Technical FAQs

Barcode Xpress and ImageGear .NET.  Barcode Xpress is a leading barcode reading SDK. While it supports a variety of image formats, Barcode Xpress works with ImageGear to support even more obscure image formats. For example, Barcode Xpress does not support reading barcodes on PDFs. Combined with ImageGear, developers can support a myriad of image formats and PDFs. With Barcode Xpress & ImageGear working together, developers can integrate a barcode reader that can detect barcodes on almost any kind of document.

Barcode Xpress accepts images in multiple different object types, such as System.Drawing.Bitmap. Using the method ImGearFileFormats.ExportPageToBitmap we can easily take any image that ImageGear supports and export it to a System.Drawing.Bitmap object that we can then pass to Barcode Xpress. So, only a tiny amount of code is required to recognize barcodes with ImageGear .NET and Barcode Xpress. Below, we’ll show various ways to pass different types of images and documents to Barcode Xpress.

Image:

// Load the image into the page.
ImGearPage imGearPage = ImGearFileFormats.LoadPage(stream, 0);

// Export the image to a bitmap and pass that bitmap to Barcode Xpress
 Result[] results = barcodeXpress.reader.Analyze(ImGearFileFormats.ExportPageToBitmap(imGearPage));

PDF:

We need slightly more code for a PDF. First, we specify a page number when calling LoadPage. Second, we must dispose of the ImGearPage object after we’re done with it. 

// Load the specified page of the PDF as an ImGearPage object
ImGearPage imGearPDFPage = ImGearFileFormats.LoadPage(stream, pageNumber);

// Export the image to a bitmap and pass that bitmap to Barcode Xpress
Result[] results = barcodeXpress.reader.Analyze(ImGearFileFormats.ExportPageToBitmap(imGearPDFPage));

(imGearPDFPage as IDisposable).Dispose();

Now that we’ve explained the most important part, we’ll show you a simple console app that recognizes barcodes on a PDF using the method above. 

The code below assumes you’ve installed an evaluation or development license for both Barcode Xpress and ImageGear .NET.

using System;
using System.IO;
using Accusoft.BarcodeXpressSdk;
using ImageGear.Core;
using ImageGear.Evaluation;
using ImageGear.Formats;
using ImageGear.Formats.PDF;

namespace BXandIGDotNet
{
	class Program
	{
    	static int pageNumber = 0;
    	static string fileName = @"Path/To/Your/PDF..pdf";
    	static void Main(string[] args)
    	{
        	// Initialize evaluation license.
        	ImGearEvaluationManager.Initialize();

        	// Initialize common formats.
        	ImGearCommonFormats.Initialize();
        	// Add support for PDF and PS files.
        	ImGearFileFormats.Filters.Insert(0, ImGearPDF.CreatePDFFormat());
        	ImGearFileFormats.Filters.Insert(0, ImGearPDF.CreatePSFormat());
        	ImGearPDF.Initialize();

        	using (FileStream stream = new FileStream(fileName, FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read, FileShare.Read))
        	using (BarcodeXpress barcodeXpress = new BarcodeXpress())
        	{
            	// Load the specified page of the PDF as an ImGearPage object
            	ImGearPage imGearPDFPage = ImGearFileFormats.LoadPage(stream, pageNumber);

            	// Export the image to a bitmap and pass that bitmap to Barcode Xpress
            	Result[] results = barcodeXpress.reader.Analyze(ImGearFileFormats.ExportPageToBitmap(imGearPDFPage));

            	(imGearPDFPage as IDisposable).Dispose();

            	// Print the values of every barcode detected.
            	for (int i = 0; i < results.Length; i++)
            	{
                	Console.WriteLine("#" + i.ToString() + " Value: " + results[i].BarcodeValue);
            	}
            	Console.ReadKey();
        	}
    	}
	}
}

Using Barcode Xpress and ImageGear in Other Languages & Linux

You can also use Barcode Xpress and ImageGear together outside of the .NET framework. Barcode Xpress supports several different programming languages and frameworks including .NET Core, Java, NodeJS, Python, C, and C++. All of which can be used on Linux. 

