Thanks from Clio

Clio Announces Android, Palm Pre Support

SaaS Security: Can You Trust Your Data in the Cloud?

Google Chrome OS: What does it mean?

Sign Up for a Free Clio Webinar in December

Thanks from Clio

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we wanted to offer our thanks for your support of Clio. Our community of users and fans have helped shape Clio into what it is today with countless feature suggestions, encouragement, blog posts, and testimonials. We couldn't have done it without you, and you have our sincere appreciation. We're looking forward to hearing from you over the coming year - and we're listening.

Clio Announces Android, Palm Pre Support

We've listened to the ever-increasing requests for mobile editions of Clio for both the Android and Palm Pre, and are happy to announce the immediate availability of Clio for Android and Clio for Palm Pre. All mobile applications for Clio are accessible via https://m.goclio.com/ (this includes our existing iPhone application, which was recently reviewed by iPhone JD).

With all three mobile editions of Clio, you can access your matters, contacts (with maps!), tasks, timers, and calendar via a highly optimized, responsive interface to your Clio data.

SaaS Security: Can You Trust Your Data in the Cloud?

Clio’s co-founder Jack Newton has authored an article entitled “SaaS Security: Can You Trust Your Data in the Cloud?” for the most recent edition of the ABA Technology eReport.

The article outlines some of the key elements of cloud security and privacy that a law firm should be aware of prior to selecting a Software-as-a-Service provider. The key challenge faced by law firms looking to adopt Software-as-a-Service is the lack of direct guidance from Bar Associations on what due diligence should be performed as part of assessing the security and privacy provisions offered by a SaaS provider. From the article:

For a typical solo or small firm, conducting this due diligence in a buzz-word and acronym-laden field can be daunting. For this reason, this article will endeavor to provide both an introduction to the relevant technologies, as well as assessment criteria for the evaluation of any cloud-based service. If you adopt the best practices outlined below, your data is likely to be more secure in “the cloud” than it would be stored on your laptop or on a server in your office.

Give the entire article a read – and drop us a line if you have any questions or comments.

Google Chrome OS: What Does it Mean?

Last week Google took the covers off of its much-hyped Google Chrome OS. Google Chrome OS’s introduction is a landmark in computing, as it is not only the first new, significant operating system to be introduced in the last ten years, but it is the first completely web application-focused operating system to be released. And it won’t be the last.

What’s significant about Google Chrome OS?

• Every app on Chrome OS is a Web app. No native applications.
• Nothing is stored on your computer.
• The operating system is the browser.
• Fast. Boots in 7 seconds. 3 seconds to login.
• Secure. All your data is encrypted on your machine. If you lose your machine, what little is stored on it (saved passwords, etc.) is completely secure.
• Flash-based – will only support flash-based drives. Hard-disk-based drives are dead.
• Open-source. Other than Linux, none of the other major operating systems are open-source. Google Chrome OS could be the first mainstream open-source operating system.

In a way, Google Chrome OS is the logical conclusion to what has been a profound shift away from desktop applications to “the cloud”. Ultimately, Google Chrome OS is a return to the decades-old concept of mainframes and timeshare computers. All your data is in the cloud. Your security is in the cloud. Your computer ends up being a “dumb terminal” that accesses the cloud. And your terminal is the web browser.

Google Chrome OS may be late to the operating system game, a space that’s already dominated primarily by Microsoft and, to a lesser degree, Apple, but we think it’s well-positioned to make some significant inroads. Why? It’s at the center of what could be deemed a “perfect storm” of factors that will, in a couple of years, make Google Chrome OS seem like a prescient move by Google:

1. Netbooks. In the current economic climate, netbooks (small, lean, web-focused laptops) have seen unprecedented growth. Many people are realizing they don’t need a big, expensive laptop or desktop computer.
2. Cloud computing. Soon, every application you want to use will have a web application equivalent. For some, this is already the case. We have web-based document creation, web-based legal practice management, web-based accounting software, web-based photo editing. If you’re waiting for one of your favorite desktop applications, you won’t have to wait long – it will either be released as a web-based edition, or a competitor will emerge to replace the incumbent with a new web-based application (see the Mint.com and Quicken story, for example).
3. Device Convergence. Laptops are getting smaller and smarter all the time. Mobile phones are becoming more sophisticated. Tablet PCs, like Apple’s rumored tablet, will see increased adoption in the next 2-3 years. The line between laptops, phones, and tablets will start to blur sometime soon, and Google Chrome OS will likely play an important role in this transformation. How Google Chrome OS will fit into Google’s Android strategy will be interesting to see, but they do, without a doubt, have a plan for this.

We’re excited by Google Chrome OS here at Clio. The Google Chrome OS YouTube video gives a great overview of what Google Chrome OS is all about.

Sign Up For a Free Clio Webinar in December

With the recent launch of several new features, our free webinars are a great way for both new and existing users to find out what's possible with Clio:

• Wed, Dec 2, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST / 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST
• Wed, Dec 9, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST / 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST
• Wed, Dec 16, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST / 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST
• Wed, Dec 23, 2009 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST / 12:00PM - 1:00PM EST

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