This open discussion on client extranets will begin by exploring the driving factors that have initiated client extranets and we will discuss the components of successful implementations (secure document exchange, team collaboration, knowledge management, client relationship sites etc.), best practices and business objectives. The presentation will also include a review of the various extranet platforms and how firms are using them today.

The event in Toronto will include participation from Joshua Fireman, Fireman & Company’s Founder and President; Jolie Lin, Associate General Counsel, Knowledge Management, Bank of Montreal; and Mara Nickerson, Chief Knowledge Officer at Osier, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.

Click here for more information about the presenters and to register for the event

Michael Worth, based in our New York office, will be hosting these HighQ roadshows throughout February and March at a number of locations including Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and New York. Working with ILTA, Michael will lead a different panel of experts at each roadshow event.

TheKnowList Awards for the legal technology community brings together over 300 technology professionals and senior decision makers to recognise their achievements of the previous year. More specifically, the award for Legal IT Rising Star acknowledges Ben’s individual successes to date and celebrates his contribution to the advancement of legal technology.

With over seven years experience within the legal technology industry, including senior business analyst and project management roles at CMS Cameron McKenna, Ben is now a solutions consultant at HighQ with core responsibility for the HighQ Publisher product. Since joining in October 2011, Ben has already become an integral part of our team and is currently working on a number of high profile projects, working alongside our clients to enhance solutions, design bespoke services and project manage core product implementations.

We are very proud of Ben’s win and pleased that our clients are able to benefit from his knowledge and expertise within the legal sector.

“We are very excited to be working with a growing number of the top Am Law 100 firms. Our solutions enable these firms to provide state-of-the-art client extranet and collaboration sites for sharing critical information and managing projects on a secure, cloud-based platform that can be deployed immediately with no in-house development lead time. It will form an integral part of their drive to deliver more personalized and integrated client services.” said Michael Worth, VP North America, HighQ.

About HighQ

HighQ is a leading provider of secure document exchange and team collaboration software. We provide innovative collaboration and publishing products to some of the world’s leading law firms, investment banks and corporations. We uniquely combine secure, enterprise-grade document management with the best corporate social tools. Now you can securely exchange critical business information and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners globally, in one place.

For more information, please visit www.highqsolutions.com or contact Michael Worth at worth@highqsolutions.com or +1 646 490 3524.

In the last five or so years, enterprise social software and cloud computing have both transitioned from the fringes of corporate IT policy to become serious business priorities.

The benefits of cloud computing and software as a service in particular are generally well accepted and represent an effective way for organisations to reduce the costs associated with running their own data centres and developing applications in-house.

In addition, the adoption of enterprise social tools is increasingly seen as an effective way of improving workforce productivity, communication and knowledge sharing both internally and externally. This is often characterised simplistically as “Facebook for the enterprise” and usually involves some combination of file sharing, blogs, wikis, microblogs, task management, people profiles and activity streams.

Software as a service providers like Salesforce and Google have paved the way for organisations to embrace the cloud as an alternative to developing and hosting traditional enterprise software on-premise. The cloud offers cheap, scalable computing resources and software on demand without the need for companies to build out their own data centres or develop their own applications.

In theory then, enterprise social software hosted in the cloud should be the perfect combination of two of the hottest technology trends and give organisations immediate access to the latest wave of innovative software with no development resources or capital outlay necessary.

But is the cloud secure?

In reality, the problem for a lot of organisations comes when it’s time to actually move their software and data to the cloud. There is often resistance at senior levels and a concern around the security of data hosted outside of their network.

Much of the concern around security is born out of misconceptions about the cloud and software as a service in general. There is often an assumption made that cloud providers are less secure than hosting in-house in your own data centre. There are of course various types of cloud services and not all of them are targeted at the enterprise.

Consumer-grade services like Dropbox or iCloud are probably not the best places to store your sensitive corporate data but at the other end of the spectrum there are specialist providers who build enterprise-grade services specifically for those industries where security and control are paramount, such as the legal, banking, life sciences and government sectors.

These specialist providers often have their own private clouds and do not rely on public cloud providers like Amazon or Microsoft for hosting. They are advanced technology companies and their businesses depend on running secure and dependable services for high value clients. Their clients will audit them and require proof that their systems and services are secure via software penetration tests and adherence to information and security standards such as SAS 70 Type II or ISO 27001.

A law firm, bank or corporation is not primarily focused or dependant on providing a state-of-the-art technology platform. Whereas, a cloud provider is only able to stay in business if it has the trust of its clients and it can only do that by maintaining a robust, reliable and secure service. So it stands to reason that in order to win clients and then keep them, a specialist cloud provider must have at least as good security measures in place, if not far better, than the vast majority of organisations have themselves.