ImageGear for C/C++ also supports Linux. Barcode Xpress Linux, which is a C/C++ library, ships with a sample called “ReadBarcodesIG”, that shows how to integrate Barcode Xpress Linux and ImageGear for C/C++. You can find the sample code after downloading our SDK here! For more information on Barcode Xpress, visit our Developer Resources page on the website. In addition, you can also find more information about ImageGear .NET on its respective Developer Resources page as well.

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the LegalTech industry in its effort to transform the processes used by law firms and legal departments, Accusoft recently sponsored an educational webinar in conjunction with Law.com entitled “Build or Buy? Learning Which Is Best for Your Firm or Department.” Hosted by Zach Warren, editor-in-chief of Legaltech News, the webinar featured Neeraj Rajpal, CIO of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, and Kelly Wehbi, Head of Product at Gravity Stack, a subsidiary of the Reed Smith law firm. 

Together, the panelists brought two unique perspectives to the ongoing “build vs buy” debate, both from the software vendors who provide LegalTech solutions and the decision makers working at the legal firms who make difficult decisions regarding technology solutions.

Build vs Buy: The Choices Before the Decision

Both Rajpal and Wehbi agree that any decision involving building or buying technology solutions has to begin with defining the problem a firm needs to solve. Regardless of whether you’re working with an independent legal firm or a legal department within a larger organization, it’s critical to understand the business problem, existing pain points, and potential value of a solution.

“When you start asking the right questions,” Raijpal notes, “you sometimes come across a situation where the requirements are not very clearly defined and that is a big red flag to me because when requirements are not defined, you’re not solving anything.”

Wehbi shares that concern about the requirements gathering process, pointing out that things tend to go wrong when firms fail to consider both the scope and magnitude of the challenge they’re trying to overcome. “Organizations can struggle a lot when they jump a little too quickly to a solution or to thinking about just what the return would be on a potential new product or service offered.”

It’s also critical to make sure that the firm is willing to accept some degree of change. If existing business processes are unclear or if no one is willing to consider changing how they work, then no amount of technology is going to make a difference. Understanding the culture of the firm and securing the buy-in from leadership is absolutely critical to making any technology integration succeed whether you’re buying a solution or building one from scratch. 

The Pros and Cons of Building LegalTech Solutions

For an organization that has the resources, methodologies, and skill sets necessary to develop a solution that’s specifically designed to meet its unique requirements, building can be a great decision. The key advantage here is that it focuses specifically on the firm’s processes and user pain points, allowing developers to design a solution that is much more targeted than an “off-the-shelf” product.

Benefits of Building

• Applications can be customized to your exact specifications, allowing them to better address your specific business needs.
• Since you manage the solution from end to end, you retain much more control in terms of application features and functionality, how data is managed, and access security.
• Developing a specialized solution creates room for innovative technology that can provide a competitive edge.
• A custom-built solution presents fewer integration challenges, especially when it comes to interfacing with legacy systems used by many legal organizations.

Risks of Building

• Building a new solution from the ground up requires a great deal of time and resources that might be better spent elsewhere.
• Investing in custom software creates substantial technical debt that must be maintained over time and could create integration problems in the future when additional upgrades are required.
• If the new solution doesn’t contribute enough to the bottom line to justify the cost of operations, it could lead to negative economies of scale that make it difficult for the firm to grow its business.

The Pros and Cons of Buying LegalTech Solutions

Not every organization has the development resources to build a customized solution from the ground up. If they’re not ready to make that capital investment, a cloud-based offering may be better suited to their needs. Leveraging a proven, ready-to-launch SaaS solution offers a number of advantages, but could impact how the company makes technology decisions in the future.

Benefits of Buying

• Since SaaS services are usually cheaper and easier to implement, they are often the best option for companies with limited IT resources.
• Cloud solutions are good for solving common technology problems that smaller firms face.
• Already-live functionality means SaaS solutions can be implemented on a faster time frame.
• The cloud vendor handles all building and maintenance costs associated with the platform.
• Since the vendor sets up workflows and integrations as well as troubleshooting, your internal team is freed up to focus on other tasks.

Risks of Buying

• Off-the-shelf solutions offer less customization and control over infrastructure and data.
• Even industry-specific SaaS solutions are built for a general market in mind, so their features may not solve your firm’s unique requirements.
• Since the vendor manages security, customers have less oversight over how their sensitive data is managed.
• Working with a SaaS provider exposes firms to market risk. If the vendor goes out of business or sunsets a product, it may be difficult to repatriate data or transition to another provider.

