Cleaning Out Your Mailbox

As we move our email system from Google to Microsoft, we bid adieu to the unlimited storage space that we have in Google.  Microsoft limits mailbox size to 50 GB.  While this is more than enough for most, it will be important once again to keep mailbox bloat under control

The firm also now recommends using MS Outlook on your computer, as opposed to using the simple online interface we had in Google.  Microsoft Exchange Online will also offer an online interface. However, some of the other systems the firm is adopting need to use the good old fashioned Outlook program on your computer.  Unlike more modern web based email, Outlook performance will be impacted by having particularly large mailboxes.  This is another reason to remove the bloat.

A third reason for cleanup is that our migration from Google to Microsoft will go much faster and more smoothly the smaller the mailboxes are than we need to move.  So if at all possible, please clean out your mailboxes.

Search Your Archives:

First, look for archived emails.  Many mail programs, particularly on your phones, have often archived mail that you thought you were deleting.  You may want to check and see if this is the case, by looking for archived mail in your mailbox.

To search only for archived email, run the following search in the Gmail search bar:

has:nouserlabels -in:Sent -in:Chat -in:Draft -in:Inbox

Be careful though, if you have "conversation view" turned on, you may still see some email that is not archived as Google will show you all conversations in which any one message within that conversation was archived.  Select the messages you want and delete them.

Search for Large Attachments

Most individual emails take up almost no space.  A plain text message is usually less than 5kb in size.  You could save millions of them and never fill your mailbox.  What takes up your space are large attachments and pictures.  Google allows for attachments of up to 25 MB in size.  A mere forty emails like this would use up 1 GB of storage space.  A single email with a 20 MB attachment takes up as much space as 10,000 short text emails of 2 KB each.

To search for these particularly large emails, I recommend doing a search by mail size.  For example, if I wanted to search for all of my emails larger than 20 MB, I would run the following search in the Gmail search bar:

larger:20m

I recommend searching for 20 MB and larger files.  If you don't find very many search for larger:15m, or larger10m, or even larger 5m to see all the larger files.  Delete those you do not need.

Search for older messages

Some of us have email messages going back decades.  Many of these may be for closed cases that we never want to review again, or maybe just old notes about going to lunch or taking a personal day back in 2003.  You can look for older messages by using the following search in Gmail:

Older_than:10y

That would show you all messages older than 10 years.  You could, of course change it to search for mail older than 5 years with: Older_than:5y.

You can also search by date.  For example, if your wanted to find anything sent or received before January 15, 2010, you would run the following search:

Before:2010/01/15

Specific Senders:

Perhaps you get mail from someone you are sure you never want to see again.  This is a great way to isolate all that junk mail from Amazon.com or linkedin.com

You can search for certain senders.  For example, if you wanted to search for every message you received from linkedin.com, you would search for:

from:linkedin.com

This will only show  you emails from that domain, not emails in which you happened to reference the domain in the text of your email.

Another good trick is to search for:

from:noreply

A great many junk mail senders use "noreply" in their from address.  This is a quick and easy way to find and delete them.

Combination Searches

You can run any of the above searches in combination with each other.  For example, if you want to see all emails larger than 10 MB and older than 3 years, you would search:

larger:10m AND older_than:3y

Deleting Mail:

Once you have your search results, you must select all the messages and then click on trash to send them to trash.  Your page shows you only a limited number at a time.  The default is 50 messages, while the maximum you can see on one page is 100 messages.

However, if you are really sure you want to delete all the messages you have found in your search, and don't want to look at the whole list, you can do the following:

Click on the box just above the list to select all the messages on that page.  When you do, another line will appear just above the first checked message.  It says: "All 100 conversations on this page are selected. Select all conversations that match this search." If you click on the underlined part, it will select all emails that match your search on subsequent pages without you having to scroll through each page.  Once you have selected the messages, simply click on the trash can icon to delete everything.

Remove Labels

Although multiple labels do not increase the space you use in Google, Microsoft does not allow you add more than one label to an email.  If you have assigned multiple labels to an email, our migration process will duplicate the email so that it can be stored in multiple folders.  This doubles the amount of space each email takes (or triples if you have three labels on one email).

If possible, you may want to consider removing multiple labels from emails.  You will not be able to use multiple labels going forward.  Removing them from existing emails will help reduce your footprint.

