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11 September 2008
BigHand today announced that the Top 100 law firm Howard Kennedy has become the first firm globally to implement a digital dictation workflow system using VMware’s Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). VDI is embedded within the VMware virtual computing environment, and will enable Howard Kennedy to provide all its lawyers with remote access to their desktop whilst out of the office. BigHand has partnered with Howard Kennedy to integrate their software with VDI, enabling lawyers to dictate at home or while travelling, and to send the dictation directly to their secretaries for typing.
Back in March 2004, BigHand was also the first vendor to offer digital dictation over Citrix or Terminal Services technology. It is the only digital dictation provider to offer a true thin client solution, and supports more Citrix and Terminal Services firms than any other vendor. BigHand was able to leverage product superiority and extensive technical expertise to rapidly develop a robust solution for Howard Kennedy.
BigHand digital dictation is now being used by more than 200 lawyers and secretaries across the firm. BigHand’s BlackBerry dictation application is also being used by lawyers to record, edit and instantly send dictation to the BigHand workflow system. Lawyers who are away from their office on client business can continue to submit dictation, just as if they were still sat at their desk. Dictation is processed by the firm’s own secretaries, or forwarded to their outsourcing partner Voicepath for typing. This ensures a rapid turnaround of all client work, regardless of when it is created, or where in the world the dictation originates.
John Rogers, Head of IT at Howard Kennedy, comments:
‘’We evaluated all of the leading suppliers through a tender process and user trials, as well as examining market share and published accounts, and concluded that BigHand was in the strongest position to meet our needs. We were particularly attracted to the flexibility offered by BigHand, both in terms of its Blackberry remote dictation, and their commitment to developing integration with the VDI remote desktop.
VDI is opening up new ways of working, and BigHand’s integration means that lawyers can work just as well away from the office as when they are here. We’ve already had users working from many locations around the world, including Ireland, Malta, France and the Cayman Islands. Several of our partners work part-time from home, and VDI integration enables them to submit work from home and have it sent out to clients the same day. This, together with the Blackberry integration, frees lawyers from being tied to their desks and enables them to provide a better service to their clients.’’
David Fryer, CEO at BigHand comments:
‘’I am delighted that we were able to work so closely with Howard Kennedy to develop a VDI solution, in what we believe is a first for the professional services sector. Progressive firms such as Howard Kennedy are looking to virtualised systems in order to more efficiently manage networked applications. BigHand was first to market with Citrix and Terminal Services functionality, and we have again demonstrated an unprecedented level of thin client expertise through our partnership with Howard Kennedy.’’