When to Build

For firms with the development resources that are already using in-house document management solutions to streamline processes, SDK and API integrations are often the best way to enhance functionality. Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Suite leverages REST APIs and advanced HTML controls to provide powerful document viewing, conversion, editing, and assembly capabilities to web-based applications. Our SDK integrations also allow developers to build the functionality they need directly into their software at the code level.

Document Assembly

Law firms need automation solutions that allow them to easily create and manage multi-part, multi-stage contracts. Thanks to Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Editor, legal teams can rapidly identify and assemble sections of pre-existing text into new content that is both editable and searchable. PrizmDoc Editor integrates securely into existing applications and delivers in-browser support to help lawyers assemble assets without resorting to risky external dependencies.

Case Management

LegalTech applications can manage and review cases much more efficiently by integrating data capture, file conversion, and optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities. The ImageGear SDK helps legal teams access case data in a variety of formats without the need for downloading additional files or relying on third-party viewing applications. It can also convert multiple file types into secure and searchable PDF/A documents, making it easy to tag files with client numbers, names, and other identifiable information. Thanks to PDF/A functionality, ImageGear ensures that firms can stay on the right side of federal regulations.

eDiscovery

The rapid transition to predominantly digital documents has fundamentally altered the way legal organizations approach the discovery process. Innovative eDiscovery processes can streamline case management while also protecting client interests. In order to implement these strategies effectively, firms need applications that provide extensive file format support and search functionality as well as redaction and digital rights management (DRM) tools capable of protecting client privacy. PrizmDoc Viewer delivers these features along with scalable annotation capabilities that make it easier for collaborators to proofread, review, and make comments to case files without creating version confusion. As an end-to-end eDiscovery toolkit, our HTML5 viewer also includes whitelabeling support so it can be fully integrated into your application’s branding.

When to Buy

For smaller legal teams looking for broad functionality without development hassles or a new firm taking its first steps toward document automation, it often makes more sense to implement a bundled, buy-in solution like Accusoft’s Docubee SaaS platform.

Document Completion

Docubee makes document management easy with drag and drop data routing. Users can quickly create legal contracts, route the appropriate data to documents, deliver contracts for approval, and facilitate signing with secure eSignature technology. 

Customized Templates

With Docubee, legal teams can create customized document templates and manage them on a section-by-section basis. Individual clauses can be added or removed as needed, allowing attorneys to repurpose document templates instead of creating them from scratch for every client. 

End-to-End Support

Two-way communication support helps firms to build better dockets and negotiate more effectively. Documents can be updated automatically and version controls ensure that everyone is always looking at the most up-to-date version of a contract. Docubee also allows users to prioritize key tasks with collaborative redlining and notification tools.

Long-Term Storage and Security

Docubee stores data for up to six years to meet eDiscovery requirements. To better protect client privacy and meet changing compliance requirements, firms can also set destruction dates for contracts, templates, and case files. Docubee is SOC2 compliant, featuring multi-layer encryption to keep data under tight lock and key.

Hear the Full Conversation

To hear the full webinar and learn more about how legal firms make the difficult choice between building or buying their next technology solution, sign up now to get access to an on-demand recording of the event. If you’re ready to learn more about how Accusoft technology is helping to power innovation in the legal industry by delivering the latest in content processing, conversion, and automation solutions, visit our legal industry solutions page or contact us today to speak to one of our product experts.

One of the new additions to our recent PrizmDoc v11.0 release was a developer preview of our document pre-conversion feature. This is an exciting new addition, given many of our clients work with thousands—even millions—of large documents and can’t afford to waste even seconds waiting for files to process.

Pre-conversion will allow the conversion of documents and images prior to being requested for viewing. For example, you can determine certain files to be converted and rendered. The rendered viewing packages will be stored in cache. When documents are requested for viewing, PrizmDoc will check to see if the document has been already converted and if so, call the viewing package for that document from cache to the viewer. This will dramatically increase performance, since the documents and images are already converted and ready for viewing before they are requested.

Although the feature is still in late-stage development and is slated to be production-ready in an upcoming release, you can download and use the current developer preview to test and evaluate the functionality. First we’ll give a quick PrizmDoc overview, and then cover how to get started with pre-conversion.

