Services for Private and Public Interest Law Firms
Virtual IT
All legal services & public interest law firms understand that technology is a key factor to making a large social impact with a small workforce. With limited resources, nonprofit law firms often rely on equipment donations and make infrequent technology purchases.
As a result, you may have difficulty creating a technology plan that
works with a piecemeal collection of aging, nonstandard office systems.
When your organization does appropriate scarce funds for a new computer
system, you expect to get results, and not excuses. Like other
organizations with ongoing technology needs, you may not have the
in-house information services staff to solve technology problems or
implement the solutions you have just purchased.
Office Information Systems has the experienced staff to assist you in
selecting, implementing and supporting the most appropriate technology
for your legal services & public interest law firm. We afford you
the time to focus on your advocacy mission. We do the “tech stuff” and
having had the experience of leading nonprofit organizations and law
firms ourselves in the past. We speak your language.
For organizations with less than 35 desktop computers and one or two servers who cannot afford a full-time technical support person on staff, we provide the services you need – when you need them! For those larger firms that have a small technical staff, we provide the local backup you need to support your technology infrastructure that cannot be met by national manufacturers, mail-order houses or local retail discounters.
We design timely ongoing technical support contracts with flexible adjustment to the weekly, biweekly or monthly on-site visits you require to guarantee the smooth operation of your mission. We also provide fixed-price quotes for special projects and system upgrades. Common hardware and software products can be purchased from any of many vendors, but only Office Information Systems provides you a total solution for your ongoing technology implementation and support needs.
- Bay Area Nonprofit Organization Technology Consultants Since 1982
- Local Area Network Infrastructure Design and Implementation
- Internet Consulting and Setup of Basic Access
- Network-to-Internet Integration Specialists
- E-Mail and Wide Area Communications
- Membership Management Systems
- Data Base Application Development
- Hardware System Upgrades
- Certified Microsoft Solution Providers
- Authorized Hewlett-Packard Value Added Reseller
- Reliable and Affordable Ongoing Support Contracts
Law Firm and Related Clients Include:
- ACLU
- Legal Aid Society of Alameda County
- Bay Area Legal Aid
- National Economic Development Law Center
- N.E.L.A.
- Law Offices of Van Der Hout and Brigagliano
- Siegel & LeWitter
Networking and Communications
Legal services & public interest law firms are always seeking ways to maximize their limited resources. Acquiring new computer technology may be an obstacle or an opportunity to the organization’s success. For example, there may not be enough in-house expertise to make the right decisions or to support technology advancement. Computer purchases may be driven entirely by the cost factor, saving money in the short run but costing more money down the road. Client and case management may or may not get effectively automated.
For many years, Office Information Systems has advised nonprofit
organizations on how to effectively implement and manage key
information technologies such as donor management, case and client
information and fund accounting in a networked computing environment.
By working closely with administrative staff-members, we ensure that
our time and your precious resources are maximized.
Our network solutions are built around Microsoft Windows. For networks
of any size, we recommend at least one Windows NT server to handle
larger loads, shared access, and common resources, while ensuring
scalability to meet your future needs.
Our company is a Microsoft Solution Provider™, which means we have
special skills in integrating Microsoft server and workstation products
with the tools required for your organization’s success. More and more
of our clients demand not only the reliable file and print serving
capabilities of Windows NT, but additional networking functions as
well. We offer special expertise in email solutions (internal and
external), Web browsing from every desktop, fax servers, remote access,
and multi-site wide-area networking.
Office Information Systems can prepare technology assessment reports
that give you a roadmap to future system upgrades. We design network
configurations, and assist you in planning a network migration by
helping to select the right hardware and software combinations. We
offer installation and configuration services as well as ongoing
support contracts.
To guarantee the best possible working relationship with you, a lead
consultant acts as the first line of support and single point of
contact to be responsible for your computer systems.
Here are some of the benefits of working with Office Information
Systems:
- Many years of experience working with law firms
- Easy access to your offices from our East Bay location
- Regular site visits on request
- Microsoft Solution Provider
- Hewlett Packard Authorized Value Added Reseller
- Other vendor partnering relationships
- Economical quotes for hardware and software
- Internet access expertise
- Network solutions designed for the present and the future
Law Firm and Related Clients Include:
- Legal Aid Society of Alameda County
- Bay Area Legal Aid
- National Center for Lesbian Rights
- National Economic Development Law Center
- Law Offices of Van Der Hout and Brigagliano.
- Lawler and Lawler
Software Development and Integration
Off the shelf software is typically the ideal approach to solving computer related business problems. However, there are always certain data processing needs within any given organization that require a custom solution.
Custom solutions sometimes involve picking a combination of off the shelf products and tying them together; other times they involve creating new software applications from scratch. Office Information Systems offers solutions utilizing both of these techniques, and is prepared to take your organization all the way from the initial design phase to the final implementation of your customized software system.
You may have decided that you need a database application to track cases, client data, research or other work product; or need a case management system to track your clients and all case information.
For these scenarios and others, Office Information Systems offers the following:
- A needs analysis focusing on the overall design requirements of your customized system.
- Recommendations on the best approach and toolset for creating your custom solution.
- Commercial quality programming services using Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, SQL Server and other development products.
- Installation and integration of existing software tools in your production environment.
- On site support and training.
Office Information Systems has recently developed software solutions for the following businesses in the Bay Area, among others:
- Alameda County Housing and Community Development
- Bay Area Rapid Transit District
- Oakland Unified School District
- Stanford University School of Public Health
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges