eDiscovery Daily Blog

• January 13, 2026

Note: This is a continuation of our article: Why On-Premise Still Matters: How CloudNine LAW Empowers Secure, Cost-Effective Data Processing 

As legal discovery continues to evolve, so does the data at its core. Collaboration platforms, cloud-based enterprise tools, and mobile devices now generate the majority of potentially relevant evidence. Slack, Microsoft Teams, M365 workloads, and smartphone data are no longer edge cases, they are the case. 

Yet amid rapid innovation and the rise of cloud-only review solutions, one truth remains clear: on-premise review platforms still play a critical and necessary role in the legal discovery ecosystem, especially when paired with robust, modern data processing engines like CloudNine LAW. 

For many organizations, keeping data behind their own firewall is not a legacy preference, it’s a requirement. 

The Reality of Modern Data in eDiscovery 

Today’s evidence that is present in matters routinely involve: 

• Slack JSON exports with complex threading, reactions, edits, and attachments 
• Microsoft Teams and M365 data, spanning chats, channels, shared files, and metadata 
• Corporate cloud data, including OneDrive, SharePoint, and enterprise messaging 
• Mobile device collections, such as: 
• • Oxygen Forensics .dat exports 
  • Cellebrite UFDR files 
  • PinPoint Labs, ModeOne and other forensic smartphone extractions used in investigations and litigation 

This data is highly structured, deeply nested, and context-dependent. Reviewing it defensibly requires more than simple ingestion, it demands processing sophistication, normalization, and preservation of relationships before attorneys ever begin review. Though many platforms like CloudNine Review have automated these processes, a robust on-premise processing platform is necessary to ensure all traditional and modern data can be processed properly and in a short timeframe. 

Why On-Premise Review Is Becoming More Essential 

While SaaS review platforms offer flexibility, many legal teams, corporations, and government entities still require on-premise review environments for reasons that include security, cost predictability and regulatory requirements. 

1. Data Control and Security

For regulated industries, government agencies, and organizations handling sensitive investigations, data cannot leave internal infrastructure. 

On-premise review platforms ensure: 

• Data stays behind the client’s firewall 
• Internal security, access controls, and monitoring policies remain intact 
• No third-party hosting risks or cross-tenant exposure 

This level of control is often non-negotiable for matters involving trade secrets, internal investigations, national security, or regulatory scrutiny. 

2. Seamless Integration with Forensic Collections

Modern discovery frequently begins with forensic tools like Oxygen Forensics and Cellebrite, especially when mobile data is involved. Most SaaS platforms have some automation with importing these collection exports, but oftentimes, that automation doesn’t allow for customization. It is important that when the data is still in the lab, there is a local platform that can manage the complete process before “per GB” pricing SaaS solutions host that data.  

When review platforms integrate directly with advanced processing systems like CloudNine LAW, organizations can: 

• Ingest .dat and UFDR files without breaking forensic integrity 
• Preserve message hierarchies, timestamps, and device metadata 
• Cull down the data before review by date, custodian, key words etc. but also keeping the data available to supplement the review as needed. 
• Normalize mobile data into reviewable formats without flattening or breaking context especially when communications/conversations are across multiple platforms. 

This creates a defensible, end-to-end workflow from collection to processing to review to production entirely within the organization’s infrastructure. 

3. True Processing Power for Modern Data Types

As we see above, not all “processing” is created equal especially when it comes to automation. Having on-premise options allows for those one-off or more thorough and efficient data processing management. For instance: 

Slack, Teams, and M365 data require: 

• Thread reconstruction 
• Entity Normalization 
• Attachment association 
• Metadata normalization 
• Conversation context preservation 

CloudNine LAW delivers full, robust processing of traditional and modern data sources (over 5,200 file types), transforming raw exports like Slack JSON or Teams data into attorney-ready review content in a native review format verses converting everything to static PDF, RSMF or Tiff documents which creates a significant rise in per GB hosting fees.  

When paired with an on-premise review platform, legal teams gain: 

• Confidence that context has not been lost because of the full control of the data 
• Accurate conversation rendering and showing cross channel communications in context 
• Searchable, reviewable and production data 

This is especially critical when defending discovery decisions or responding to challenges in court that relate to any part of the post collection discovery process. 

4. Performance at Scale Without Bandwidth Constraints

Large matters, second requests and internal investigations often involve terabytes of data with tight production deadlines and sometimes. Moving that data to the cloud can introduce: 

• Long upload times 
• Bandwidth bottlenecks 
• Increased costs and delays 

Even though SaaS platforms like CloudNine Review have optimized data upload speeds, on-premise review platforms eliminate those constraints by keeping processing and review local. Data moves faster, review starts sooner, and teams maintain predictable performance especially at scale. 

5. Defensibility and Audit Readiness

When discovery workflows remain fully integrated from collection platforms to processing engines to review platforms organizations benefit from: 

• Clear chain of custody 
• Repeatable, documented workflows 
• Reduced risk of data alteration or loss 

For investigations, regulatory responses, and litigation, defensibility isn’t optional it’s foundational. Having the full suite of platforms behind the firewall ensure that all processes fit the necessary parameters verses always ensuring third party companies and platforms are 100% aligned with the corporate requirements.  

The Best of Both Worlds: Modern Processing + On-Prem Review 

The future of legal discovery isn’t about choosing between modern innovation and proven infrastructure. It’s about combining them. 

By pairing CloudNine LAW’s advanced processing capabilities with the upcoming on-premise CloudNine Review platform, organizations can: 

• Handle today’s most complex data types 
• Integrate forensic mobile data and corporate data collections seamlessly 
• Maintain security, compliance, and control 
• Deliver efficient and defensible review workflows 

This dual platform approach recognizes the reality of modern data continued growth in new data types while creating a standardized processing and review process. Further to that, if the review of that data makes sense in a SaaS platform, the CloudNine ecosystem allows for agility without continued training.  

Conclusion 

On-premise review platforms are not a relic of the past, but they are a critical component of a modern, flexible and cost predictable eDiscovery strategy. 

As data sources grow more complex and investigations more sensitive, legal teams need solutions that offer power, integration, and control. With CloudNine LAW at the core of processing and review environments securely deployed behind the client’s firewall, organizations don’t have to compromise. 

They get the best of modern discovery management efficiencies on their terms.