Understanding PrizmDoc

PrizmDoc is a powerful, scalable suite of APIs and Javascript that use HTML5 standard technologies to convert, view, search, annotate, and redact documents in dozens of formats in a zero footprint viewing client. At its core, the basic concept of PrizmDoc is fairly straightforward: your web application passes a document to an http service that converts it into SVG and returns it to the browser. So long as the browser supports SVG (which all modern browsers now do), the document is viewable without needing to install any software on the browsing device. This model works well across PCs, tablets, and even smartphones. Every device can view all standard document types without downloading or installing any extra software.

The above diagram provides an overview of the core components of the PrizmDoc Client and Server

PrizmDoc Application Services

PrizmDoc Application Services (PAS) is installed “ready to run” via any of our four web tier samples (C#, MVC, Java, PHP).

Pre-converting documents in Application Services

When viewing large documents, a user can experience a delay viewing later pages in the document. The pre-conversion API allows the user to avoid any delay in viewing a fully converted document prior to the creation of a viewing session. Users may choose to pre-convert all documents over a certain file size or documents that are frequently viewed, allowing for a more tailored viewing experience.

How to Create a viewing Package by Pre-converting Documents

Pre-conversion is available by using the Pre-conversion API. (For detailed information, refer to PrizmDoc Application Services RESTful Viewing Package Creators API.) Documents are pre-converted using the following steps:

Step 1

Issue a POST request with the body of the request containing JSON formatted ‘source’ object. The source.type property can be a “document”, “url” or “upload”. In this example, “document” is used as a source.type property.

POST http://localhost:3000/v2/viewingPackageCreators

viewingPackageCreator POST Body

Content-Type: application/json
{
    "input": {
        "source": {
            "type": "document",
            "fileName": "sample.doc",
            "documentId": "unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8",
            . . .
        },
        "viewingPackageLifetime": 2592000
    }
}

A successful response to the above POST provides ‘processId’ in the response body.

200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{
    "input": {
        "source": {
            "type": "document",
            "fileName": "sample.doc",
            "documentId": "unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8",
            . . .
        },
        "viewingPackageLifetime": 2592000
    },
    "expirationDateTime": "2015-12-09T06:22:18.624Z",
    "processId": "khjyrfKLj2g6gv8fdqg710",
    "state": "processing",
    "percentComplete": 0
}

Step 2

Using the ‘processId’ obtained in step 1, query the pre-conversion process for the status.
GET http://localhost:3000/v2/viewingPackageCreators/khjyrfKLj2g6gv8fdqg710

A successful response body contains the JSON formatted properties ‘state’ and ‘percentComplete’. The state value indicates whether it is ‘complete’ or ‘processing’ and the property ‘percentComplete’ indicates percentage amount complete.

Start polling the status by issuing a GET command using the above URL. It is recommended to use shorter intervals initially between the requests for the first few times. If it is still not complete, then the document may be large, requiring more processing time. In scenarios like this, an increase in the time interval between requests would be necessary to prevent a large number of status requests that could potentially cause network congestion. On 100% completion, the response body will among other information contain an output object with ‘packageExpirationDateTime’ property.

200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{
    "input": {
       "source": {
            "type": "document",
            "fileName": "sample.doc",
            "documentId": "unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8",
            . . .
       },
       "viewingPackageLifetime": 2592000
    },
    "output": {
        "packageExpirationDateTime": "2016-1-09T06:22:18.624Z"
    },
    "expirationDateTime": "2015-12-09T06:22:18.624Z",
    "processId": "khjyrfKLj2g6gv8fdqg710",
    "state": "complete",
    "percentComplete": 100
}

How to obtain information about the converted viewing Package

(For detailed information about the converted viewing Package, refer to PrizmDoc Application Services RESTful Viewing Package Creators API.)

When the status is 100% complete, details can be obtained about the converted package by issuing the following request:

GET http://localhost:3000/v2/viewingPackages/unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8

Response Body

200 OK
Content-Type: application/json
{
    "input": {
        "source": {
            "type": "document",
            "fileName": "sample.doc",
            "documentId": "unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8",
            . . .
        },
        "viewingPackageLifetime": 2592000
    },
    "state": "complete",
    "packageExperationDateTime": "2016-1-09T06:22:18.624Z"
}

How to Delete a Previously Converted Package

(For detailed information about deleting converted viewing Package, refer to PrizmDoc Application Services RESTful Viewing Package Creators API.)

