The cloud migration imperative: Moving your compliance operations forward

The shift from on prem to cloud based compliance is gaining momentum as firms look to harness AI and modernize core risk processes. To support this transition, Intapp industry leaders recently hosted a series of in person roundtables and a webinar, and we’ve collected the highlights and key insights shared across those discussions.

The numbers tell the story

Five years ago, concerns about moving to the cloud were common. Today, those conversations have fundamentally changed. It is no longer a question of “if” but “when.”

A recent ILTA survey showed that more than 88 percent of firms are already migrating to the cloud or actively planning to do so. This aligns with the broader trend in the legal and professional services industries, where virtually all meaningful AI innovation is happening in cloud environments.

More than 50 percent of Intapp compliance clients now operate in the cloud. These are not pilot projects. This is proven, production scale technology.

The functional gap between on-prem and cloud deployments continues to widen. In August, Intapp released its final on-prem version that contained enhancements, aligning ongoing investment and innovation to the cloud. A quarterly release cycle ensures that cloud clients are always on the latest version, with immediate access to new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

What cloud only innovation looks like

Several innovations highlighted in the webinar are available exclusively in the cloud versions of Intapp Conflicts, Intake, and Terms.

For Conflicts:

• AI assisted conflict filtering that automatically categorizes hits into issue, no issue, and uncertain buckets, with the model becoming more refined over time
• Preliminary conflict checks via a modern mobile app to support users on the move
• Native integrations with DealCloud and other widely used third party applications

For Intake:

• A completely refreshed, modern user interface that makes better use of screen space and reduces unnecessary scrolling
• AI powered, persona-based request summaries that present each stakeholder with the information that matters most
• Intapp Quick Start, which generates intake requests directly from emails by prepopulating relevant fields
• Enhanced due diligence through Intapp Data enrichment and firmographic data

For Terms:

• Native integration with compliant time and billing to enforce client requirements throughout the matter lifecycle 
• AI powered document summaries for lengthy outside counsel guidelines and terms documents 
• Intapp Assist for Terms, offering a chat like experience to locate documents and answer questions quickly 
• Tasks and reminders to proactively manage client obligations and future key dates

A practical roadmap to the cloud

Based on dozens of successful migrations, Intapp recommends a “lift and shift” approach for most firms. This pattern moves current configurations into the cloud with minimal disruption, then opens the door to incremental improvement using new cloud only capabilities.

Lift and shift delivers several benefits:

• Faster access to the cloud environment and new innovation 
• Preservation of existing processes that users already know 
• A safer, more controlled path for redesigning workflows once cloud functionality is visible and familiar 

A typical migration follows six primary steps, which were discussed in detail in the webinar.

1. Upgrade the on-prem sandbox to the latest version
2. Complete cloud readiness work
3. Execute the initial lift and shift
4. Connect integrations to CDS (Common Data Service)
5. Conduct user acceptance testing and training
6. Complete the dress rehearsal and go live

From start to finish, an eight-month timeline is common, with most effort focused on cloud readiness activities. Importantly, much of this readiness work can happen in the background while the firm continues to run on premises.

Three key considerations for planning

As firms evaluate their own migration journeys, three areas deserve focused attention.

• Technical cloud readiness
  • Ensure configurations are cloud ready by converting query integrations to datasets and implementing virtual tables. This preparation makes migration smoother and lowers risk.

• Business strategy alignment
  • Longstanding Intake and Conflicts workflows may no longer reflect current firm priorities. Migration is an ideal time to confirm that processes still support marketing, BD, risk, and finance needs.

• Cloud migration methodology
  • Most firms benefit from a lift and shift approach that moves existing processes to the cloud first, then enhances them using new capabilities. Firms with outdated configurations may opt for a more substantial redesign or a net new cloud build.

Start the journey today

Cloud migration requires internal alignment and roughly eight to nine months of execution. Delaying the move means missing out on AI assisted conflict filtering, persona based summaries, automated intake from email, improved data validation, and other innovations.

Intapp has the expertise and proven methodology to support this transition, backed by a professional services team and certified implementation partners. Firms seeking additional up-front clarity can leverage a focused 40 to 60 hour business requirements engagement.

The cloud migration imperative for compliance is already here. The technology is proven at scale, and each migration further strengthens the process. Whether working with Intapp directly, with a partner, or both, the goal is the same: a secure, low risk transition that unlocks the full value of cloud based, AI enabled compliance.

Next step

To explore what this could look like in a specific environment, schedule a private walkthrough tailored to current systems and workflows. The right time to start the conversation is now, while the cloud advantage is still an opportunity rather than a gap.