Migrations designed for the specific requirements of the legal sector
Ilves is a leading specialist in data migrations for the legal sector. We have an in-depth understanding of the sector’s requirements and of the specific characteristics of the most widely used document management systems and related practice management and billing systems.
We are an independent service provider with a focus on legal field. We serve leading legal organisations in close cooperation with major software providers and consultants.
Every migration requires strong data expertise. In the legal sector, migrations also require exceptional care because they almost always involve confidential client information.
By choosing Ilves as your migration partner, you can ensure that the specific requirements of the legal sector are considered from the beginning of the project.
What does a migration involve?
The need for a migration often arises when a firm introduces a new document management system. Your firm may be moving from network drives or SharePoint to a document management system designed for the legal sector, such as Epona, iManage Work, M-Files or NetDocuments.
Most firms do not carry out migrations very often. When we talk with our clients, one of the first questions they usually ask is:
“What does a migration project involve in practice? Could you explain the main phases of the project clearly and without technical jargon?”
The basic idea of a document management system (DMS) migration is simple:
- The information in your current document management environment is cleaned and organised to match the data structure of your new document management system.
- The information is then transferred from the old environment to the new system.
Every migration project consists of the following three main phases. The details may vary between projects. The example below describes a typical document management system migration.
Defining objectives and planning
Before the project begins, we define your objectives together through a preliminary questionnaire and discussions with your team. Key questions include:
- Do you want to migrate documents from active matters only or from all matters?
- Should emails already be collected into the appropriate matter folders during the migration?
- Should all document versions be transferred from SharePoint to the new system?
- Is there an existing integration between your current document management system and your practice management system?
Before starting the project, we also analyse the current state of your data repositories. For example, we examine how consistently your files are organised and how well they correspond with the information in your practice management system.
The final workload and price of the project depend on the condition and structure of your existing data. Our initial cost estimate is therefore always refined at this stage.
We always aim to minimise the amount of work required from your organisation. Your role and responsibilities in the project depend on your objectives and current situation. We can also provide project management services when needed.
Cleaning the data and preparing it for the new system
Once you have approved our refined workload estimate and implementation plan, we begin cleaning and preparing your data.
This phase includes several technical steps in which we use our unique Ilves Search technology. Our own technology enables us to carry out migrations reliably and efficiently.
We also often perform test migrations during this phase. These tests help ensure that everything works as expected when the agreed go-live date arrives.
The result is a clean data structure that meets the requirements of the target system. This enables the files to be transferred to your new system quickly and efficiently.
Transferring and testing the files
Finally, we transfer the data in cooperation with your system provider.
Thorough preparation ensures that this phase runs smoothly and that your organisation can begin working with well-organised and accessible information.
Why choose Ilves migration services?
- A trusted legal-sector specialist.
- We have extensive experience in the specific requirements of the legal sector. With Ilves, your migration is managed securely and professionally.
- Information security matters as much to us as it does to you.
- We understand the confidential nature of your data and why protecting it carefully is essential throughout the migration.
- A straightforward and effortless project.
- We know that your time is valuable. We organise your information for you and manage the project smoothly through to completion.
- An independent provider.
- We can carry out migrations in close cooperation with both your document management system provider and your practice management system provider.
- Data enriched for AI.
- When needed, we can enrich your data as part of the migration process, helping your organisation get more value from AI.
Ilves data source connectors support efficient and reliable migrations
We carry out migrations using the Ilves EMIE data platform, our extensive range of data source connectors and Ilves Search technology.
Together, these capabilities make our migration service one of the most technically advanced and efficient ways to carry out legal-sector data migrations.
Who is the service for?
Our migration services are designed for large and medium-sized law firms in Finland and across the Nordic countries.
Would you like to discuss your objectives and schedule? Contact us to talk about your firm’s plans.
