Onit is an on-line project management SaaS offering that that is targeted to the 1500 companies that are just under the Fortune 500. I first looked at Onit when I read that it was creating a "legal edition." I set up a demo account on the beta version and found it to be a simple-to-use collaboration platform, but I didn't see anything that made it particularly well-suited for legal users or anything that made it stand out from the myriad of other project management SaaS offerings.[1] In a recent e-mail exchange, however, Eric Elfman, the CEO of Onit assured me that Onit would grow significantly over the next three months and explains that "what will make us different from Zoho, Basecamp, or the other 150,000 light project management tools, is our use of project templates and the spend management piece. Through the templates we will model types of legal cases and instill the PM tool with built-in knowledge."[2]
Also, to ensure that they are building a product uniquely designed for lawyers, they are in the process of putting together an advisory group to help in its development. All who participate on the advisory group will get the product for six months. The kick-off meeting is scheduled for the first week of June. Below are the full details that I received from Onit. You can also read about this on the May 14th post to this Onit Blog.[3]
Onit Advisory Group
What is the Onit
Advisory Group (OAG)?
The
Onit Advisory Group (OAG) is a team of legal and business professionals that
have been invited to participate in the strategic development of the Onit
electronic billing and legal spend management module. This group of professionals
will influence the strategic development of the product and provide feedback on
an ongoing basis during the development process. As an advisory member, you will
be asked to participate in bi-weekly calls, view demos, screenshots and
presentations and provide ongoing feedback.
Who is in the OAG?
The
OAG is comprised of legal and business professionals from the Fortune 500, large
privately-held companies, industry thought leaders, non-profit organizations,
legal industry associations, and SMB companies with revenue of at least $1.5
billion. The members of the OAG are primarily general counsel, associate
general counsel or senior managers that influence technology purchases.
Benefits of
Involvement
Participation
in the OAG provides a variety of advantages including:
- Insight into product strategy and
the product roadmap
- Input into technology design and
functionality
- An opportunity to be an early
adopter and participate in the beta
- An opportunity to position your
legal department as an innovator of new technology
- The ability to network with peers
and share best practices
- The ability to gain insight into
the legal project management product roadmap
- Free use of system after release
for 6 months
- Discounted use afterward
Commitment
Participation
in the OAG is by invitation-only for three-months. A kick-off meeting will be scheduled
the first week in June. Additional details will be provided in the coming
weeks.
Discussion Topics
The
OAG will solicit feedback on various topics from the advisory members. Some topics
of discussion will include:
·
Electronic billing policies and
guidelines
·
Electronic bill submission by law
firms
·
Managing invitations to law firms
·
Adding budget and staffing plans
·
Validating billing policies (flag
exceptions, auto-adjust, versioning, etc.)
·
Invoice workflow and notification
·
Invoice reporting
·
Timekeeper management
Advisory Contacts
For more information, or to state your interest, contact:
Jill Black 1-800-281-1330 |
[1] See Onit's Web site: http://onit.com/.
[2] E-mail from Eric Elfman, CEO, Onit Software LLC (May 15, 2010).
[2] Jill Black, Onit Advisory Group: We Need Your Expertise, Onit Blog, May 14, 2010, http://blog.onit.com/2010/05/onit-advisory-group-we-need-your-expertise/ (last visited May 15, 2010).
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