Understanding the path to the cloud for midsize law firms 

The benefits of moving to a cloud-based platform like iManage Cloud are numerous for law firms looking for a smarter, safer solution to collaborate and work productively anywhere, at any time. Yet midsize law firms are presented with a unique set of considerations that may give them pause before making the switch. For them, we offer a candid examination of some of the trade-offs—and opportunities—they need to consider.

If your midsize law firm still uses an on-premises DMS, you’re not alone. Managing rising IT costs, juggling patch cycles, and trying to keep pace with client demands are all common considerations that firms of your size routinely face that keep them grounded within an on-premises solution.

Cloud, but at what cost?

Perceived costs alone have proven to be a sticking point for midsize law firms debating a move to the cloud; according to a recent ILTA Technology Survey, 45 percent of midsize law firms cite cost as the primary barrier to cloud adoption—three times higher than any other concern. When partners ask why IT spending continues to rise and you're already stretched thin managing patches, upgrades, and server refresh cycles, evaluating yet another investment requires careful consideration.

It's undeniably true that cloud adoption incurs new costs that aren’t applicable to on-premises options. Yet crucially, not all costs are cut from the same cloth.

When working with midsize law firm partners making the move to the cloud, one constant finding has been that the costs of the cloud are predictable, not the surprise budget shocks—emergency hardware replacements, failed patch implementation that require weekend recovery, “critical” upgrade projects that consume six months of your team’s time, etc. —that on-premises deployments face.

More bang for your buck with iManage Cloud

From our experience working with legal teams of all sizes to help them transition to iManage Cloud, any new expenses they may incur are quickly offset by the host of advantages the move provides. That’s because iManage Cloud delivers competitive capabilities that on-premises environments simply cannot match.

The reality of cloud-first development across the industry means that new features, including AI-driven search, predictive filing, and advanced automation, all arrive in cloud environments first. This provides legal professionals with access to capabilities that on-premises firms typically wait years to acquire—a significant competitive advantage in an industry where speed and reliability can mean the difference between securing a deal and missing an opportunity.

Best of all, thanks to a modern, consumer-grade interface and seamless integration across iManage Work, iManage Share, and iManage Drive, working closely in concert with rich Office 365 integration, legal professionals adopt these tools naturally with minimal training burden on your team.

A look at what law firms like your own are seeing

Today, about 62 percent of firms have already migrated to the cloud (Source: ILTA 2025 Survey), and IT directors at midsize firms like yours report that they're now spending less time fighting fires and more time focusing on strategic initiatives. This gets to the heart of the issue: Ultimately, as exciting as cloud-based capabilities may be, the path to cloud isn’t just about technology; it’s about positioning your firm for long-term success.

Other findings from IT leaders who have led firms like your own through the cloud conversion process include:

• 73 percent experienced reduced maintenance burden—freeing their teams from the endless cycle of patches, upgrades, and firefighting 
• 63 percent gained access to new features that on-prem firms are still waiting years to get 
• 72 percent achieved business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities they could never build on-premises 

Clearly, the path to the cloud for midsize law firms isn’t without its share of potential roadblocks and forks in the road that demand due consideration. However, as the data above and our own experiences working with mid-sized law firms both demonstrate, the move to the cloud is often an overwhelmingly rewarding one.

Are you considering your own move to the cloud? We have experience working with firms like yours, helping them engage in the necessary conversations with their key stakeholders to guide their decision-making processes.

To begin on the path to the cloud, schedule a demo with our experts.