Share It
As a law department shopping for eDiscovery technology this year, you have many choices and decision-factors. Of course, cost is always a big consideration. So too, is future-proofing your eDiscovery investment.
Many a law department has a secret story about purchased eDiscovery technology that never really met their needs. As the world turned, it quickly became insufficient and obsolete. All too soon, they were back spending more money on additional technology. We call this the “whoops cost” in the total cost of eDiscovery.
In a morass of technology alternatives, you must find the right eDiscovery solution— not only for this year’s challenges—but for those around the corner. To assist you in the hunt, let’s look at three future-proofing, must-haves. We also offer questions to ask providers.
Scalability and Speed
There’s only one direction corporate data volume and variety is going: up. Edge devices, enterprise collaboration tools, the Internet of Things, and yet unimagined applications we’ll all be using in five years, guarantee astronomical growth in discovery data. The ability to scale to the demands of tomorrow is crucial.
Your new technology must provide the infrastructure and processing speed to churn through massive data sets. Your team must be able to instantly access server capacity to whack through current and future massive data volumes at high speeds. Your new system must enable multiple users’ simultaneous access to data and analytical tools without choking.
Ask about providers’ cloud offerings in detail. Can they scale to your large case needs? What is the process for requisitioning more compute power, as needed?
AI and Analytics No Longer Luxuries
A legal future full of exponential data growth makes artificial intelligence and analytics a necessity, not a luxury in law departments. Insight from analytics on terabytes or petabytes of litigation data is essential for managing costs now and in the future. It’s nearly impossible to get your head around custodians, data types, and sources without analytics today. Let alone when your enterprise data bulges with the internet of things.
Be sure to ask vendors if analytics, artificial intelligence, and cloud-sourced collection is included in their solution, at no extra cost.
A Provider that Invests in You
Let’s face it —some vendors are still riding an old horse. Their technology is dated, and for all intents and purposes, unusable for most lawyers. Don’t let their fancy brand and lifespan fool you.
Look for a provider that invests in you— by investing in updating and upgrading their eDiscovery technology. Ask about their vision for law departments. Do they get what you are up against today and five years from now?
Future-proof for Success
Buying a solution that ends up being insufficient in a few years is a mistake to avoid. We encourage you to ask yourself and potential providers the tough questions needed to future-proof your investment and success.
For additional perspective, we invite you to read our free Legal Technology & eDiscovery Buyer’s Guide.
