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What Is Hosted E-Discovery?: Page 2 of 2

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. For the internal model, their attorneys must be able to use very sophisticated sets of review and analysis software. IT must be ready to help with deployment and management, as this same software must be set to distinguish between user and role-based access. There is also the storage infrastructure to consider, as large indices and dedicated storage for relevant data sets are not cheap to store and manage. With outside attorneys, the e-discovery offering may be a very expensive proposition, and corporations are usually seeking to reduce law firm billings instead of increasing them. This leaves the e-discovery hosting provider, which has the advantage of dedicated IT teams and computing hardware along with core competency in review and analysis technology and procedures.

Ultimately, the hosted model is not for everyone. It depends on the technology acumen and legal expertise of the e-discovery provider, as well as the organizations comfort level in remotely hosting large volumes of data. But it is an excellent choice for many and is hardly vanishing into the sunset.

— Christine Taylor, an analyst with the Taneja Group, has more than a decade of experience in covering the IT and communications industries. She has written extensively on the role of technology in e-discovery, compliance and governance, and information management.

InformationWeek Analytics has published an independent analysis of the challenges around enterprise storage. Download the report here (registration required).