Second Opinions

We Need to Upgrade to a Calendar that Can Be Networked. Suggestions?

By Thomas Scharbach and Eric H. Steele

YOU HAVE many options, including "industrial strength" network calendar servers such as Microsoft's calendar server. However, the size of your firm suggests that you would be best off with an industry-standard, shrink-wrap product that is easy to install and supports networked group calendars or personal information managers (calendar plus to-do lists, address books and contact information).

Another option, if you need simple "anytime, anywhere" access: Web calendaring services.

You might also want to take a look at Extranet portal services, which are emerging multi-purpose Web tools designed for the legal market.

Before looking at the options, step back and identify the features you are interested in (such as group calendars; ability to see other people's personal calendars; multiple day/week/month views; recurring events; meeting invitation/response tracking; task lists; address book and contact management). Then, sort your "wish list" by relative importance, and you'll know what features you need most and can better evaluate your choices.

In line with industry trends, an increasing number of calendars and PIMs are becoming "Web-enabled," and can publish information that can be read and changed using Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer. Our guess is that Web technology will become the "lingua franca" between applications during the next few years, so you might want to consider this feature when making a final selection.

Calendars and PIMs

Here is a run-down of a few of the shrink-wrap products currently available on the market:

If you need group scheduling but do not need the additional features offered by networked personal information managers, then a group calendar may be the best solution for your firm. We've known firms that have implemented personal calendar programs across networks, but we think that your firm should avoid the hassle and look for a product designed for networks. Day-Timer Organizer 2000 Network Version (www.daytimer.com) is a group calendar product that allows you to share group information selectively and securely, and would be a solid choice in this category.

If your firm would benefit from sharing client contact information, group time planning/scheduling, task lists and mail lists, then consider moving beyond calendaring and look at networked personal information managers such as Act! 2000 or Goldmine 5.0. PIMs are more complicated to install and use than calendars, but the advantages of sharing client information can be considerable, and might be worth the trouble.

Web-based Calendars

If your firm has Internet access and your lawyers and/or support staff work at home or on the road, your firm might be best served by a Web-based calendaring service, such as Day-Timer Digital, Day Tracker or Interplanner. Although Web-based calendars are a new application, using a Web-based service will offer your firm "anywhere, anytime" access to the firm's calendar without the technical nightmare of trying to manage dial-in access to your firm's network, and eliminate the need for installation, maintenance and constant upgrades that applies to any calendar software you install on your own network.

Many law firms and law departments are beginning to use Extranets to collaborate and communicate with clients. If your firm is looking for a way to communicate and collaborate with your clients (or if you foresee the need), you might want to take a look at a "Extranet portals", turnkey Extranet services hosted on the Web, adopting the calendars embedded in those services as your firm calendar and having new communication tools in place when you need them, without taking on the technology management burden or even having to learn how to use them until the need arises.

Extranet portals bundle calendars, voice/video conferencing, discussion groups, project management, document repositories and other services into a private, secure Extranet. Although the services are focused on meeting the needs of law firms and law departments needing to coordinate cases and transactions, the portals incorporate more sophisticated capabilities than Web calendar services while offering the advantages of "anywhere, anytime" access, and might offer your firm an attractive alternative.

Among Extranet portals designed for legal: IntraLinks, IntegrationWare IntraBlocks Deal Space, Lextranet and Legal Anywhere Collaborator.

Keep it Simple

Whatever route you choose, keep it simple. Law firms and law departments are in the business of practicing law, and struggling with complicated technology is usually counterproductive as well as expensive. Simplicity is the great advantage of Web calendars and Extranet portals, because someone else does the technical work of maintaining and upgrading the software and looking after security.

But whether you are willing to consider Web-based services or want to keep your calendar in-house, the good news is that current technology offers a lot of solid choices for your firm, and while this complicates the selection process, you will be able to find a good fit if you evaluate your needs before looking for the best answer.

Thomas Scharbach and Eric H. Steele are principals of Steele Scharbach Associates LLC, based in Chicago.