TikitTFB Partner for Windows: in IT for the long-term

19
Jan
2012

Joanna Goodman

January – a new year and a new start. When people and businesses traditionally think, ‘Out with the old and in with the new’. Conversely, TikitTFB’s practice, case and document management system Partner for Windows has just celebrated its 13th year. TikitTFB’s Business Development Director Mark Garnish shared his plans for the next five years with Joanna Goodman.

B2B technology news sites – and LITP is no exception – focus on swap-outs: where firms have replaced their practice management and other systems with the latest products to hit the market.

Like consumer technology, legal IT is cyclical. Law firms are notoriously risk-averse, but every so often a brave decision-maker takes a chance on an exciting new product and sets the ball of change rolling; the market follows suit and the entire industry shifts direction.

The legal services market is experiencing an unprecedented shake up in challenging economic circumstances. Firms are expected to deliver more for less and to achieve the difficult balance of maintaining their client base and their margins. They are looking to technology to help them become more productive and efficient. Lawyers and their clients are looking for ROI:  clients are looking for extra value from their legal advisors and law firms are looking to leverage their IT resources.

If you put together these two strategic objectives – minimising risk while delivering more for less – does it necessarily make sense to spend time and money replacing your key computer systems? Assuming that they are being upgraded, not discontinued, and new elements are being added to ensure that they provide the functionality you require and more?  That is the question Mark Garnish asks each year at TikitTFB’s user group conference when he introduces his plans for Partner for Windows integrated practice, case and document management system.

In IT for the long-term
Partner for Windows does what it says on the tin – it works with Windows.  And Windows has been around for a long time. “There is undoubtedly an element of shared code between Windows 95 and Windows 7,” observes Garnish “but Microsoft has continued to improve Windows and you wouldn’t recognise the operating system you used in 1995 compared to the one you use today but you can tell they share a pedigree.  Partner for Windows, which was launched in 1998, has a similar background.

“I remember when firms would sign a contract with the expectation that if the product was end-of-lifed within three years they would automatically be upgraded to its replacement,” explains Garnish.  But with Partner for Windows this never happened. In 2011, Partner for Windows became a teenager.  “When we started designing the product we had no idea that it would reach its teens. We assumed that there would be a successor at some point but thought we’d roll with it and see where it took us.”

In 2006, longevity became part of the Partner for Windows identity.  Garnish told the user group that he had no plans to end the life of Partner for Windows, and presented another five-year plan.

Partner for Windows remains as popular as ever – with over 140 firms purchasing it in the past four years.

A work in progress
Garnish contends that software doesn’t necessarily have to have an end of life – it can be continually adapted and upgraded to include new functionality provided the original design was sound and built on a firm foundation.

In this respect, with Partner for Windows, TikitTFB is following in Microsoft’s footprints by improving the product incrementally rather than replacing it.  Change by evolution not revolution is easier for users – and in every business some users are more tech-savvy than others.  Some changes, even incremental ones, require some getting used to. Windows 8 is one example, being much closer to Mac in terms of look and feel. However, this shift is offset by consumerisation – the popularity of iPads, iPhones, and Macs means users are more likely to be familiar with the Mac interface.

Roll with it
How does Partner for Windows compete with new products and market entrants?  Garnish explains the software is upgraded much more regularly than Windows because its features have to comply with the Legal Services Commission, the SRA and other regulatory bodies which are regularly amending their rules. Every change represents an opportunity to make improvements.

Garnish expects to introduce further major product changes in the next few years because Partner for Windows has to keep up with the latest technology. He draws an analogy between his development strategy and log rolling (in the lumberjack sense not political terminology):  you pick up the log at the back, tidy it up or replace it if necessary, and put it at the front and the entire system moves forward.

Each year at TikitTFB’s user group conference Garnish outlines how Partners for Windows has developed over the previous year and sets out his plans going forward – in 2011 it was another five year plan. And in 2016, Partner for Windows will be 18! He doesn’t rule out the possibility of celebrating the product’s 21st birthday.

Windows on the future
Partner for Windows is looking to the future. Developments coming soon include plug-ins for Outlook and SharePoint webparts as well as an improved and redesigned BPM. Recent additions are the CRM system Tikit ClientConnect – which includes social media plug-ins and iPad time recording apps.  The very latest feature will enable firms to customise their entire user experience within SharePoint by designing internal forms, wizards and other applications and customising the user interface in terms of buttons, features, colours and themes.

Partner for Windows is a work in progress, but the concept remains the same. And for users, it represents the best of both worlds: a familiar interface that is continually updated to include cutting edge resources, applications and features.

Partner for Windows may have been around a long time, but it always has the very latest kit. Its stability and longevity appeal to law firms, yet regular upgrades and new offerings enable them to keep their IT systems close to the cutting edge. Here’s to the next five years!