Large-Scale Relativity Server to RelativityOne Cloud-Based Workspace Migration

The client, a midsize corporate law firm, approached Avalon as it prepared to transition away from its existing (and one of the world’s largest) eDiscovery providers. The firm was looking for a more responsive partner that could deliver stronger day-to-day support, more effective user guidance, and a higher level of overall service.

In addition to service concerns, the client needed a trusted team to manage a time-sensitive migration from Relativity Server to RelativityOne before its existing contract expired. Avalon’s combination of technical expertise, hands-on support, and clientfocused service model made us a strong fit for both the immediate
migration effort and the long-term partnership the client was seeking.

The Challenge

Avalon was engaged to manage a complex migration of approximately 40–60 workspaces from another Relativity provider’s Server-based environment into the more advanced cloud-based RelativityOne platform. Driven by the impending expiration of the client’s existing contract, the project was subject to a highly compressed timeline. Significant matter volume, coupled with the need to preserve active work product and maintain continuity for legal teams, made the transition particularly sensitive.

The prior provider had reported a hosting footprint of approximately 3.6 TB, which created additional pressure around cost visibility and billing exposure as the contract end date approached. Avalon needed to coordinate the migration carefully, validate transferred data thoroughly, and help the client avoid overlapping costs or double
billing while ensuring all required workspaces were moved successfully and on time.

The Strategy

Avalon took a structured, deadline-driven approach to the migration to ensure the client could transition out of its prior Relativity Server-based environment without disruption. We began by inventorying the client’s full workspace population and aligning each matter to the timeline required for removal from the prior provider’s environment.

From there, Avalon worked closely with the client to identify priority matters that needed to be migrated first, based on activity level, urgency, and business need. These active matters were scheduled carefully to minimize downtime and preserve continuity for legal teams.

At the same time, Avalon and the client identified a second group of less active workspaces that could be migrated on a more flexible schedule. This allowed the team to keep the migration moving continuously, maintain momentum throughout the project, and maximize progress ahead of the contract deadline. By balancing high-priority migrations with lower-risk matters, Avalon was able to create an efficient workflow that supported both speed and control across a large volume of workspaces.

Quality control was also a critical component of the strategy. Avalon performed thorough validation of migrated data, so that any issues could be identified and addressed with the prior vendor before data was purged or an additional billing cycle began. This helped protect the client from unnecessary cost exposure while ensuring the integrity of the migrated workspaces.

In addition to the migration itself, Avalon partnered with the client on longer-term data management decisions to reduce its ongoing Relativity footprint. Where appropriate, workspaces were transitioned to cold storage or preserved as ARM (Archive, Restore, and Move) archives for long-term retention once matters had concluded. This approach helped the client not only meet its immediate migration deadline but also position its environment more efficiently for the future.

The Results

Avalon successfully migrated the required workspaces within the client’s tight deadline, enabling a seamless transition from their previous Relativity Server-based provider before contract expiration and into the more advanced and powerful AI-enabled RelativityOne environment, helping avoid overlapping costs. (Our team was given only 1.5 months lead time, yet we finished the migration in just under one month to ensure the client was out of the prior vendor's environment.)

By combining technical expertise with disciplined project management, Avalon worked closely with the client to:

• Prioritize active matters
• Develop a practical migration schedule
• Preserve critical work product
• Reduce the overall hosting footprint
• Minimize disruption to ongoing legal matters
• Enhance technological capabilities, including access to AI-enabled RelativityOne tools 

Beyond the migration itself, Avalon provided the responsive, hands-on support the client had been missing, delivering extensive RelativityOne training, overflow support, and ongoing guidance that gave the client confidence in both the transition and future operations while establishing a strong, long-term partnership.