Empty Your Trash and Spam:

Now I know this advice goes directly against what I have been telling everyone for years.  When you delete something, it sits in your trash for 30 days, then disappears forever.  I have long strongly recommend you allow everything to sit in trash for 30 days before it goes away.  Once it is gone from trash, you cannot recover it.

However, in this case, I must ask that you empty your trash.  If not, the migration tool will pull over all the messages you put in trash, thus defeating the purpose of cleaning up you mailbox.  Just please, please, PLEASE, make sure you really want all those messages to disappear forever before emptying trash.

While you are at it, if your mailbox is like mine and has thousands of messages in your spam folder, you may want to empty that as well.  Google deletes spam after 30 days, but there may be thousands of spam messages in there every little bit helps in reducing the load for migration.

Thinking Inside the Box

Mr. McKenna sent around an email a few weeks ago announcing the firm's decision to move all files from local server to Box.com, an online file storage system.

Our Business Intelligence Officer, Cain Elliot is working with the IT Department to get the data moved to Box over the next few weeks.  Then the transition is complete, there will no longer be an M: drive, or H: drive, or any other network drives.  You will access and save all of your files through Box.com.

As part of this move, we are taking the opportunity to reorganize and bring some order to the way we store matter files.  We want to have all files stored in a unified way.  Part of this is to make the files easier to access with some of the other systems we are preparing to implement.  Part of it is also to make it easier for attorneys in all offices to find files no matter which office is storing them.

For some offices, the unified system will be more of a change than for others.  Each office will still have its own matter directory, though it will now be much easier to share those with attorneys in other offices.  Within the matter directory, each case will be saved under a folder using the client number.  Inside that folder will be a folder with each matter number.  Inside there, will be a specific set of subfolders in which you can store any matter related documents.

We also plan to create a set of personal folders, based on your current Personal folder (H: drive in some offices, I: drive in others).  These are your personal files not shared with others.

Because client and matter folders will be limited to those specific numbered folders for active files, we will also create a shared area where you can set up folders you want to share with others.  There, you will be able to create work groups or other shared space for collaboration.

The switch to Box should bring many benefits.  As a cloud storage point, you will have easy access to your documents outside the office.  It will also make collaboration between attorneys in different offices much easier.  Searching for documents will also become much faster and easier.  We will even be able to set up shared work spaces for people outside the office, making collaboration with co-counsel or clients easier as well.  Box also allows you to add notes to documents.  You can also save versions of documents, allowing you to go back to an earlier version if needed.

One of the biggest selling points of Box though, is its ability to integrate with a wide range of other systems.  As we get ready to deploy a new email systems, time and billing system, and a case management system, we wanted a service that would integrate with everything.  Box seems to fit that bill very well.  It also integrates very well with Microsoft office, making it very easy to open and save your documents without jumping through hoops.  There is a Box App to give you easy access to your files from your iPad or phone.

As we attempt to migrate file data from nine separate servers into Box, we are moving a massive amount of data.  If you still have files stored on the servers that you no longer need, either in your personal drive or on a shared drive, now would be an ideal time to delete them.  We are also going to attempt to move the contents of your Google Drive to Box  Trashing any unneeded files in Google Drive will also make our migration a little less burdensome.

We plan to go live with Box some time around Labor Day, though we will likely spread out the go-live so that we can get one office at a time up and running.  Stay tuned for specific dates for your office.

Security Updates

Security updates can be annoying and frustrating.  We often get update requests at inconvenient times and don't want to take the time to install them.  That said, more and more, having the most recent security update installed is becoming more and more critical, to the point that it is part of our ethical obligation to protect client data.

Years ago, many updates were less important, making minor bug fixes or adding things that did not affect most of us.  Today, hackers are looking to exploit recently discovered security bugs so that they can attack the computers of people who are too slow to install security patches.  As a result, a device that is not completely up to date becomes a prime target for hackers in a way that was not true even a few years ago.

iPad / iPhone Updates

Last week, Apple release iOS 10.3.3 which patches a security hole that could allow a hacker access to your iPad or iPhone via a bug in the WiFi feature.  To make sure your iPad or iPhone is up to date, just go into settings, then General, then Software Update.  There, you should see that you are either up to date, or have an update pending.

