media then I would highly recommend joining the SCL community and going along to some of these events.... If I were based a bit closer to the City I would definitely be a regular.