All-in-one or best-in-breed?
Holding the platform concept as a development mantra for vendors keeps development nimble. Teams can work closely to deploy applications to meet specific needs. When a company that values the platform concept as their mantra gets a series of requests from users asking that the company's software develop "feature A," there's a great chance feature A is going to be introduced sooner than later, even outside of a standard development cycle since standalone applications are an option. Overall, the platform concept makes a development cycle fast and effective, where teams can focus on building the core product while easily incorporating one-off applications into their roadmap as needs dictate.
There are also tangential benefits from a platform growing in industry adoption. What a platform approach does well is extend the utility and value of a single tool for customers in important ways. As the platform's user base grows, it attracts other developers who may want to integrate their product with yours for the sake of tapping into that user base. Now, because that developer is connected to the initial tool, more customers are attracted to the combined platform, as it offers best-of-breed solutions in two different areas. That, in turn, attracts more developers, and the cycle continues. We've seen this with Apple, as they build their own mobile hub, where each new product brings new Apple customers to the table, who in turn request even greater technologies and better products.
Doing More with a Technology Platform
Our industry is growing fast, if any of the recent e-discovery reports within the last two years are accurate. According to Gartner's 2011 Magic Quadrant for E-Discovery, the e-discovery industry will likely see "a five-year compound annual growth rate of approximately 14%, which means the total [software vendor revenue] should reach $1.5 billion in 2013." There's a lot of customer demand out there, and they want to do more with their investments.
For example, Dallas-based law firm Thompson & Knight has built a range of applications on top of their review tool—everything from project management to contract organization tools—and it has allowed the firm's litigation support department to offer point solutions for different practice groups throughout their firm. One application built by the litigation support team has allowed attorneys to track health plans, treatments and payments regarding a health insurance matter—collections of more than $30 million managed in a single application built in house. It has even freed up IT resources at Thompson & Knight. By leveraging their existing software as a platform, Thompson & Knight's litigation support group can provide the types of project databases that, in the past, have tied up valuable IT resources in SharePoint for days.
As our industry grows, and more players enter the realm of e-discovery, it may become increasingly important to have the ability to tie new tools together and build point solutions within that tool. Users are going to continue looking for the best technology to conduct e-discovery, particularly technology that can keep up with the industry's rapid changes.
Recognized as a "leader" in Gartner's 2011 E-Discovery Magic Quadrant, kCura are the developers of the e-discovery software Relativity, a Web-based platform for the review, analysis and production of electronic data.