Does social mean insecure?

The second thread of resistance to the implementation of cloud-based social software is to the very concept of “social” itself. There is a common belief that “social” cannot be secure because it is based on the concepts of openness and sharing. It is also often perceived as a time wasting activity with no business benefit.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The best enterprise-grade social tools have robust and advanced controls that enable you to share information and collaborate with other specified users inside and outside of the organisation in a secure way. You choose exactly who to share your information with and it can be as open or as closed as you like depending on what you are sharing and who you are collaborating with. Users can be given various levels of privilege and access, from full administrator rights to a read-only view on an individual content item.

What “social” really means is emphasising people and connections rather than just data. Being able to see who authored or shared a piece of content can be as valuable as the content itself. Enterprise social software is about enhancing communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. It enables users to make the connections and have a peripheral vision of the work going on around them with their colleagues, partners and clients internally and externally so that they can be more effective and productive.

So, I can have my cake and eat it!

Yes you can. Cloud-based social software is no less secure than a document management system, email or talking to someone by the water cooler but it can be a lot more effective at capturing, storing and then quickly redistributing information to the parts of the business where it is needed the most. Not all information in an organisation can be shared openly but in an enterprise-grade social system you have the opportunity to do so when it’s appropriate and keep it locked down and secure when it isn’t.

Social software and the cloud is like anything else, you need to look at all of the options and choose wisely. Do your due diligence, ask the difficult questions, speak to existing clients of the provider and ask them why they chose that solution. If you’re not comfortable with hosting your data in one of the big, public cloud platforms, look for a smaller, more specialist provider. You will probably get a more personalised service and solutions tailored to your industry or use case.

But remember, whilst there is nothing inherently insecure or risky about software as a service or social tools in comparison to traditional solutions, they can still be poorly implemented, abused and suffer from a lack of governance. However, if you choose the right cloud solution and implement it well it can lead to significant cost reductions, gains in efficiency, much more flexibility and access to cutting-edge technology that would otherwise take years to implement.

Below are the accompanying slides that I presented at the Infosecurity Europe 2012 press conference on 18th January 2012.

HighQ Collaborate provides a unique set of capabilities to enable Clayton Utz to securely exchange documents, support client relationships, manage transactions and enable new ways of collaborating and communicating with clients through the use of innovative social tools such as wikis and blogs.

“One of the things we liked most about Collaborate was the fact that we can quickly set up and configure a site to meet a client’s specific needs with very little effort. A simple document sharing site can be built and shared literally in a matter of minutes. More complex sites take a little more effort, but that’s really just ticking boxes and settings to make it do what you want.” said James Kleinig, Technology & Innovation Manager at Clayton Utz.

James also commented that “The features and services we are now able to share with our clients are making a positive difference to how we provide our online services. The document management capabilities are excellent, the WorkSite integration takes away a lot of the internal maintenance effort and the social and data management features have allowed us to build some really interesting and useful sites.”

HighQ Collaborate is a cloud-based solution, which removes the need for firms to build and host their own client sites. Clayton Utz additionally opted for global web acceleration, which means that wherever the application is accessed from, it feels responsive and fast, as though it is hosted locally to the user. For Clayton Utz, which acts for international clients, this was an essential feature.

“We chose HighQ Collaborate not only for its combination of features but also because it is immediately available as a cloud-based service. It’s saving us a huge amount of time and effort by not having to build and host our own solution in-house. And because it’s hosted in the cloud, our lawyers and clients can access it quickly and easily from anywhere.” Said Garry Clarke, IT Director at Clayton Utz.

Stuart Barr, Director, HighQ said “We’re very excited to be working with such an innovative firm as Clayton Utz. We are certain that HighQ Collaborate will be a great asset to them as they continue to innovate and provide their clients with an outstanding service.”

About Clayton Utz
Clayton Utz is a top tier law firm that takes a fresh, pragmatic and commercial approach to legal practice. They focus on getting the best results for a diverse and blue-chip client base.

About HighQ
HighQ is a leading provider of secure document exchange and team collaboration software. We provide innovative collaboration and publishing products to some of the world’s leading law firms, investment banks, life sciences organisations and corporations. We uniquely combine secure, enterprise-grade document management with the best corporate social tools. Now you can securely exchange critical business information and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners in one unified space.

For more information please contact HighQ on +44 20 7220 5340 or email info@highqsolutions.com

HighQ provides the life sciences industry with a unified space for secure document exchange and social collaboration across a global network of employees, researchers and partners – both internal and external to the company. HighQ Collaborate, a secure cloud-based platform, allows users to disseminate information to discovery teams, CROs, investigators and business development partners world-wide. Users will have the opportunity to securely exchange documents using their SAFE-BioPharma digital identities on the HighQ Collaborate platform, ensuring their credentials are available anytime and anywhere.

