Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

Content Assessment: Inflection or Deflection? An Aggregate Overview of Eight Semi-Annual eDiscovery Pricing Surveys

Information - 93%
Insight - 91%
Relevance - 94%
Objectivity - 93%
Authority - 95%

93%

Excellent

A short percentage-based assessment of the qualitative benefit of an aggregate overview of eight semi-annual eDiscovery pricing surveys as conducted and published by ComplexDiscovery.

Editor’s Note: ComplexDiscovery is an online publication that highlights cyber, data, and legal discovery insight and intelligence ranging from original research to aggregated news for use by cybersecurity, information governance, and eDiscovery professionals. The highly targeted publication seeks to increase the collective understanding of readers regarding cyber, data, and legal discovery information and issues and to provide an objective resource for considering trends, technologies, and services related to electronically stored information.

To submit recommendations for consideration and inclusion in ComplexDiscovery’s cyber, data, and legal discovery-centric service, product, or research announcements, contact us today.


Background Note: Initiated in the winter of 2019 and conducted eight times with 641 individual responses, the semi-annual eDiscovery Pricing Survey provides a mechanism for cyber, data, and legal discovery specialists to share and consider current pricing for selected eDiscovery-centric collection, processing, and review tasks. Today ComplexDiscovery shares the aggregate results of the eight eDiscovery pricing surveys administered between the winter of 2019 and the summer of 2022. Shared in comparative charts, the aggregate results of the surveys may be helpful for cybersecurity, information governance, and legal discovery professionals seeking to understand better the economics of the eDiscovery ecosystem over time.


The Semi-Annual eDiscovery Pricing* Survey

Industry Survey

The semi-annual eDiscovery pricing survey from ComplexDiscovery was designed to provide general insight into eDiscovery pricing as shared by individuals working in the eDiscovery ecosystem. The survey was developed out of a desire to understand acceptable pricing bands for twelve specific offerings across three core areas of eDiscovery. Those areas are collections, processing, and review. The survey was not designed to boil the ocean and comprehend all pricing models and metrics but was developed to provide a basic understanding of price ranges so providers and purchasers could establish pricing and purchase offerings with some additional objective data points to inform their decisions. 

Collection

  • Per Hour Cost for Collection by a Forensic Examiner
  • Per Device Cost for Collection by a Forensic Examiner
  • Per Hour Cost for Analysis, Affidavit, and Expert Witness Support by a Forensic Examiner

Processing

  • Per GB Cost to Process ESI (At Ingestion)
  • Per GB Cost to Process ESI (At Export)
  • Per GB Per Month Cost to Host ESI Without Analytics
  • Per GB Per Month Cost to Host ESI With Analytics
  • Per Month Cost Per User License for Access to Hosted Data
  • Per Hour Cost for Project Management Support

Review

  • Per GB Cost for Predictive Coding
  • Per Hour Cost for Document Review Attorney Review
  • Per Document Cost for Document Review Attorney Review

Additionally, general information background questions included:

  • Geographical Region: In which geographical region do you primarily conduct eDiscovery-related business?
  • Business Segment: Which business segment best describes your business in eDiscovery?
  • Primary Function: What area best describes your primary function in the conduct of your organization’s eDiscovery-related business?

Surveys to date have not sought to segment pricing based on case or matter volume and time to completion requirements. However, future surveys will seek to incorporate these elements into questions to help better present situational pricing as volume and time elements directly impact the price of eDiscovery services.

Aggregate Results: Eight Surveys

While individual respondent answers to the pricing survey are confidential, the anonymized aggregate results for all eight previously administered semi-annual surveys are published below without commentary. These results highlight eDiscovery pricing on selected tasks as seen by survey respondents since the inception of the survey in the winter of 2019.


Comparative Charts: A Look at Eight Surveys

n=641 Respondents (Aggregate All Surveys)

Collection Pricing

1. What is the per hour cost for a collection by a forensic examiner?

1 - Collection Pricing - Per Device Cost for a Collection by a Forensic Examiner - Summer 2022 Update

2. What is the per device cost for a collection by a forensic examiner?

2 - Collection Pricing - Per Device Cost for a Collection by a Forensic Examiner - Summer 2022 Update

3. What is the per hour cost for analysis and expert witness support by a forensic examiner?

3 - Collection Pricing - Per Hour Cost for Analysis and Expert Witness Support from a Forensic Examiner - Summer 2022 Update

 Processing Pricing

4. What is the per GB cost to process electronically stored information based on volume at ingestion?

4 - Processing Pricing - Per GB Cost to Process ESI Based on Volume at Ingestion - Summer 2022 Update

5. What is the per GB cost to process electronically stored information based on volume at completion of processing?

5 - Processing Pricing - Per GB Cost to Process ESI Based on Volume at Completion of Processing - Summer 2022 Update

6. What is the per GB per month cost to host electronically stored information without analytics?

6 - Processing Pricing - Per GB Cost Per Month to Host ESI without Analytics - Summer 2022 Update

7. What is the per GB per month cost to host electronically stored information with analytics?

7 - Processing Pricing - Per GB Cost Per Month to Host ESI with Analytics - Summer 2022 Update

8. What is the user license fee per month for access to hosted data?

8 - Processing Pricing - User License Fee Per Month for Access to Hosted Data - Summer 2022 Update

9. What is the per hour cost of project management support for eDiscovery?

9 - Processing Pricing - Per Hour Cost of Project Management Support for eDiscovery - Summer 2022 Update

Review Pricing

10.  What is the per GB cost to conduct predictive coding as part of technology-assisted review during the document review phase of eDiscovery?

10 - Review Pricing - Per GB Cost to Conduct Predictive Coding in a Technology-Assisted Review - Summer 2022 Update

11. What is the cost per hour for document review attorneys to review documents during the review phase of eDiscovery?

11 - Review Pricing - Per Hour Cost for Document Review Attorneys to Review Documents - Summer 2022 Update

12. What is the cost per document for document review attorneys to review documents during the review phase of eDiscovery?

12 - Review Pricing - Per Document Cost for Document Review Attorneys to Review Documents - Summer 2022 Update

Background Information

13. In which geographical region do you primarily conduct eDiscovery-related business?

13 - Survey Respondents by Geographic Region - Summer 2022 Update

14. Which of the following segments best describes your business in eDiscovery?

14 - Survey Respondents by Organizational Segment - Summer 2022 Update

15. What area best describes your primary function in the conduct of your organization’s eDiscovery business?

15 - Survey Respondents by Primary Function - Summer 2022 Update

An Aggregate Overview of Survey Responses (Eight Surveys)

16 - Survey Respondents (Individual and Aggregate Overview) - Summer 2022 Update

*For the purpose of this ongoing industry survey, price and cost are used interchangeably and represent the amount a customer is willing to pay for the service. However, from a financial and accounting perspective, pricing is the amount a customer is willing to pay and the cost is typically the expense incurred for creating and delivering the service.


Past eDiscovery Pricing Surveys

Additional Research

Source: ComplexDiscovery


 

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