Some perform only basic tasks, while others handle very sophisticated operations. Before entrusting its most valuable data to the service provider, a firm should ensure that the provider has a comprehensive security and reliability policy. Typically, this policy includes a secure data center with redundant bandwidth and a secondary power supply. The provider should also be willing to guarantee uptime. The application service provider's track record can be helpful in determining the quality of the product.
Some applications provide an applet for logging time when working offline.
The next time the computer is connected to the Internet, the applet automatically uploads the information. An application's ability to support sophisticated billing structures depends largely on whether it has a module specifically for legal practices or whether it offers only generic time and billing. Even those that are geared toward the legal profession may not support retainer billing, multiple payers for a single matter and other complex billing arrangements. Firms should consider the importance of these functions to their practices before choosing a generic application. The ideal application will not only permit editing of pro forma invoices, it will also maintain a permanent version of the original so the attorney can compare the final bill with the actual hours worked.