Migrated from eDJGroupInc.com. Author: Greg Buckles. Published: 2016-08-25 20:00:00Format, images and links may no longer function correctly.
Old habits die hard. Consumers have been buying eDiscovery processing and hosting services by the Gigabyte ($/GB) since the early 2000’s. I remember how the first copy shops with a Discover-e or LAW license struggled to estimate the hours required to process folders of MS Office files. In the beginning, volume pricing gave buyers a predictable cost to collections. Now the average $/GB has plunged as better technology and automation has commoditized the real cost, quality control. I got the chance to insert a poll question into the recent BNA webinar on Reusing Collections sponsored by Catalyst. With over 350 registrants, we got almost 50% attendance and a great way to get a fast metric on how attendees buy eDiscovery today. What surprised me was the 18% who purported to use enterprise systems to handle all eDiscovery processing in-house.
Poll Question – BNA webinar n=167 attendees – Catalyst Sponsored
Ongoing eDJ Group Survey – n=17
For years I have railed against the $/GB pricing tyranny as a legacy of one-off, reactive eDiscovery purchases. The webinar gave us a chance to explore what a proactive eDiscovery business process can look like with case studies and real tips. So are you still buying eDiscovery by the gig? Why? If you think that your outside counsel will push back on changes, 68.4% of webinar attendees said that eDiscovery purchase decisions were a collaborative process between corporate and outside counsel. So put on you big boy/girl pants and take a hard look at whether you should be buying processing/hosting based on volume or based on the actual value you receive. To do that, you will need to gather metrics, define your real discovery requirements and spend some time looking at the big picture rather than just responding to cases on fire. If your environment does not give you that luxury or if you need an authoritative expert to advocate (i.e. tell your bosses what you have been saying for years) for you, find someone who is not trying to sell you a specific solution. A good discovery health check should not break the budget. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Greg Buckles wants your feedback, questions or project inquiries at Greg@eDJGroupInc.com. Contact him directly for a ‘Good Karma’ call. His active research topics include analytics, mobile device discovery, the discovery impact of the cloud, Microsoft’s Office 365/2013 eDiscovery Center and multi-matter discovery. Recent consulting engagements include managing preservation during enterprise migrations, legacy tape eliminations, retention enablement and many more.
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