Android Updates

If you have an Android device, you can go to Settings then System Updates.  Our firm phones, using Samsung Galaxy, should be up to date automatically. If you have been ignoring pop-ups telling you to update, you should go ahead and update.

Because Android is on a wide variety of hardware, you may have a personal device that forces you to update manually, or may not even make available the most recent security updates at all.  This is one reason the firm has decided to standardize on iOS devices, despite many other advantages that Android has over iOS.

As we tighten our security requirements, you may want to consider checking with the IT department before buying a new device, especially some of the cheaper Android devices out there.  The firm may soon cut off access to some older or cheaper devices that do not meet security standards for protecting client data confidentiality.

Windows

The firm has standardized on Windows 7 and Windows 10.  We have retired all of the Windows XP and earlier computers that had been in use.  As we make the move to the cloud, some of our vendors require us to have all computers at Windows 7 or higher.  All new computers will come with Windows 10, since Windows 7 is reaching end of life in a few more years.

Whichever version you have, you should get pop-ups from time to time asking you to install updates. Windows 10 is a little more persistent and annoying about such requests.  But in either case, you should install any critical or important updates which Microsoft has released.  Some of these happen automatically.  Some simply remind you to update yourself.  Many years ago, we did not always recommend installing the latest updates out of a fear that Microsoft sometimes introduced bugs with its updates.  Today that is not the case.  The risk of security holes far outweighs any risk of a buggy update.

On the right hand side of the toolbar, you should seen an icon for security updates.  If you hover your cursor over it, you can see if you have anything pending.  Clicking on it will allow you to update. Critical updates are usually pushed out and installed without asking.  If you have ever gone to shut down your computer and Windows says it is installing updates, you know what I mean.

MacOS

A few of our users have begun trying MacOS devices within the firm.  Like anything else, these also need regular updates.

To make sure your Mac is up to date, open the App Store and click on “Updates” (at the top right of the menu icons).   You should see a list of any available updates not yet installed.  You can click on the option to update any one of them, or simply "update all" to install everything.

Leaving Gmail for Exchange Online

The firm has decided to move the margolisedelstein.com mail domain from G Suite (Google) to Microsoft Office 365 Exchange Online.  We will make this move quickly and expect the change to happen in the next few months.

Why this is happening

As the firm replaces a wide range of systems, several of our vendors say that their systems integrate better with Microsoft's solution rather than Google's.  It will also mean users will have a single account for both email and MS Office rather than the separate accounts that exist now.

The Process

We plan to use a migration specialist called Skykick.  The migration company will access your email and migrate all of your mail contacts, and calendar information into Exchange Online.   This process will take several weeks.  At some point around Labor Day, we plan to shut down Google, do a final sync, and begin using Office 365.  We will provide more detailed information on the cut-over as we get closer to the end of the process.

How to prepare

Google throttles the amount of data we can download from each mailbox every day.  Therefore, moving the data will take several weeks.  If you have a large amount of data in your mailbox, now would be an ideal time to begin deleting items you no longer need and which will only extend our migration process.

The new system has an email storage limit of 50 Gb, unlike Gmail's unlimited storage.  At present, just about everyone is well below that limit, which is just for email.  It does not count document storage you may be using in Google Drive.  But if you are getting close to that limit, you may want to be diligent about deleting messages that unnecessarily fill your account.

Beyond mail, you may be using your Google Account for other purposes.  You may have documents saved in Google Drive.  We expect to be able to migrate everything in your Google Drive to Box.  This is a good time for house cleaning though.  If you have files you no longer need in Google Drive, please delete them now.

If you have created documents or spreadsheets in Google Drive that are in Google format, we will convert them to Microsoft format.  In other words, a Google Doc will convert to a MS Word Doc, and a Google Sheet will convert to MS Excel.

If you have been using Google Hangouts for instant messaging and chat, those logs will not come over.  If you need to save any of that for some reason, you may want to cut and paste the information into a document.  Going forward, we recommend using Microsoft Teams for chat and IM.

If you have pictures saved in Google Photos in a work account, these also will be left behind.  If you have photos needed for work, please save copies into the appropriate matter directory.  If you have personal photos, you may want to download them to a personal computer before they disappear forever.

If you are using any other Google applications and are worried about losing information, please contact me to discuss further.  We will do everything in our power to protect whatever data you deem important.