“Incorporating the SAFE-BioPharma digital identity and signature standard into HighQ Collaborate is hugely significant for our clients in the biopharmaceutical community who rely on our solutions to securely exchange confidential documents for contracts, IP licensing, clinical studies, employee training and other documentation,” said Jacob Mathew, Consultant – KM Practice, HighQ. “By making use of collaborative tools such as wikis and blogs alongside traditional office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF etc.), sponsors, CROs and investigators can work more efficiently, eliminating the time consuming need to print out phyiscal documents that require signatures during clinical trials. By partnering with the SAFE-BioPharma Association, HighQ will provide the life sciences industry with an efficient, enforceable and regulatory-compliant document approval process, whilst facilitating secure document exchange and social collaboration throughout the organisation.”

Mollie Shields-Uehling, president and CEO, SAFE-BioPharma Association added “We welcome HighQ to the SAFE-BioPharma vendor partner program and look forward to their use of the standard in developing innovative solutions for their clients. SAFE-BioPharma members welcome the incorporation of the community’s digital identity and signature standard into the HighQ platform. This new capability will help life sciences professionals to further simplify compliance and security within a seamless and paperless environment.”

SAFE-BioPharma digital signatures are uniquely linked to the individual’s authenticated identity and are more secure and legally-binding than conventional electronic signatures. They are recognised by regulatory agencies throughout the U.S. and Europe.

About HighQ

HighQ is a leading provider of secure document exchange and team collaboration software. We provide innovative collaboration and publishing products to some of the world’s leading law firms, investment banks, life sciences organisations and corporations. We uniquely combine secure, enterprise-grade document management with the best corporate social tools. Now you can securely exchange critical business information and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners in one unified space.

About SAFE-BioPharma

SAFE-BioPharma is the global industry standard for digital trust. It was developed by a non-profit consortium of biopharmaceutical and related companies to transition the biopharmaceutical and health care communities to paperless environments. For more information visit www.safe-biopharma.org

SAFE-BioPharma® is a trademark of SAFE-BioPharma Association. Any use of this trademark requires approval from SAFE-BioPharma Association.

For more information about this topic or to arrange an interview with Jacob Mathew, please contact us on 020 7220 5340 or email pr@highqsolutions.com

Stuart Barr, HighQ’s social computing expert, will speak to life sciences and healthcare delegates on the topic of “Making the world a smaller place” at the morning plenary session. The presentation will focus on how globally distributed teams can use modern, cloud-based platforms to securely exchange documents and collaborate more effectively in teams to improve efficiency and productivity, reduce costs and share knowledge.

“I’m excited to be presenting at Genesis 2011″ said Stuart. “Cloud-based collaboration is becoming a hot topic within the global life sciences industry. In this increasingly competitive market, life sciences organisations are looking for ways to reduce costs and improve business processes though the use of innovative secure document exchange and social collaboration tools. People are looking for alternatives to email and expensive in-house IT solutions to reduce the inefficiencies of global collaboration and communication. Hopefully I will be able to offer some insight into emerging technologies and how this can be achieved.”

HighQ will be exhibiting at this year’s Genesis Conference at stand number 72, where consultants and industry professionals will be on hand to demonstrate the features and benefits of their cloud-based solutions. Please visit the stand for more information.

About HighQ

HighQ is a leading provider of secure document exchange and team collaboration software. We provide innovative collaboration and publishing products to some of the world’s leading law firms, investment banks and corporations. We uniquely combine secure, enterprise-grade document management with the best corporate social tools. Now you can securely exchange critical business information and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners in one unified space.

For more information or to arrange an interview please email pr@highqsolutions.com or call Jacob Mathew on 020 7220 5340.

London, 25 November, 2011 – HighQ today announced that it has been named on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2011, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa based on percentage revenue growth over five years. HighQ’s revenues grew 354 percent during this period.

HighQ CEO, Ajay Patel, credits his team, continuous innovation and agile product development for the company’s rapid growth over the past five years. He said, “We have seen tremendous success in recent years and we are incredibly proud to have been ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Being named as one of the fastest growing technology companies in EMEA is a great achievement and demonstrates how hard we have worked. We hope to continue in the same direction and build on our exceptional reputation for delivering leading-edge secure document exchange and collaboration software to our clients and look forward to yet another year of growth. Having consolidated our leading position in the legal industry, we are now expanding our product offering to other sectors including financial services, life sciences and government.”

