Kroll Ontrack Evolves Ediscovery with the Launch of Verve Do It Yourself Software

Verve delivers control, security and ease-of-use via a hosted software as a service (SaaS) platform

Kroll Ontrack is now offering law firms and in-house counsel access to the most advanced ediscovery processing technology with the launch of Verve™ ediscovery software as a service (SaaS). The Verve do it yourself (DIY) ediscovery platform gives users the ability to upload data, select processing criteria, conduct early data assessment (EDA) and review, and manage production in an intuitive, web-based interface. Verve puts corporations and law firms in control of their e-discovery projects without requiring upfront purchase or maintenance of infrastructure, hardware or security.

“Ediscovery is evolving because most corporations and law firms are reexamining their processes and tools to gain efficiencies and reduce costs,” said Joel Vogel, president, Kroll Ontrack. “In fact, a recent survey commissioned by Kroll Ontrack and conducted by Harris Interactive® revealed that 86 percent of attorneys at Fortune 1000 corporations and medium- to large-sized law firms are in-sourcing some aspect of e-discovery¹. Verve software delivers what corporations and law firms want and need – an integrated, high quality solution that enhances control while reducing costs. If the scope of a project changes, organizations can easily migrate to Kroll Ontrack discovery services and receive assistance from an expert team of case managers and application support analysts. That is where Kroll Ontrack excels above the competition. We have a solution for any and every matter.”

When considering the most critical factors for purchasing in-house or in-firm ediscovery tools, the same law firm and corporate attorney survey respondents ranked ease of use, security and compatibility with existing platforms highest over software reputation, installation time and training. Organizations do not want to expend time learning how to optimize a new tool, configuring its security parameters or connecting it to existing discovery infrastructure, which is why the Verve platform offers users complete control over discovery within its single SaaS platform. In addition, Verve users benefit from no up-front investment in hardware, IT training or staffing for installation or maintenance, and no maintenance or upgrade fees.

The Verve platform capabilities and benefits include the:

• Ability to quickly upload data. The Verve platform is available on-demand for any size case. A matter can be created in minutes by uploading data to the industry’s most secure tier III data centers.

• Ability to easily select processing criteria. With access to the most scalable ediscovery technology in the industry – capable of processing an average of 800 gigabytes of electronic data per day with a single day high of over two terabytes – users have the ability to identify custodians, determine filtering options and select output within an intuitive interface.

• Ability to effectively conduct Early Data Assessment. Users can conduct EDA to winnow a data set by 85 percent or more and sort data using the following tools: visual analytics, e-mail threading, topic grouping, concept searching, near duplicate detection, and near duplicate document comparison.

• Ability to efficiently review documents. Once users are ready for review, they can control the movement of data into the Verve review platform, which is based on the most robust and highly requested review tool in the industry, Ontrack^® Inview™. Within the review platform, users can leverage industry-leading Intelligent Review Technology, which automates aspects of the document review process to increase review quality and efficiency.

“Whether a company needs to be up-and-running with their discovery project quickly or is looking for the easiest solution to integrate, maintain and use, the clear answer is a SaaS-based delivery model. Our survey found that 80 percent of attorneys believe more corporations and law firms will turn to cloud and SaaS-based platforms for ediscovery in the next two years,” said Ken Ewell, vice president of SaaS, Kroll Ontrack. “In addition to being a SaaS platform, Verve is backed by proven Kroll Ontrack technology and deep industry experience, which come together in a DIY solution that delivers the best user experience and results possible.”

As a remotely-hosted, self-service e-discovery platform, Verve has a subscription pricing model which provides predictable monthly discovery spending or an on-demand pricing model for project by project application.

¹ This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kroll Ontrack between Sept. 6-16, 2011 among 204 lawyers employed in medium-large law firms or as in-house counsel for Fortune 1000™ companies. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.