What’s The Best Secure Cloud Storage for Law Firms?
Lawyers and law firms are slowly seeking the benefits of cloud storage to help manage client data, share files securely, and keep important data backed up.
In 2024, approximately 75% of attorneys used cloud storage for work-related tasks, up 6% from 2023.
So, as lawyers start to adopt cloud storage, they may be wondering what the most secure cloud storage is for law firms.
It’s a common question, and as we’ll find out later in this article, there are subtle differences between security and privacy, and other external factors that must be considered when choosing a cloud provider.
But not to worry, we will go through all of these factors, what features are required, and what are some of the options for the most secure cloud storage for law firms.
Table of contents
- Problems law firms face when handling client data
- Benefits of cloud storage for law firms
- Top cloud storage for law firms to consider
- Which cloud storage is right for my law firm?
Problems law firms face when handling client data
Lawyers and law firms must handle basic sensitive information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and ID numbers. If leaked, this information can build a profile on a client and expose them to identity theft.
Fraud is another potential risk for lawyers when handling client files, as they must handle sensitive financial records such as bank details, tax records, and financial statements. When working on a case, other documents include:
- Legal briefs
- Contracts
- Litigation strategies
And, depending on the specialty of the law firm, documents may include:
- Medical records
- Patents or trade secrets
- Merger plans
- Internal investigations
- Criminal case files
- Immigration status
Due to the high sensitivity and confidentiality of these documents, lawyers face many problems and barriers when storing files. We will now take a look at the most common problems that must be tackled when considering secure cloud storage for law firms.
Security and confidentiality risks
The biggest risk for lawyers, businesses, and everyone, in fact, when dealing with sensitive data is data breaches and ransomware as a service.
For law firms in particular, we have the following statistics that demonstrate the necessity for secure cloud storage for law firms.
- 40% of law firms experienced a security breach during 2024.
- Legal firms with 100 or more employees, 42% of these confirmed a data breach.
- 56% of the breached firms reported losing sensitive client information.
- The average cost of a data breach for law firms in 2024 was around $5.08 million, 10% higher than in 2023.
- 38% lacked an established data breach response plan.
As a result, law firms should consider cloud storage with zero-knowledge encryption, secure file sharing, and access controls, which we will look at in more detail later in this article.
Compliance concerns
Several legal, regulatory, and professional standards monitor how lawyers protect client data, avoid leaks, and prevent ethical violations.
The American Bar Association (ABA) sets the standard for lawyers to take reasonable efforts to prevent unauthorized disclosure of client information, writing in Comment 18 to Rule 1.6:
"A lawyer must act competently to safeguard information relating to the representation of a client against unauthorized access by third parties and against inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure by the lawyer or other persons who are participating in the representation of the client."
On top of this, compliance laws also apply to lawyers depending on location, the main frameworks outside of the ABA being:
If a law firm is seen to violate compliance by not taking the necessary measures to protect data, it can risk millions in fines.
Disaster recovery issues
Power outages, server failures, or downtime can all affect the workflow of law firms. Therefore, the best secure cloud storage for law firms will have methods in place to prevent this.
The best ways to recover data are by regularly backing up files and choosing cloud providers that back up across multiple servers for increased redundancy.
Benefits of cloud storage for law firms
Security and privacy
When choosing zero-knowledge cloud providers, your law firm, employees, and clients all gain maximum privacy when storing or sharing files in the cloud.
This cryptography method offers greater privacy benefits than other popular services, such as OneDrive and Google, because files are encrypted directly on your device. Whereas with Big Tech companies, encryption is handled on their part, so they can access files and confidential information from files on their servers.
As technology develops and becomes more advanced, many companies are switching to post-quantum encryption to prevent quantum computers from breaking current encryption technologies.
For this reason, Internxt is the first cloud storage with post-quantum encryption offering the most private and secure cloud storage for law firms with the most advanced encryption available.
Access from anywhere
No matter where you are or what device you’re using, cloud storage is available on all devices, from laptops, mobiles, and tablets.
