Relativity Server Sunset: Your On-Prem eDiscovery Path Forward with Reveal

Relativity Server will no longer support new on-prem matters after January 1, 2028. For legal and IT leaders, this means every new discovery project must shift to the cloud or move to an alternative platform. If you manage active matters on Relativity Server, it's time to plan your eDiscovery transition.

What happens when the tools your team depends on are taken off the table, and you're told it's progress?

Too many teams are still in wait-and-see mode, hoping timelines will shift or support will quietly extend. Meanwhile, infrastructure is aging, talent is turning over, and pressure is mounting. Legal and IT leaders need a clear, practical plan that avoids last-minute scrambles and keeps control over their environment.

Whether you're weighing on-prem vs cloud eDiscovery or exploring hybrid options, this article outlines your next best move.

Why Is Relativity Sunsetting Its On-Prem Server?

Relativity is moving fully to the cloud. In fact, the company announced that after December 31, 2027, no new matters can be created in Relativity Server.

By January 1, 2028, any new work must happen in RelativityOne, their cloud offering. Some exceptions exist for federal agencies, but even those may expire earlier.

For many, a Relativity migration is now mandatory. That has direct implications for legal data management, budgeting, and how teams support active investigations or litigation.

What Does This Mean for Your eDiscovery Workflow?

This shift can cause major workflow disruptions. Many teams, frankly, aren't ready. Aging on-prem infrastructure often slows performance and may no longer meet modern compliance or security standards.

Waiting too long might lead to rushed decisions, which tend to be costly. You might face conflicts over technical resources, competing priorities, or short timelines imposed by service providers stepping away from Relativity Server earlier than the 2028 deadline.

Some issues that typically arise during last-minute transitions include:

• Overloaded IT teams juggling multiple migrations at once
• Unplanned downtime impacting active matters and deadlines
• Staff struggling to learn new tools under pressure

Emergency fixes cost more than planned projects. Procurement delays, short-term licensing extensions, and contractor costs can stack up. An eDiscovery transition strategy helps avoid all of that while protecting ongoing matters.

Why Reveal Is the Logical Successor to Relativity Server

When it comes to replacing Relativity Server, flexibility really matters. Some teams want to stay on-prem. Others prefer cloud, hybrid, or service-based options.

Reveal eDiscovery tools support all of those choices. You don't have to adjust your entire business just to use the platform.

Reveal provides a discovery platform that includes full-featured AI, visual analytics, and review capabilities-all from one place. You get the same tech stack across environments, whether it's hosted in your data center, private cloud, or SaaS.

Reveal also supports eDiscovery as a service, giving organizations the option to outsource infrastructure and management without giving up power or flexibility. This approach is especially helpful for teams that want to scale quickly or reduce internal IT burden while still running large, complex matters.

Reveal has helped law firms and legal departments handle petabyte-scale workloads securely and consistently. For teams that need eDiscovery software for law firms with high stakes and strict deadlines, that scale can be the difference between staying on track and falling behind.

Planning Your Migration

Planning ahead keeps things smoother. Begin by reviewing all active matters. Identify what must stay on Server until closeout and what can be migrated early.

Next, organize your transition in phases. Don't try to move everything in one wave. Move high-priority or low-risk matters first. That lets teams test processes without risking critical timelines.

Reveal supports this phased approach with built-in validation tools, flexible deployment options, and clear reporting paths.

How Reveal Helps You Stay On-Prem-Without Being Left Behind

Some teams can't move to the cloud. That might be due to security policies, data sovereignty laws, or just infrastructure investments they're not ready to leave behind. On-premise eDiscovery remains a high priority for many public and private organizations.

Reveal's Private Deployment gives you access to the full platform on your own infrastructure. You get the same AI, review, analytics, and early case assessment features, without shifting to a third-party cloud.

Private Deployment is built for high-control environments. It supports:

• Government, financial, and healthcare teams with strict data controls
• Teams needing air-gapped or hybrid hosting options
• Environments where latency, location, or compliance require local hosting

Unlike some providers, Reveal gives you full SaaS performance without removing control. In fact, Reveal eDiscovery tools are fully accessible in private deployments, so teams don't lose features or performance just to stay compliant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Reveal Only a Cloud Platform?

No. Reveal offers flexible deployment options. You can run the full platform on-prem, in private cloud environments like AWS or Azure, in hybrid formats, or as SaaS.

Will We Lose Defensibility in the Migration?

No. Reveal supports defensible migration processes that preserve audit trails, metadata integrity, and chain of custody across matters. Our migration plans are built to maintain evidentiary value and compliance throughout every phase.

How Fast Can We Move from Relativity Server to Reveal?

Many organizations begin their transition in as little as 4-6 weeks. Reveal's dedicated support and enablement teams work alongside your staff to reduce friction and keep the process on schedule.

What If We Still Have Legacy Server Cases Running into 2027?

Reveal supports dual environments. You can run legacy matters on Relativity Server and start new ones on Reveal without overlap issues.

Move Forward Without Losing Control

The Relativity Server sunset is forcing critical changes in how legal teams manage eDiscovery. Migrating doesn't have to mean giving up control, disrupting active matters, or rushing through high-risk transitions.

Reveal gives you options: cloud, hybrid, or private infrastructure, while offering the full power of Reveal eDiscovery tools. Our Private Deployment model delivers advanced AI, visual analytics, and full EDRM support on your terms. With fast deployment timelines and flexible configurations, we help you move at your pace without compromise.

Schedule a demo to see how Reveal can help you build a smarter, faster, and more secure eDiscovery environment that works for your team.