We will also need to find new homes for the Research Home Page, and (hopefully) this blog.  We are working on alternative solutions and will announce them as soon as they are ready.

Change Now

Of course, switching to a new mail system means that the familiar Gmail web page will be going away, as will the Gmail app that you use on phones or tablets.  We will replace these with Microsoft Outlook.  If you have already installed Office 365 on your computer, you already have Outlook installed.  To become more familiar with it, we would like you to begin using it now.  You can connect Outlook to your existing Gmail account using the G Suite Sync tool.  If you click on the link, you can download and run the tool on your computer.  This will configure Outlook to access your Google account.

If you begin using Outlook now, you have time to familiarize yourself with the Interface, but can still also use a browser to access the old familiar way while you are learning Outlook.  Once we make the move to Exchange, the Gmail interface will go away and we will point your Outlook software to the new Exchange back end.  If you are familiar with Outlook by then, you will be ahead of the game and not really see any changes in the way you work with your mail.  You will also have the option to access your mail online through outlook.com.

Setting up an iPad for Work

Using a Margolis Edelstein iPad

We are now in the process of deploying iPads to attorneys who have requested them throughout the firm.  We expect to have this done by the end of July.  Because iPads are not really designed for enterprise control, Apple's security measures require the user to set up his or her own device, which requires not only passwords, but fingerprints and answers to personal security questions.

One thing we do ask is that you use your margolisedelstein.com email address for your Apple ID.  If you already have an apple ID using that address, you may use that.  If you have an Apple ID using a different email address, you need to set up a new one.   Without this, the firm could be locked out of the device forever.

It is also important to secure your device with a six digit code to protect client confidentiality.  Do not bypass this step.  Make sure you remember your code.  We cannot bypass it.

Keep in mind that the Firm’s Computer and Internet Use Policy applies to these new tablets. The firm’s purpose in providing them is to help you serve our clients and complete other work required tasks.  We expect you to use them primarily for work purposes.

Setup

When you first turn on your new iPad, you will be asked to set it up. We are more than happy to assist if you run into any problems or have questions.  The following are instructions to guide you through the setup:

1. Select Language and Country (English, then United States)
2. Connect to you office WiFi 
3. Recommend turn on Location Services
4. Touch ID, setup with at least one fingerprint.
5. Set up a pass code.
6. Apps & Data, Setup as a new iPad unless the you already have an iCloud account using your work email.  You should use your work email address for this account.  
7. Skip Apple Pay
8. Skip iCloud keychain
9. I recommend enabling Siri, unless you really don’t want to use it.
10. Analytics: don’t share

Security:

All tablets should always be secured by a password and/or a fingerprint. We are obligated to make every effort to protect the confidentiality of client data.

Since the tablets contain firm data and access to firm networks, you should not allow others to use your tablet.

Your iPad should be set up using your Margolis Edelstein email address.

Maintain an auto-lock on your device.  If it does not lock when left alone, that defeats the purpose of password protection.

Protecting the Device:

The number one way iPads break is by dropping them.  To minimize damage we would like all user to use a tablet cover. These will be provided very soon.

Installing Apps (you should use the following):

Email: Use the Gmail or Inbox App from Google (not the native iPad mail program).

Calendar: Use Google Calendar (not the native iPad calendar).

Document creation: Download Office 365 (MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) apps from the App Store.  If you work with Google Drive, you may also want Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.

File Storage: Your iPad comes with a limited amount of storage space. The iCloud backup comes with even less.  Use OneDrive (Microsoft) (1 TB come with Office 365 account) or Google Drive (unlimited storage)

Time Entry: For time entry, you should download the iTimeKeep App.  Webview will not run on the iPad.

VPN: For VPN access to the firm’s network download Forticlient.  To configure Forticlient to access our VPN, find the host for your office on this list.  Port should be 443 and the username and password are the same as what you use in the office.  I also recommend turning on the “hide invalid certificate warning.”

