eDiscovery Daily Blog

• January 21, 2026

Over the last decade, the eDiscovery market has experienced a dramatic shift. What was once a landscape that supported both on-premise and hosted review platforms has now become overwhelmingly cloud-centric. Today, nearly every major review platform has transitioned to a SaaS model with some that actively forced clients to migrate, leaving few modern on-premise options available. 

While cloud-based review platforms offer undeniable advantages such as scalability, rapid deployment, and remote access, this industry-wide transition has also created an unintended consequence: a growing vacuum for organizations that still require on-premise review. For many legal teams, cloud-only is not a preference, it’s a limitation. 

The Disappearance of On-Premise Review Platforms 

The move to cloud review platforms has largely been driven by software provider economics and market demand for flexible, subscription-based services. As a result, legacy on-premise platforms have been sunset, deprioritized, or left without meaningful innovation. In many cases, organizations that relied on on-premise review have been given little choice but to migrate their cases and business models to the cloud. 

Yet the disappearance of these platforms does not mean the underlying need has vanished. Instead, it has exposed a critical gap between what cloud-only vendors offer and what many organizations require to operate effectively, securely, and profitably. 

Why On-Premise Review Still Matters 

Despite the prevalence of SaaS platforms, there are clear and compelling reasons why on-premise review remains essential for key segments of the legal market. 

Security and Compliance 

For corporations in highly regulated industries and government agencies operating under strict data governance mandates, data control is non-negotiable. Many organizations are required to keep sensitive information within their own infrastructure due to regulatory obligations, internal security frameworks, or data sovereignty concerns. In these environments, cloud deployment introduces risk, complexity, and extensive oversight requirements that on-premise solutions naturally avoid. 

Cost Control and Predictability 

Cloud pricing models often rely on consumption-based fees tied to data volumes, storage duration, and user activity. While this may work for some matters, it can introduce cost volatility that is incompatible with fixed-fee litigation, internal investigations, and budget-sensitive cases. On-premise review platforms offer predictable costs, allowing law firms and corporate legal teams to manage expenses with far greater certainty.

Business Model Flexibility for Legal Service Providers 

Legal service providers have historically relied on on-premise review platforms to offer hosted review services without sharing margins with SaaS vendors. As cloud-only platforms have become the norm, profit-sharing models have shifted more revenue toward technology providers and away from service organizations. The lack of modern on-premise options limits a provider’s ability to control pricing, differentiate services, and maintain profitability. 

Specialized Law Firm Use Cases 

Even law firms that broadly embrace cloud review often encounter scenarios where on-premise review makes more sense. Cost-sensitive matters, internal client requirements, fixed-fee engagements, or unique workflow demands can all benefit from an in-house review platform that provides control without recurring hosting costs. 

A Market Gap That Can No Longer Be Ignored 

The eDiscovery industry’s near-exclusive focus on cloud deployment has left many organizations with no suitable solution. Corporations and government agencies are forced to accept compromises or implement costly governance controls. Legal service providers lose margin and autonomy. Law firms are left balancing client demands against unpredictable costs. 

This is not a shrinking niche; it is a persistent and underserved segment of the market that has been waiting for a modern, viable on-premise alternative. 

Introducing CloudNine Review On-Premise 

CloudNine is addressing this gap with the upcoming release of CloudNine Review On-Premise, designed specifically to meet the needs of organizations that require full control over their review environment without sacrificing modern review capabilities. 

CloudNine Review On-Premise is built to deliver the functionality, performance, and usability expected from contemporary review platforms, while allowing organizations to deploy and manage the system entirely within their own infrastructure. 

This approach enables: 

• Complete ownership and control of sensitive data 
• Alignment with internal security, compliance, and governance requirements 
• Predictable costs without cloud hosting fees 
• Freedom from SaaS profit-sharing models 
• Support for cost-sensitive and fixed-fee matters 
• Gives case team options for either SaaS or on-premise CloudNine Review 

By offering a true on-premise alternative, CloudNine empowers legal service providers, corporations, government agencies, and law firms to regain control over how review is delivered and priced. 

The Future of eDiscovery Is About Choice 

The evolution of eDiscovery does not point to a cloud-only future, it points to a future defined by flexibility and choice. Cloud platforms will continue to play an important role, but they are not the answer for every organization or every matter. 

With CloudNine Review On-Premise, the industry gains a modern solution for those who cannot, or should not, move everything to the cloud. As data volumes grow, compliance requirements tighten, and cost pressures increase, the return of a robust on-premise review platform represents not a step backward, but a strategic step forward. 

For organizations seeking control, predictability, and independence, CloudNine Review On-Premise is positioned to fill a long-standing gap in the eDiscovery market.