IT for lawyers, built around confidentiality.
Who can open a file, where it is kept and who runs the server: all of it has to add up.
Short answer
IT for lawyers has to make the duty of confidentiality real in the technology: case files are encrypted, open only to those working on them, and kept somewhere you know which law applies to. Jevana manages the workstations, network and storage of law firms. Files can sit in Microsoft 365 or in JevanaHub, on our own hardware in the Netherlands, with no American cloud company in between.
The question is not whether it is safe, but under which law
A lawyer cannot leave open where a file is kept. With an American cloud supplier it often sits in Europe physically, but the company falls under American law. For many firms that is acceptable. For some clients it is not.
So we offer the choice. Microsoft 365, locked down properly. Or JevanaHub: the same functions for files, calendar and working together on documents, on servers that are ours and sit in the Netherlands. A mix works too: mail with Microsoft, case files with us.
Where your organisation's data is keptConfidentiality, translated into technology
| Obligation | What it takes in practice |
|---|---|
| Only the handling lawyer sees the file | Permissions per matter or department, and an overview of who can reach what |
| A lost laptop is not a data breach | Disk encryption on every device, able to be wiped from a distance |
| Confidential email with clients | Encrypted sending or a secure shared folder instead of an attachment |
| Keeping files after closure | An archive with a fixed retention period and a tested backup |
| Knowing who the processor is | A data processing agreement and a server whose owner you know |
When this comes up
- A client asks in writing where their documents are stored
- Documents still leave the building as attachments in ordinary email
- A colleague leaves and takes their laptop, with everything on it
- The administrator is an acquaintance of a partner, and nothing is on paper
Questions
May a law firm keep case files in the cloud?
Yes, under conditions. The professional rules do not forbid the cloud, but the lawyer stays responsible for confidentiality and must know where data is kept, who can reach it and what has been agreed with the supplier. A data processing agreement is required. If you doubt a specific service, put it to your local dean (deken) or the Netherlands Bar Association (NOvA).
What is the difference between Microsoft 365 and JevanaHub for a firm?
The difference is who owns the server. Microsoft 365 runs at an American company, even when the data centre is in Europe. JevanaHub runs on Jevana's hardware in the Netherlands, built on the open source package Nextcloud. For mail and Office files Microsoft is often the handiest. For files where the client wants no American party involved, JevanaHub is the calmer choice.
How do you share confidential documents safely with a client?
The safest way is a secure link to a folder instead of an attachment. The client gets a link with a password or a one-time code by email, and you see whether the document has been opened. The link can be set to expire or be withdrawn. An attachment in ordinary email is out of your hands once sent, even if it lands with the wrong person.
Can you work with our case management system?
The case management system itself stays with its supplier, who also updates it. We make sure staff sign in to it safely, that the link with Word, Outlook and the scanner works, and that documents kept outside the system have a backup. In an outage we find out whether it is on the firm's side or the supplier's.
Goes well with
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JevanaHub
Files, office software, chat and video calls in one place. Built on Nextcloud, on our own hardware.
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IT management
Workstations, network, servers and licences looked after by two people, for a fixed monthly fee.
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IT for accountants
Client files, retention rules and busy months: IT management for accountancy and bookkeeping firms.
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Dutch cloud
A cloud with a Dutch owner, on Dutch soil, under Dutch and European law.
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IT for healthcare
Practices and small care organisations: patient data secured, and a practice that can open when the internet fails.
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IT partner
One party for workplace, network, hosting and website, with two fixed faces.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems