Here’s the truth: businesses are not doing a great job with AI right now. If you feel behind, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start, you’re in very good company—and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, early confusion is exactly what makes this such a powerful moment for organizations willing
According to ILTA’s 2025 Technology Survey, 80% of law firms are either “using or exploring” artificial intelligence. That number is striking—but it deserves some context. “Exploring” is really the first stage of any AI journey, and it can mean everything from attending a webinar… to running a small pilot… to
Building your own custom GPT is not hard to do, but it can be surprisingly hard to do well. At Optimal, we help law firms, associations, and consulting firms get meaningful business results out of their IT systems. When it comes to AI, 95% of organizations have seen no measurable return on
For the first time in years, organizations saw a small but meaningful reprieve in the financial fallout of data breaches. IBM’s latest report puts the average cost at $4.44M—down from $4.88M last year, a drop of nearly half a million dollars. That is very good news for any executive responsible
For mid-sized law firms and associations, technology management is a balancing act. You need reliable, secure, and responsive IT to keep operations running smoothly—but you don’t necessarily have the scale (or the appetite) to maintain a massive in-house department. Over our three decades supporting organizations in the Washington, DC region,
Mid-sized law firms and associations depend on technology to function, but many don’t realize just how many moving parts are involved in keeping IT effective, secure, and aligned with organizational goals. Through more than 30 years of supporting professional services firms and associations in the DC region, we’ve found that