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Simplifying Data Migration with Everlaw

by Isabela Reid

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The amount of data that organizations produce is staggering and growing by leaps and bounds. As of April 2021, 60% of the world’s population was online, and by the end of the year, there will be 74 zettabytes of data, according to predictions made by statistics portal Statista. With this deluge of data, more issues will inevitably surface involving data ownership, data privacy, and data migration.

What is Data Migration?

Data migration is the method of moving data from one location, format, or application to another. This typically involves data profiling, cleansing, validation, and an ongoing quality-assurance process. Organizations also initiate data transfers when they move from an on-premise infrastructure to cloud-based storage. 

Data migration should not be confused with data conversion or data integration. Data conversion refers to the process of changing data from one format to another, which is necessary when data is being moved from a legacy application to an upgraded system. When the data is converted, it must be extracted from the source, altered, and loaded into the new system. Data integration, on the other hand, involves combining data residing in disparate locations to provide an integrated view of all the data, a process that is essential when analyzing data from multiple sources. 

Data Migration and Ediscovery

When migrating data during the ediscovery process, legal teams must address the preservation, production, and exchange of electronically stored information (ESI). Data collection is no longer a process of simply retrieving files from custodian-controlled cabinets in an office or a warehouse. 

Now, legal teams need to find the most relevant records in the shortest amount of time instead of collecting every piece of data. As a result, they are looking for a platform that optimizes their data collection investment. According to the Corporate Counsel Business Journal, the process of data migration in ediscovery is not a matter of simply inserting a flash drive into a USB port and dragging and dropping files onto the storage device. Instead, proactive planning to enhance data migration is critical. 

Organizations that convert from a reactive ediscovery-centric team into a proactive information governance-focused enterprise must first assess how they collect their information and identify where most of it resides. Failing to transfer data between platforms or locations properly could cause long-term damage to an organization. Likewise, leaving highly sensitive corporate material in the hands of multiple and varied law firms subject to different security practices dramatically increases risk. Careful planning allows legal teams to execute a more efficient and error-free process. Teams that stick to the assurances they provided at the onset of a matter tend to collaborate more effectively with adversaries, receive fair treatment from courts, and reduce risk.

2021 Ediscovery Cloud Adoption Report
Access insights into how respondents are handling ediscovery deployments, the advantages and challenges of moving to the cloud, and how to successfully transition to the cloud.

How Everlaw Handles Data Migration

While data migration involves moving electronic files from one location to another, the migration method is critical in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and security of the data. Everlaw has a two-step process to migrate data, reducing the time required to get data live on the platform and ready to review. 

The first step involves consulting with Everlaw’s highly skilled Data Operations experts to determine specific data needs and challenges. The following topics are covered during the complimentary consultation:

  • Originating platform, formats, and data structures available for export

  • Types of data to be migrated

  • The volume of data needed to be migrated

Everlaw will also request a data sample to reveal any potential roadblocks with the migration. 

During the second meeting, Everlaw will address any problems with the sample data, ask additional questions, and provide a time estimate for the migration. We generally provide migrations at no extra cost to customers; however, an additional charge might apply if the data is non-conformant. Customers are always informed about the estimated time and must approve any costs before any additional work is performed.

Everlaw performs three types of data migrations, including:

  • Native and processed data uploads, including production datasets with load files.

  • Bespoke platform data migrations, or the migration of data from other platforms like Relativity, DISCO, Logikcull, and Summation. Our objective is always to create a custom workflow for the most seamless transfer onto Everlaw.

  • Physical media support for the intake of client media containing native, processed, or both data types. Everlaw ensures that each media shipment is accurately and securely logged, tracked, and destroyed as requested.

Legal teams are encouraged to take advantage of all Everlaw offers by migrating existing cases from other platforms into our platform. Some of the features Everlaw provides include data visualization, clustering, email threading, deduplication, predictive coding, Storybuilder, and support available seven days per week. We strives to ensure the successful movement of data in and out of the Everlaw platform.

For more information on how the Everlaw platform will simplify your data transfer process, request a demo today.