Many of our clients struggle with selecting the appropriate “discovery” vendor for their needs. In many cases this is because they haven’t been specific in describing their requirements. In addition, the marketing messages offered by the supplier community tend to emphasize “We can do it all”. But in Doculabs’ opinion, a clear articulation AND PRIORITIZATION of an organization’s requirements can simplify the process considerably. Consider a few fundamental questions:
What part of the discovery process needs automation? There are “left-side” and “right-side” specialist vendors that have designed specific tools for certain tasks – the left side addressing identification, preservation, and collection of electronically stored information (ESI); and the right side addressing the processing, review, and analysis of that ESI once it’s been collected (following the Electronic Discovery Reference Model [EDRM]).
Do we want to operate the solution on-premise, or via a hosted software as a service (SaaS)? Many organizations opt for the hosted offering to speed deployments and minimize their dependency on their internal IT organizations. Yet inevitably, systems integrations issues will need to be addressed. Access to content, modifications to user interfaces, and security controls can limit the effectiveness of a hosted offering.
What are our needs for professional services? Are we looking for “one throat to choke” – a single provider to offer both the tools and services? Many of the service providers have developed leading-edge technologies and tools to support their own professional services teams. But recognize that by adopting the use of service provider tools, you can become captive to a single supplier, as switching costs can be significant.
These are some of the questions we walk a client through in order to understand their needs. The diagram below highlights how Doculabs segments the industry. (Note: not all of the suppliers in the market are listed; there wouldn’t be enough space.) So if you are a marketing and/or public relations person for a supplier not listed or positioned inappropriately in your opinion, feel free to comment on this post highlighting where your firm fits on this diagram.
James Watson, Jr., PhD can be reached at 312-881-1620, jwatson@doculabs.com, or Tweet me @jameswatsonjr
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