iManage, a leader in advanced Artificial Intelligence and powerful document and email management, recently announced the end of life (EOL) for DeskSite, FileSite, and IDOL Indexer. This move will end support for its core legacy products after December 2023. With the introduction of iManage Work 10, iManage will retire all 9.x versions of its classic clients and add-ons.
This includes:
- iManage DeskSite
- iManage FileSite
- iManage OffSite
- Email management for Outlook and the Outlook Module
- iManage Express Search
- iManage Miner
- iManage DealBinder Add-On
iManage Work 10 will offer improved security, responsiveness, and the ability to view and edit matters, documents, and projects from anywhere, along with much more. Firms will reap the benefits of this transition in the long run, but in the meantime, this move will put many firms in a position to change how they’ve been doing things for quite some time.
So What Now?
Our Litera Governance Solutions (formerly known as Prosperoware) are here to help guide firms through this process, both informing and instructing their migration to the Cloud.
If your firm plans to stay on-premises, you will need to plan your upgrade to the Work 10 Server to fully leverage the Work 10 Client. This will include your DMS, communications platforms, and a newly added Preview Server. Any third-party applications your firm utilizes will need to be updated and confirmed that they are compatible with Work 10.
But in this blog, we will address everything you need to know about moving to the Cloud and getting your data ready for it.
Migrating to the Cloud
Moving to the Cloud is the simplest way to handle this transition. When migrating to the iManage Cloud, the Work 10 Server components and the Cloud Search Service will also be part of the process.
This transition also benefits your teams and organization, as a Cloud-based environment is more conducive to a modern hybrid workforce. For instance, your IT teams can focus on more high-value tasks as their need to perform administrator tasks decreases.
Pre-Migration Steps
Before migrating, your firm will need to:
- Evaluate the Current Desktop: Ensure your Windows client is fully updated and you have installed the latest versions of your Microsoft 365 applications. It’s also important to move from a 32-bit to a 64-bit environment.
- Verify Impact on Third-Party Apps: It’s unlikely that all your firm’s third-party software is Work 10/Cloud-ready at this moment. Check in with these applications to ensure they are fully updated and compliant with iManage Work 10 and the Cloud. (Common third-party apps include compareDocs, Best Authority, DocXtools, pdfDocs, and more.)
- Cleanse “Bad” Data: Due to the large number of matters, projects, and documents that firms deal with daily, cleaning up any data chaos before moving to the Cloud or Work 10 is a must.
Throughout matter lifecycles, users can commonly forget to save and sort their data properly or update old user permissions. This creates data chaos, which inhibits a clean and efficient transition.
Common pain points concerning data include:
- Invalid or mismatched metadata
- Duplicate user IDs, group IDs, or email addresses
- Deleted user IDs
- Non-printable characters and rogue spaces in document, folder, or workspace names, or other fields
- Folders or documents in flat space
It is vital to cleanse and order data before moving! Bad data can create significant problems during this transition and after the fact as well.
- Test and Train Users: User adoption is paramount for any major move to a new or upgraded system. If you’ve “done the Work” up to this point but still don’t have users’ buy-in, you may risk major hiccups and snags in the migration process and user adoption issues after going live. (As users are often change-averse and struggle picking up new systems, it’s important to have processes in place to guide them and make them feel confident and comfortable using these new systems. User Acceptance Training can provide opportunities for end-users to learn and digest the changes coming their way.)
Migration Roadmap and Timeline
Considering the iManage EOL and Support is set for December 29, 2023, firms and organizations have a clear timeline ahead of them. Depending on size, this migration could take between 6-18 months. While the actual timing varies depending on scale, the overall timeline and roadmap remain similar.
Litera can help you handle all the above steps and challenges with our Cloud Migrator solution. Find out more about it here.
Why Move Now?
If you begin your Cloud migration now, your firm won’t be rushing when the EOL date nears. Instead, you’ll ready for go-live, while others are lagging.
Other benefits of the Cloud include boosted security and improved scalability to your DMS and other collaboration platforms.
Post Go Live and Maintenance Tools
After you’ve migrated to the iManage Cloud, you will need to continue provisioning and governing your data.
Litera Governance Solutions offers CAM, a Software-as-a-Service platform (SaaS), to serve as the “missing layer” of governance and provisioning to ensure your workspaces are secure and ordered.
If you want to know more about how CAM will enable your organization take your DMS environment to the next level read our latest Whitepaper.
If you want to learn more about Litera Governance Solutions book a demo today and talk to one of our experts.
Posted in Governance
