Gartner recently released its now yearly report “Magic
Quadrant for E-Discovery Software.” The
report analyzes the biggest names in the eDiscovery software field and
categorizes them into one of four groups: Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, or
Niche players. The report focuses
heavily on consolidation within the industry as well as the EDRM lifecycle,
placing a high value on companies and software that service the entire EDRM
lifecycle.
The writers designated six companies as leaders:
- AccessData
- Autonomy
- Guidance Software
- Recommind
- Symantec (Includes Clearwell)
- ZyLAB
To be leader the company had to offer functionality that
covers the complete EDRM lifecycle.
Additionally, offering predictive coding technology was an important
positive factor in this analysis.
Some changes from the 2011 report include the exclusion of
Epiq and IPRO because they no longer met at least one criteria for inclusion in
the Magic Quadrant, the inclusion of KPMG and UBIC in the Magic Quadrant, and
the change in status for FTI and kCura from leaders to challengers.
kCura and FTI were no longer considered leaders because both
focus on the right hand side of the EDRM only, rather than focusing on the
complete model. This fact emphasizes how
much weight the Gartner writers placed on servicing the EDRM lifecycle. To be clear, the report noted that kCura’s
Relativity product is still a best in class product. It also spoke very highly of FTI noting
“[t]he company performs well all over the world, whereas others in its class do
not necessarily have the presence or ‘bench strength’ to cover the globe, which
is what many corporations need.”
Nevertheless, it likewise noted that many vendors are responding to the
market with “broader end-to-end” functionality.
I agree with the report that the industry is moving toward
greater consolidation and products that do it all, and I have written about
that movement on this blog (http://ediscoverynewssource.blogspot.com/2012/04/consolidation-of-services-and.html
) However, I believe that Gartner placed
too much emphasis on this factor by making it a requirement to be a leader in the
Magic Quadrant. Certainly, one-stop
products and companies that do it all offer convenience, and perhaps cost
savings, and can absolutely be the best choice for you and your companies. Likewise, I continue to think that more and
more products will move in that direction.
However, at this point in time, choosing a product that does it all means
sacrificing quality and functionality for convenience; products and companies
that service the entire EDRM lifecycle may be competent at each area, but they
are not going to be the best at each area.
Depending on your situation, choosing multiple products that are the
best product available for each task may be a better option. You should ask yourself, do you want one
product that does everything, but only one of those things really well, or do
you want three or four products that are all the best at what they do? There is no one answer, but it is something
to consider, and this will remain a choice you have to make until there is one
product that is the best at everything, which could take a while.
Although the Gartner report is subjective and by no means
does it analyze every product or company in the industry, overall, the creators
did a good job and the report provides some interesting information and
analysis. The report concludes that the
eDiscovery software industry will remain relevant while becoming more
competitive, and that consolidation and the proliferation of one-stop shops and
products will continue. This prediction
is spot on.