A previously converted package can be deleted by issuing a DELETE request.

DELETE http://localhost:3000/v2/viewingPackages/unT67Fxekm8lk1p0kPnyg8

This request marks the package for asynchronous deletion. A successful response is as follows:

204 (No Content)

Viewing Packages

PrizmDoc Application Services 11.0 introduces the Viewing Packages feature. A Viewing Package is a cached version of a document that the PrizmDoc Viewer will use when displaying a document. Viewing a document from a Viewing Package will significantly reduce the load on PrizmDoc Server and will allow you to serve many more users per minute than you would otherwise be able to.

A Viewing Package can be created through Pre-Conversion or by using On-Demand Caching.
This topic provides information about the following:

• Storage
• Configuration
• Pre-Conversion
• On-Demand Caching

Storage

Viewing Packages are stored in both the filesystem and configured database. If using multiple instances of PAS, you must use a shared database and NAS (Network Attached Storage). The Running PrizmDoc Application Services on Multiple Servers topic can provide more information for configuring PAS in Multi-Server Mode.

By default, storage is configured in the following way:

Configuration

Viewing Packages are opt-in and require special configuration to work properly. At a minimum, your configuration should include the following:

# Feature toggles
feature.packages: "enabled"

# Database configuration
 
database.adapter: "sqlserver"
database.host: "localhost"
database.port: 1433
database.user: "pasuser"
database.password: "password"
database.database: "PAS"

# Default timeout for the duration of a viewing session
defaults.viewingSessionTimeout: "20m"

viewingPackagesData.storage: "database"
viewingPackagesProcesses.storage: "database"
viewingSessionsData.storage: "database"
viewingSessionsProcessesMetadata.storage: "database"

viewingPackagesArtifactsMetadata.storage: "database"
viewingPackagesArtifacts.storage: "filesystem"
viewingPackagesArtifacts.path: "/usr/share/prizm/Samples/viewingPackages"

Pre-Conversion

Creating a Viewing Package through Pre-Conversion provides a way to generate packages whenever it makes the most sense for your application to do so. It allows you to make use of down-time for Pre-Conversion to reduce load in high traffic periods. Pre-Conversion does all the work of creating a Viewing Package whenever it is requested. It starts a process that will begin downloading content and allow you to poll for progress.

It is recommended that you maintain a queue of Pre-Conversions so you don’t overload the server and have faster turnaround time. We recommend a maximum of five Pre-Conversion processes at a time per PrizmDoc Application Services and PrizmDoc Server instance. This will allow packages to be created quickly while maintaining a sustainable load.

On-Demand Caching

Creating a Viewing Package through On-Demand Caching is a seamless process through the Viewing Session API. On-Demand Caching allows you to trigger a Viewing Package creation process in the background and use the resulting Viewing Package when it is ready. This feature is designed to allow immediate viewing using PrizmDoc Server while caching a package for subsequent views of the same document.

As an example, consider this request for a Viewing Session:

POST /ViewingSession
{
   "source": {
       "documentId": "PdfDemoSample-a1b0x19n2",
       "type": "document",
       "fileName": "PdfDemoSample.pdf"
   }
}

This request will always return a viewingSessionId regardless of the status of the matching Viewing Package. If a Viewing Package does not currently exist with the given documentId, PrizmDoc Server will handle document viewing while a background process creates a Viewing Package. Once the background process is complete, PrizmDoc Application Services will handle all further viewing sessions until the Viewing Package expires (24 hours by default).

Conclusion

Given the increasing digital nature of document management, the pre-conversion services in PrizmDoc are an exciting addition to our already-robust suite of features. Pre-converting, rendering, and storing documents in cache will provide a more seamless experience, allowing users to immediately call and view documents and images. We believe it’s a game-changer that will allow many of our clients to significantly streamline their processes.

Collaboration is key. As noted by Fast Company, 95 percent of businesses now recognize the value of collaboration tools, but just 56 percent have deployed these solutions at scale. Part of the disconnect comes down to adoption. Companies must demonstrate that new applications are worth using for staff and stakeholders alike.

