Modern web network and internet telecommunication technology, big data storage and cloud computing computer service business concept: 3D render of the server room interior in datacenter in blue light Photo: Shutterstock

Legal technology management company Kuro Group and ONE Discovery have announced a partnership to provide clients with a cost-efficient new way to host e-discovery software through allowing them to rent IT infrastructure.

As part of the partnership, Kuro, which launched in 2016 to help legal departments and law firms implement e-discovery software, will host ONE Discovery's software on its OnRamp program. Alex Lewis, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Kuro Group, defined OnRamp as a program that allows e-discovery clients to “create an environment where they can come in and rent the software and servers and utilize it as much as they want without getting per GB charges.”

Such an option, he explained, can be less costly than deploying e-discovery products on premise or using a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering. “The cheapest way to do discovery is stand up the servers, run the software and train your staff on it,” he noted.

ONE Discovery will be the first e-discovery platform offered through the program. At first glance, OnRamp can seem similar to SaaS offerings—both essentially allow e-discovery clients to outsource IT infrastructure. But Lewis notes that there are differences between the two in the level of control one has, and importantly, the price.

“I think that the main differences are the pricing structures,” he said. “Where a SaaS-based product is typically based on a per GB hosting model, the OnRamp model is based on an environment so you are able to gain more control over your environment … [one is] charged per servers and hardware as opposed to charge per GB.”

Those looking to rent out infrastructure like servers, however, would likely need an IT professional on staff to understand what their firm or company needed, and periodically review their needs according to evolving e-discovery demands.

SaaS providers, therefore, may be more appealing to those without IT professionals in-house. But a service like OnRamp could potentially be a better option to those whose e-discovery cases are unpredictable and can vary greatly by size and resources needed.

Of course, the cost to rent IT infrastructure can vary greatly depending on the data that needs to be stored, the specific type of infrastructure needed and how much staff is required to maintain and update the IT assets.

To be sure, the Kuro and ONE Discovery's move to launch what they see as a more cost-effective option for e-discovery clients will likely come as welcome news to many, especially corporate legal departments. Zapproved's 2018 Corporate E-Discovery Benchmarking Report, a survey of 185 corporate e-discovery professionals released in August 2018, found that 41 percent of respondents prioritize reducing e-discovery costs.

To meet clients' cost-cutting demands, e-discovery companies like Relativity, Compliance Discovery Solutions, Catalyst and many others have moved to host their e-discovery products on the cloud, in effect becoming SaaS providers. Some, like Relativity and Logikcull, have also looked to meet their clients' demands by offering different tiers of pricing depending on the amount of users accessing their product.

ONE Discovery and Kuro, however, believe they are the first to launch a service around renting IT infrastructure for e-discovery. Lewis, however, noted that launching such a service is “not rocket science,” and that others will likely follow suit if such a model catches on.