This makes collaborating with clients and your team stress-free, as you can manage your files no matter the operating system, and files are available 24/7, no matter where you are, with offline and online file management also available.
Scalability
As your firm and client base expand, you may need to add or reduce storage depending on the needs of your firm.
Cloud storage provides a cost-effective and scalable way to add or reduce storage based on your needs, without having to pay for additional servers or hardware.
You can choose to upgrade your cloud storage subscription when your cloud storage full at any time from most providers, and with options like Internxt S3, you can add storage for just €7/month/TB, meaning you could get an unlimited amount of cloud storage to meet your needs.
Improved collaboration
As you can share files with clients online, cloud storage speeds up communications between clients, as everything can be signed, documented, and stored online.
For employees, everyone can get access to the most recent versions of files thanks to file syncing, monitor access of shared files, with some companies also offer file versioning in their pricing plans.
Automatic backups and disaster recovery
Backups are a fundamental part of disaster recovery, as they ensure you have multiple copies of files available, which can be accessed in cases of server outage, natural disasters, or accidental deletion.
For example, if a client loses an important document, the backed-up copy can be downloaded instantly without compromising the case, helping to maintain client trust.
Meet compliance
Law firms can benefit from GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC compliance cloud storage providers to meet the standards required for secure data handling.
Internxt Drive business plans, for example, offer GDPR cloud storage with access controls, activity logs, and backups to ensure only authorized users can access client information, files can be recovered if lost, and encryption prevents data breaches.
Cost
By storing files in the cloud, law firms can reduce IT and maintenance costs, and simply sign up for a cloud storage service that meets their needs, avoiding all the extra charges that physical storage requires.
Top cloud storage for law firms to consider
Now that we’re aware of the risks to law firms when dealing with sensitive documents, we can find which is the best secure cloud storage for law firms.
Internxt Drive for personal and business
For small law firms or personal use, Internxt Drive offers the most secure cloud storage for law firms thanks to post-quantum and zero-knowledge encryption. Files you share with Internxt can also be password-protected for secure transfer between parties.
On top of this, Internxt offers Antivirus for malware protection, backups for recovery and ransomware protection, and a VPN.
Internxt Drive for personal or business use will also include a Device Cleaner, Dark Web Monitor, Meet, and Mail in its future pricing plans, offering a full package of online privacy for lawyers.
Individual plans cost just €3/month, billed annually, with lifetime plans also available. Business plans
Internxt S3
For large law firms, Internxt also offers an alternative to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with its object storage plans.
Object storage is a hot cloud storage solution to store and back up large amounts of data, and to access files instantly.
It has the same security protocols as Internxt Drive and offers a scalable pricing model with a pay-as-you-go model, with no egress fees, allowing you to choose and scale your cloud storage according to your budget or needs.
For more information and to contact our sales team, visit our website.
Clio
Clio is a cloud-based legal software platform helping law firms manage documents, cases, and clients more efficiently. In the UK, Europe, and the US, Clio uses security features and encryption to comply with legal cloud computing regulations.
It offers unlimited document storage, advanced search tools, and secure access from anywhere. Lawyers can automate legal documents, collect e-signatures, and collaborate with their teams in real time. It also offers a payment platform so clients can pay your firm directly.
Prices start at €49/user/month, with additional add-ons available for Essential, Advanced, and Complete plans.
Google Drive
Finally, we have Google Drive, the most popular cloud storage, with advanced security and features and a generous free tier, but what you pay in return when using Google’s products is privacy.
The main concern with Google, if you’re looking for secure cloud storage for law firms, is the amount of personal data it collects and the lack of zero-knowledge encryption. Both of these together could expose your or your clients' data to third parties and data breaches, or risk Google employees or governments viewing confidential files on their servers.
Which cloud storage is right for my law firm?
To get the most secure cloud storage for law firms, fortunately, you have many options available; the ones in this list are a starting point to help you pick which one best meets your needs.
If privacy and additional features such as VPN and email are important features for your cloud storage, consider choosing Internxt, or try the Internxt free plan to see some of its benefits.
Our value and mission for a more private internet means it is a compliant, private, and secure solution to help law firms store files in total privacy.