The clock is ticking on Relativity Server, and legal teams that delay their cloud transition risk operational disruption and missed opportunities for AI-powered efficiency gains. Relativity, the dominant platform in the industry, has drawn a clear line in the sand: beginning January 1, 2028, all new matters must be hosted in RelativityOne, the company's cloud-based platform. While existing Server matters created before December 31, 2027, will continue to be supported, the message is unmistakable. The future of eDiscovery lives in the cloud.
Understanding the deadline
This policy change is more than just a technical update. It marks the end of an era for on-premises eDiscovery infrastructure. Relativity has given three years of advance notice to allow legal teams enough time to plan thoughtful transitions. Organizations that wait until 2027 to start planning will find themselves rushing through tight schedules and facing unnecessary costs and stress.
The transition is not optional. Limited exceptions will be made only where regulatory or similar requirements demand them. For many legal teams, RelativityOne will become the only path forward for new litigation and investigation matters.
Why the industry is moving to the cloud
More than 75 percent of Relativity’s business has already transitioned to the cloud platform. The shift away from Relativity Server reflects broader changes in how legal data is created and managed. Modern litigation increasingly involves complex data types that traditional tools struggle to handle effectively. Slack and Teams messages, social media interactions, collaborative work platforms, and structured data from enterprise systems have all become common sources of discoverable information.
RelativityOne was designed specifically to address these challenges. Built on Microsoft Azure, the platform combines elastic scalability with cloud-native AI capabilities that simply do not exist in the Server environment. Organizations using RelativityOne report document-to-document speeds averaging 0.19 seconds and the ability to scale instantly to meet the demands of any case size.
Exclusive capabilities in the cloud
Perhaps the most compelling reason to migrate sooner rather than later is the availability of AI-powered tools exclusive to RelativityOne. The platform provides aiR for Case Strategy, which assists attorneys in building case narratives and preparing for depositions. aiR for Review enables more efficient and consistent document review. Sentiment analysis scores documents based on emotional content, while integrated translation supports over 100 languages without leaving the platform.
These capabilities provide significant competitive advantages for legal teams managing complex issues. Vendor-reported results indicate that organizations can process cases up to four times faster and cut review times by as much as 80 percent when AI-enabled workflows are properly implemented. Although results vary depending on data and configuration, the efficiency improvements are considerable.
Security and compliance advantages
RelativityOne has achieved ISO, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and FedRAMP compliance certifications. Data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, with a dedicated 24/7 security team monitoring the platform. Calder7, Relativity’s in-house security team, includes over 30 professionals focused on threat intelligence, vulnerability assessments, and network defense monitoring. For legal teams managing sensitive client data, these enterprise-grade protections often surpass what can be accomplished with on-premises infrastructure.
The cost of waiting
Legal teams still using Relativity Server face a strategic choice. Starting the transition now allows for careful planning, pilot testing, and stakeholder consensus. Waiting until deadlines approach leads to rushed timelines, higher costs, and increased risk of operational disruption during active cases.
The next 20 months offer an opportunity to plan, not delay. Organizations that approach this transition strategically will keep control over technology decisions and vendor relationships while positioning themselves to harness advanced AI capabilities that only cloud architecture can offer.
Avalon has extensive experience with data migration and can assist in your move to RelativityOne. Contact us today to discuss.