The other half of this holdback stems from the concern around secure content collaboration. Organizations need the ability to handle enterprise content management interactions securely across multiple use cases including internal and external business process automation, task lists, reports, dashboards, and document collaboration. As a result, new frameworks don’t simply offer document management in isolation. Instead, they deliver cross-solution, cross-organizational collaboration that’s available anywhere, anytime, for any user. 

Let’s dive into three use cases that show the collaborative potential of one of these cross-solution frameworks, made possible by a partnership between Accusoft and one of its solution partners, TEAM Informatics. TEAM has developed a new product called M-Connect which leverages Accusoft’s PrizmDoc Viewer to extend the capabilities of the M-Files platform, making true cross-organization collaboration possible. 

Triple Threat

Security remains a critical concern for organizations. If data isn’t properly protected, the results can be disastrous for both clients and companies. Emerging legislation around data protection includes mandates for shared due diligence no matter the origin or intention of data use.

As a result, effective content collaboration also includes actionable defense. It’s not enough to simply process information. Organizations must also secure this critical resource, starting first with streamlining. 

TEAM Informatics makes it possible to take control of your content with forms-based workflow automation. M-Files’ metadata solution, meanwhile, helps eliminate the growing security risk of information silos, while document viewing and control with PrizmDoc Viewer lets staff easily view and annotate documents to empower granular access control. With IT risks on the rise, a triple threat content collaboration response is key.

Back to Front

In addition to security, users must be able to collaborate effectively. One way that users gain context is through metadata. Intelligent access to metadata across your content management system paves the way for increased automation and improved results. As noted by Dark Reading, for example, relevant metadata is critical in the fight against emerging information security threats. 

It also forms the basis of practical process automation at scale. Here’s how the three entities work together to provide metadata context securely: 

• M-Files’ intelligent metadata functionality organizes content based on what it is, not where it’s stored.  
• If you want to include users outside of your M-Files ecosystem, TEAM Informatics’ M-Connect provides this capability. 
• M-Connect joins your external users with your M-Files repository, leveraging organized and secure content and process automation. 
• Accusoft’s embedded PrizmDoc Viewer enables users to capture key backend metadata and automate critical processes without compromising visibility.  
• M-Connect allows users to quickly configure interactions and processes in the form of a digital workspace.   

Consider the complex process of vendor take-on, staff take-on, provider or loan application processing and evaluation. Using M-Files, organizations can leverage key metadata to auto-populate forms and assess mortgage criteria. PrizmDoc Viewer, meanwhile, makes it easy for staff to access and evaluate documents to ensure processes are working as intended. This results in complete content control from back end capture to front end completion.

Sharing the News

Automation and protection form the basis of enhanced enterprise content management — but aren’t enough in isolation. To meet the evolving demands of consumers, C-Suite members, and corporate stakeholders, enterprises must leverage collaboration tools that empower both internal and external document sharing, viewing, and editing.

Best bet? Bridge the gap by finding — and combining — solutions that play to their strengths. Start with M-Files, which helps unify content by context, then leverage M-Connect to automate key functions to empower internal document efficiency. With PrizmDoc Viewer embedded inside, you’re empowering secure document collaboration across third parties and delivering the internal ability to collaborate efficiently.

Judge gavel on computer. Concept of internet crime, hacking and cyber crimes

Implementing any technology solution within an established organization can be a monumental challenge for a developer. Doing so for a legal firm that has a strong culture and longstanding processes can be even more difficult. That’s why LegalTech developers need to take a few key factors into consideration as they work on applications for the legal industry.

Build vs. Buy

One of the first questions any firm needs to ask is whether it wants to build a specialized solution or turn to an existing LegalTech application. In many cases, this comes down to a question of resources. For larger “big law” firms or legal departments within an enterprise business, internal developers may be available to build a customized application that caters to specific organizational needs. 

If the resources and development skills are on hand, building a dedicated solution can be an effective strategy. Developers can focus narrowly on the established processes used at the firm and design technology that targets clear pain points more effectively than an “off-the-shelf” product.

