Feature Article: Horror Stories from Beyond the Workstation

October 2015    Tags: Backup/Restore, HotBackup, Platinum, PracticeMaster, Reports, Statements, Tabs3 Billing, Tabs3 Connect

You’ve heard about Platinum, but haven’t had time to look into it yet. Now you wonder if your firm should take action now, before it’s too late. You’ve heard the horror stories whispered around the water cooler; you try to shake off the cold chill as you walk back to your desk – is that just air conditioning, or premonition? The following stories wend their way through your thoughts for the rest of the day…

Your boss tells you that not only has the server crashed, but the external backup has been failing recently. He wants you to restore the internal backup of the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software. You start to tremble. Time is money, so when prompted to make a backup you always click No, because you don’t want to interrupt workflow by having everyone exit the software. You close your eyes in dread; there is no internal backup…

• Platinum’s HotBackup features let you back up files while users are working, schedule backups throughout the day, and receive e-mails confirming when backups have completed. Additionally, you can maintain up to 198 HotBackups.

It’s nearing the end of a dark and stormy Friday before a long holiday weekend. You start to update statements, skipping the backup because you want to wrap things up so you can leave. The lights flicker and your computer reboots as a loud clap of thunder makes you jump. You open Tabs3 Billing again, but when trying to work in the software, you receive a message that a backup needs to be restored due to the Update Statements program being interrupted. Your pulse leaps, knowing that some of the attorneys will probably come in to work this weekend. Now they can’t use the software until the data has been restored…

• Platinum’s Transaction Processing and Auto-Recovery features help prevent the need to restore a backup. Transaction Processing ensures that transactions completely succeed while the software is running. In the case of the software not shutting down correctly, such as with a power failure, Auto-Recovery “rolls back” the data to its previous state before the transaction began.

The phone rings. You answer it, only for your breath to catch in your throat – an attorney needs a report for her meeting in 5 minutes, but that report takes more than 20 minutes to run. There’s no way to get her the information she needs in time…

• With Platinum, common reports typically run 10 to 30 times faster than the Multi-User version. This means that you can provide needed reports at the drop of a hat.

It’s midnight, but you can’t sleep with the full moon lighting your room. You’re out of town and away from the office with the current case weighing heavily on you. You get up to check your e-mail and do some research since you’re awake anyway, and discover information that will change your entire case strategy. Your client’s case hangs in the balance; you must compare the new information to what’s saved in PracticeMaster, but it’s late and you can’t access it remotely. A dog howls outside. The hair on the back of your neck raises as you pace the floor. Finally, you grab the phone to wake the managing partner…

• With Platinum, you can quickly access clients, contacts, fees, calendar records, journal records, documents, and more using Tabs3 Connect from any internet-enabled device. Whether you’re at home or out of town, and it’s midnight or Saturday, access your work while away from the office.

Someone received an error in the software, and you need to run a Data File Integrity Check. Unfortunately, several of the employees are away from their desks. You don’t have the password for their computers, nor the time to go to each one, and you know resetting users is bad. You need to make sure the data is fine before the attorneys come back from lunch. You begin to sweat, jumping at shadows as you expect someone to come in at any time demanding answers…

• Platinum provides the ability to safely Log Off Users. Select a time interval for users to wrap up tasks, and a notification will be sent that they will be automatically logged out of the software when the displayed countdown ends.

In addition to all of these features, Platinum also provides eNotes, accelerated filtering and column sorting, the Platinum Exchange Connector, an Accounts Receivable by Timekeeper Report, and enhancements to the Detail Accounts Receivable Report. For more information on all of the Platinum features, see Knowledge Base Article R11379, “Platinum Overview.”

Don’t succumb to terror. For information on a 30-day trial offer, to get a price quote, or to order Platinum, contact your local reseller, consultant, or our Sales Department at (402) 419-2200!