The year ahead projects to be a tough one: In 2025, we will continue to witness an unprecedented surge in data breaches and cyberattacks against law firms of all sizes. The American Bar Association has taken note, calling cybersecurity a “nemesis” for law firms; nearly one-third of law firms have suffered a breach—and many more firms simply don’t know if a breach has occurred.
But fear not! You can take steps to secure your law firm, and one of the best strategies is to integrate help desk support into your firm’s cybersecurity operations. Consider it a first line of defense. The right help desk partner will essentially extend your busy team, deliver peace of mind, and save you time and money.
In this post, we illuminate the role that a help desk can play in enhanced security for your firm.
The Unique Cybersecurity Challenges for Law Firms
Law firms of all sizes and varieties are a prized target for attackers. You deal with large amounts of sensitive client data, proprietary information, and financial details, and this is incredibly valuable stuff for a hacker. In the year ahead, we also expect the rise of artificial intelligence to propel sophisticated ransomware attacks and believable phishing and social engineering threats against law firms. Complicating things is the fact that many firms lack the resources and expertise necessary to protect your technology infrastructure.
Law firms also face pressure to adhere to legal data protection regulations like GDPR and ABA guidelines. Your firm may be required to follow increasingly stringent local, state, or federal regulations to protect your data and your people or face the risk of high fines as well as reputational damage due to non-compliance.
The Evolving Role of Help Desk Support in Cybersecurity
It’s a scary world out there, but a help desk can, well, help. A help desk can also be described as a virtual ticketing system, in which experts assist your firm with a variety of tasks. Early on, help desks typically involved on-site or telephone support. Today, help desks are highly customized to workplaces, typically featuring automated, formalized, and AI-driven approaches alongside dedicated support from technology experts.
Help desk staff are experts in cybersecurity and can act as your first line of defense to detect, report, and escalate security incidents. This can help minimize the damage and disruption of an intrusion—or prevent it altogether. Help desks also provide continuous monitoring of your system and network, in real-time. Many firms are also surprised to learn that help desks can provide ongoing cybersecurity awareness training for employees!
Key Functions of a Cybersecurity-Focused Help Desk
Help desks are built and deployed with your unique firm in mind. But, at a minimum, your help desk partner should provide the following services:
Incident response support: This includes rapid identification and containment of potential breaches. In the event a breach does occur, the help desk staff will collaborate with your in-house technology team or other key decisions makers to restore normal operations—quickly and fully.
System updates and patching: The help desk works to ensure that all software (including cloud services) is up to date to minimize vulnerabilities. This includes managing necessary patches as part of routine maintenance.
Access control management: This includes setting up and monitoring user permissions so that only those people who need access to certain data have it. The help desk will also perform regular audits to prevent unauthorized access.
Ready to find a help desk partner for your law firm? Smart move! Not only can a help desk enhance your firm’s security in a challenging threat landscape, but it can also help you boost productivity by tracking progress on cases, prioritizing and automating tasks, and streamlining communications with staff and clients.
When you’re ready to get started, seek a help desk partner that has expertise in law firm operations, including legal compliance and the various regulatory requirements you may face. You’re always working—make sure the help desk also has 24/7, always-on support availability. Lastly, only partner with a help desk that offers the latest and most advanced tools for threat detection and resolution.
At N8 Solutions, we check all of these boxes! We hope you’ll consider learning more about our customisable, affordable, and best-in-class help desk solutions. Please get in touch with our friendly experts today.