More importantly, as Kelly Wehbi, Head of Product for Gravity Stack, points out, building doesn’t necessarily mean starting from nothing: 

“I think a lot about how to leverage the platforms we have or could potentially purchase, but then add our own expertise and strengths on top of it. That doesn’t have to mean you have to build some entirely new interface or have to invent some new technology. It could be there’s a tool that’s out there that does exactly what you need and maybe you have to build a few customizations on top of that.”

Of course, building a solution also presents a number of challenges, especially if the project’s requirements are not well defined from the beginning. There’s a great deal of overhead involved with building new technology in terms of maintenance and ongoing support. It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on technology at the expense of services. But legal firms are not product companies; they need to focus instead on finding ways they can use technology to leverage their core services.

It’s that emphasis on services that drives many firms to buy the technology solutions they need rather than to build them. Existing software integrations are typically better positioned to maintain security and don’t need to be maintained as extensively. Deploying proven software integrations also helps organizations to maximize their on-premises resources and enhance their flexibility in the long-term. 

“I tend to default toward leveraging an existing platform when possible,” Wehbi admits. “Security ends up being a huge part of this and when you can leverage a company that’s solved that really well, that goes a long, long way. It offers you a bunch of options you wouldn’t have if you had to build it yourself,” Wehbi says. “That’s a pretty big undertaking to start from scratch.”

Getting Buy-In for LegalTech Solutions

Once the build or buy decision is finally made, there’s still the critical matter of executing and putting the new solution into practice. Getting feedback throughout the development and integration process is important, whether it’s gathered from anecdotal observations or some form of usage analytics. 

Neeraj Raijpal, CIO at Schroock & Schroock & Lavan, finds that implementations tend to go smoother when the development team is able to get rapid feedback from key decision makers: “The faster you get the feedback, the faster you know you’re down the right path or not. It is very frightening when the stakeholder…looks at something and says ‘This is exactly the opposite of what I expected.’ You don’t want to be in that situation.”

Ultimately, a LegalTech application’s success depends largely upon whether or not the firm as a whole embraces it. When developers are seeking to implement a solution, they need to be especially careful to take the culture of the firm into consideration. Without buy-in at the top, it will be difficult to convince anyone in the organization to commit to change. 

“If you’re trying to solve a problem because you have a deficiency in a current business process, but you’re not willing to change the process…that’s (a) disaster,” Raijpal warns. Although LegalTech solutions are designed to enhance efficiency and reduce errors, they often require people to learn how to use them or to abandon existing technology solutions.

Take, for example, a legal firm that needs to redact documents during the discovery process. The existing process likely involves printing out documents and then laboriously redacting them by hand with marker. Once that process is finished, they are scanned and saved as image-based PDFs. An HTML5 viewer with redaction capabilities could easily streamline this process to make it faster, more flexible, and more secure. Unfortunately, if the firm’s attorneys aren’t willing to adopt the new process, all of the potential efficiency benefits go to waste.

The Importance of Communication

Communication and ongoing support are critical to ensuring a successful LegalTech implementation. Developers can begin this important conversation right from the beginning when they’re designing application features. Whether they’re building everything from scratch or turning to software integrations, they need to have honest and thorough discussions to determine what specific features are needed to support legal processes. Implementing a LegalTech solution is more likely to be successful if that solution is closely aligned with the firm’s existing needs and future goals.

But the conversation doesn’t stop once the application goes live. Ongoing support and education is often necessary to help firms adopt new technology and make the most of its potential. Developers may even need to adjust some features over time as needs change. If they utilized third party software integrations to add key functionality, they need to know they can count on those vendors to support them as the LegalTech application evolves.

Make Your LegalTech Implementation a Success with Accusoft

Accusoft’s family of software integrations allow LegalTech developers to quickly add the features their clients need to modernize workflows and improve efficiency. Whether it’s PrizmDoc’s extensive document redaction capabilities that make it easier to protect privacy during eDiscovery or the automated document assembly features of PrizmDoc, developers can lean on our 30 years of document processing expertise so they can focus on building the tools legal teams require

As part of our ongoing work with the LegalTech industry, Accusoft recently sponsored a Law.com webinar on the subject of building vs buying technology solutions for legal firms. You can listen to some of the highlights with contributors Kelly Wehbi and Neeraj Rajpal along with host Zach Warren, editor-in-chief of LegalTech News, on the Law.com Perspectives podcast.