“Making the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 is commendable in today’s highly competitive technology industry,” said David Halstead, Deloitte United Kingdom, partner in charge of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA programme. “We congratulate HighQ on being one of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the region.”

Halstead adds, “Because Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA measures sustained revenue growth over five years, being one of the 500 fastest growing technology companies in EMEA is an impressive achievement. HighQ deserves a lot of credit for its remarkable growth.”

Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA selection and qualifications

The Technology Fast 500 list is compiled from the Deloitte EMEA Technology Fast 50 programmes, nominations submitted directly to the Technology Fast 500, and public company database research. To qualify for the Technology Fast 500, entrants must have had base-year operating revenues of at least €50,000 and current-year operating revenues of at least €800,000.

Entrants must also be public or private companies headquartered in EMEA and must be a “technology company,” defined as a company that develops or owns proprietary technology that contributes to a significant portion of the company’s operating revenues; or manufactures a technology-related product; or devotes a high percentage of effort to the research and development of technology. Using other companies’ technology in a unique way does not qualify.

About HighQ

HighQ is a leading provider of secure document exchange and team collaboration software. We provide innovative collaboration and publishing products to some of the world’s leading law firms, investment banks and corporations. We uniquely combine secure, enterprise-grade document management with the best corporate social tools. Now you can securely exchange critical business information and collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners in one unified space.

About Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA

The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA is the region’s most objective industry-ranking standard to focus on the technology field and recognizes technology companies that have achieved the fastest rates of revenue growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa during the past five years. Combining technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Fast 500 companies – large, small, public and private – span a variety of industry sectors, and are leaders in hardware, software, telecom, semiconductors, internet, media, life sciences and emerging areas, such as clean technology.

The programme is supported by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 initiatives, which rank high growth technology companies by location or specifically defined geographic area and is run by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) global industry group. Co-sponsors include Taylor Wessing, a leading International law firm with a focus on the industries of tomorrow, and Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, a venture and growth capital investor which backs entrepreneur with aspiration for greatness in the IT and clean technology sectors across Europe.

About Deloitte

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 140 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and deep local expertise to help clients succeed wherever they operate. Deloitte’s approximately 170,000 professionals are committed to becoming the standard of excellence.

For more information contact: Stuart Barr, HighQ on 020 7220 5340 or email pr@highqsolutions.com

Due to the nature of their work, life sciences organisations collaborate with a number of academic groups, universities, outsourcing companies, corporate researchers, health care providers and industry competitors around the world. Many companies are faced with the traditional problem of sharing sensitive confidential information, often across multiple teams and locations, both inside and outside of their corporate network. To manage these important but complex relationships, technology solutions must foster collaboration and ease the exchange of confidential data across technological and geographic boundaries. Companies need solutions that are flexible, easy to use and highly secure, so that intellectual property and critical data is available to the right people, at the right time.

Finding the solutions to solve these problems has traditionally not been easy, usually requiring a combination of multiple internal and external systems for document management, collaboration, knowledge sharing and secure extranets. With the advent of cloud-based solutions, life sciences organisations can now outsource their technology problems to specialist providers that can deploy sophisticated out-of-the-box solutions immediately.

At HighQ, we believe our secure document exchange and collaboration platform for life sciences is ideally suited for the due diligence required during bio-pharma collaboration, business development, technology licensing, M&A activity, clinical study management and many other business applications that require the secure exchange of information within the company and externally with third parties.

Our secure, cloud-based platform empowers teams to share confidential clinical research documents, collaborate and share knowledge with colleagues and partners using the fully integrated documents, wiki, blog, tasks and calendar modules so that your entire team has access to every element of data from one centralised repository and site administrators gain a bird’s-eye view of all activities. The documents module has many other critical features including a full audit trail, document version control, check-in check-out, digital rights management and document approval workflow capabilities. Easy collaboration across all modules ensures that you always have the data that you need, when you need it.

Enterprise search functionality allows you to quickly find information across your entire document library, wiki pages, blogs, people profiles etc. allowing you to gain insight into previous experiments, projects and more, thus eliminating duplication of work, capitalising on prior discoveries and delivering positive results with fewer wasted cycles. Continuous improvement becomes a common occurrence.

HighQ’s affordable platform provides a complete “out-of-the-box” solution for life sciences organisations of all sizes with a range of features that can be deployed quickly and immediately enable sharing of confidential information, knowledge and best practice. By leveraging and adopting new, cloud-based technologies, biotech organisations can greatly increase organisational efficiency, team productivity and reduce costs.

To learn more about how HighQ can benefit your organisation or to arrange a demo, please call us on +44 20 7220 5340 or email info@highqsolutions.com