What I expect from my tech tools

As a law firm owner, I feel the extra pressure of securing my clients' data when picking software solutions. I don't expect perfection but convenience, reliability, and confidentiality are vital.

I'm most interested in whether I have complete control over the data I manage. Ultimately, I should be capable of porting data quickly and deleting any data remnants from the service.

If controlling my data is difficult, I'm locked into their services; I'd be dependent on a company providing quality services at a reasonable price. If that happens too often, my firm will be top-heavy and require higher prices to keep up with costs. I want my practice lean, so I keep technical bloat at bay.

Some quick things I check for any tool I might adopt:

• Is there a way to export spreadsheets?
• Can I import data?
• Is there an API?
• Are webhooks offered?
• Does the privacy policy state that data is not shared?
• Is there an open-source alternative?