Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/13683
KNOW YOUR OPTIONS Deployment options boil down to two basic models, with nearly unlimited variations within the two: enterprise, or traditional in-house deployment, and the cloud, or software as a service (SaaS), model. The differences between these solutions fall into three main categories: • The product itself: Enterprise solutions are customizable, whereas SaaS or cloud models are out-of-the-box. Consequently, the complexity of an enterprise solution is much greater than its SaaS counterpart. This does not mean, however, that a cloud solution isn’t robust or that an enterprise solution is cost- or resource-prohibitive. available on-demand. From a support standpoint, enterprise is a high-touch model, and SaaS solutions are self-service after initial training. “For both in-house and cloud solutions, availability, reliability and security are of utmost importance.” • Business and marketing models: An enterprise solution is purchased with licenses and tends to be far more expensive to purchase and implement, whereas a SaaS solution is subscription based. Annual upgrades and maintenance of an enterprise system are typically between 18 to 22 percent of the initial cost of the solution, whereas all upgrades and maintenance are included in the cost of a SaaS subscription. • IT/Operations: Enterprise is an onsite solution requiring server space — virtualized or dedicated — and typically, internal IT resource availability; SaaS solutions are online and RECOGNIZE REQUIREMENTS Before choosing a delivery model, you must first determine that your organization will benefit from an automated solution. In a recent report by The 451 Group, analysts Katey Wood and Nick Patience said, “The e-discovery process, as it typically stands now, is a nine-step point- tool frenzy marked by a legacy of collaborative problems between IT and legal, as well as ballooning budgets and tight time frames.” Firms and in-house counsel can remedy this problem with a combination of data mapping to predict the volume and location of data for review, process management for legal hold and workflow management for guiding the process through multiple stakeholders and point tools, with attention to deadline and budget. “Nearly every legal team that handles more than a negligible amount of litigation should consider automating some or all parts of the overall process, as it relates to e-discovery,” said Sal Mancuso, Litigation Support Manager at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. “Chances are that you are already using one or more of the dozens of applications needed to manage the various electronic discovery phases.” www.iltanet.org Case/Matter Management 19