File Server: To access documents on the file server (e.g. MDIR or your H: drive) you will need to set up a program to get there.  Use “Documents 6” by Readdle.  This can be a little tricky to set up.  If you would like us to set it up for you, contact the Help Desk.  If you feel comfortable with setup, here is how it works:

Once you have installed and opened the Documents App, you should see an "In the cloud" section on the left.  Press the "+add" to add a server.  Select "Windows SMB"  Title can be anything, e.g. "Phila M Drive" might be a good choice.  The URL is the connection you want to make: smb://10.0.0.250/data/mdrive (or whatever path you wish to map).  Login again is whatever name and password you normally uses to access the server.  If you are setting up outside the office, be sure you are connected to VPN first.

PDF: Adobe Reader is good for viewing PDF documents.  If you want the ability to mark up a PDF, try Foxit PDF.

Notes: OneNote is integrated with your Office 365 account.  Google Keep will work with Google Drive.  Use either of these.

Research: LexisAdvance App for legal research.

Connecting with Clients:   We want you to use your device to connect with your colleagues and the world, especially in growing your social footprint on LinkedIn or your favorite network. You’re the face of ME, and we want you to reach as many existing and potential clients as possible with your ideas, thoughts and work.

We hope these suggestions will get you started in making the most of your new iPad.  We view this project as a collaborative one. If you have suggestions for other Apps that your fellow attorneys may find useful, please let us know.

OneDrive for MS Office

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that it was possible to open and save documents from MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) directly to Google Drive.  This allows you to access those documents from anywhere simply by being logged in to your Google account.

You can also do the same thing using Microsoft's OneDrive.  If you have not used it before, OneDrive is very similar to Google Drive.  It allows you to save documents in the cloud, accessible from anywhere you have Internet access as long as you log into your Office 365 account.  You can even edit the documents using Microsoft's online version of Office if you don't have the full version of Office installed on the device you are using.  Keep in mind though that the online versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint do not offer all of the advanced features available to you on your downloaded version of MS Office.

When you open or save a document in Word, you should see a OneDrive option.  If you select that, you may be asked to log into your OneDrive Account.  Your account name is your email address.  We sent you an Office 365 password in recent months, though you may have changed it.  If you don't know your password, the Help Desk can reset it for you.

Whether you use Google Drive, OneDrive, or neither is strictly up to you.  Personally, I like Google Drive better since I am already signed into that one always for may email.  If you use MS Word on an iPad, there is no way to connect from there to Google Drive, though you can access OneDrive.

Google also puts no limit on storage space, although OneDrive's 1 TB limit is pretty generous.  Both use encryption to protect your documents when uploading or downloading, and both remain password protected from the view of others unless you share a file or folder with others.

While these online storage options may be convenient if you work outside the office, keep in mind that copies of all client related documents must also be saved to the Matter Directory (M Drive) pursuant to firm policy.

Trashing your Gmail Messages

Gmail offers three ways to rid yourself of email you no longer want to keep around.  You can archive it, mark it as spam, or put it in the trash.  If you archive it, the message will remain in your mailbox forever, just not in the inbox or any of your other folders.  You can find it by looking in "all mail" or by searching for the message.

If you mark an item as spam, it goes into your spam folder.  This has the added benefit of alerting Google that you consider similar messages to be spam.  If you are getting ads that you don 't want to see in your inbox, it is best to mark them as spam rather than simply trash them.  That way, you will not be bothered with as much junk mail in your inbox going forward.

If you have a message that you no longer want or need for any reason, you can delete it by moving it to trash.  When a message goes into your trash, it will eventually be removed from your mailbox entirely.  If you search for an email that is in trash, you must specify that you want Google to search trash.  By default, email searches exclude anything in the spam or trash folders.

The benefit of the spam or trash folders is that you have time to realize that you really need something you had removed.  You can go into your trash folder and move any item back to the inbox. Similarly, you can go into your spam folder and mark an item as "not spam" thus moving it back to the inbox.

In truth, there is no real need to delete any messages anymore.  The firm pays for unlimited storage, meaning you can save as much as you like.  Saving extra email also has no impact on performance in Gmail.

Even so, there are some emails you are certain you never want to see again.  It is fine to put those in the trash.  Some people like to be tidy and regularly empty their trash as soon as they put messages in it.  I strongly recommend against this practice.  Google will automatically delete anything in trash or spam folders after 30 days.  That gives you time to realize you need something, but also ensures that the trash will not pile up in the account forever.  Once you remove an item from trash, it is virtually impossible to restore to your inbox.  It is much better to give yourself that 30 day window to recover anything, before it is gone forever.