The Stages of EDRM

The Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) remains the cornerstone framework for managing digital evidence in litigation, regulatory inquiries, and investigations. Since its inception, technology and legal requirements have evolved significantly, making it more important than ever to understand and optimize each stage. Rather than a rigid, sequential checklist, EDRM is best understood as a flexible, iterative process that adapts to the needs of each case and modern data realities.

Key Takeaways

• The EDRM provides a structured approach to managing digital data for legal purposes, especially during eDiscovery.
• Its nine stages, Information Governance, Identification, Preservation, Collection, Processing, Review, Analysis, Production, and Presentation, can be tailored and revisited depending on case dynamics. 
• Advances in AI, automation, and cloud technologies have reshaped how organizations approach nearly every step of the model.

The 9 Stages of EDRM in 2025

1. Information Governance

Information Governance (IG) is the foundation of the EDRM. It ensures that data is properly managed before litigation arises, which helps reduce risk, cost, and complexity later in the process. Effective IG involves policies for creating, storing, retaining, and disposing of information in a defensible manner. Today, IG covers more than traditional storage systems; it includes cloud-native platforms, mobile devices, collaboration tools like  Teams and Slack, and social media. Strong IG practices not only make discovery more efficient but also improve compliance with data privacy regulations and internal governance policies.

2. Identification

Identification is about determining which information may be potentially relevant to the matter at hand. This step includes recognizing custodians (individuals who hold or control data), locating data sources (such as email systems, databases, or cloud platforms), and defining the scope of the data search. In modern practice, advanced analytics and AI-driven tools accelerate this process by quickly highlighting patterns, keywords, or unusual activity. Early, accurate identification can dramatically reduce costs and minimize over-collection of irrelevant data.

3. Preservation

Once potentially relevant data has been identified, it must be preserved to prevent loss, alteration, or deletion. Preservation is critical to maintaining defensibility in court because failure to preserve may lead to spoliation sanctions. Modern preservation techniques include issuing Legal Holds through automated systems, integrating directly with cloud platforms, and maintaining detailed audit logs. Preservation must be thorough yet targeted, balancing the need to protect data with the burden on organizations and individuals.

4. Collection

Collection involves gathering electronically stored information (ESI) in a defensible and efficient manner. This step requires strict adherence to legal and technical protocols to ensure the integrity of the data. In 2025, organizations will increasingly rely on automated collection tools that connect to cloud environments, endpoints, and legacy archives. Remote and cross-border collections have become standard and require careful attention to local data privacy laws and international transfer rules.

5. Processing

Processing is the step where raw, collected data is transformed into usable formats for review. The goal is to reduce data volume while preserving critical information. Processing includes filtering, de-duplication, metadata extraction, and file conversion. Increasingly, Early Case Assessment (ECA) happens during processing, giving legal teams insights into the scope and content of the data before moving to review. Leveraging AI-driven enrichment can make downstream review significantly faster and more cost-effective.

6. Review

Review the most resource-intensive phase of eDiscovery, requiring attorneys to evaluate documents for relevance, privilege, and confidentiality. Historically, this stage was labor-intensive and expensive, but modern technology has introduced powerful accelerators. Technology-Assisted Review (TAR), Continuous Active Learning (CAL), and AI-driven workflows now help prioritize documents, identify sensitive content, and flag patterns. Properly managed, review is not only faster but also more accurate and consistent than traditional methods.

7. Analysis

Analysis extends beyond document-level review by uncovering broader patterns and context. This stage helps legal teams understand timelines, communications, relationships, and key issues in a case. Advanced visualization tools, concept clustering, and analytics dashboards enable attorneys to develop strategies based on facts revealed in the data. Effective analysis brings clarity to complex cases and often informs case strategy well before trial.

8. Production

Production is the delivery of responsive, non-privileged documents to opposing parties or regulators. This step requires careful formatting to meet agreed-upon standards or court requirements, often including metadata preservation. Today, production is frequently done through secure, cloud-based portals with strict chain-of-custody controls. Ensuring consistency, accuracy, and compliance in this stage is essential to avoid disputes or rework.

9. Presentation

Presentation is where evidence is shared in hearings, depositions, or trials. The challenge lies in transforming complex data into formats understandable to non-technical audiences such as judges and juries. This may include visual timelines, graphics, interactive dashboards, or multimedia presentations. An effective presentation can make the difference between overwhelming the audience with technical details and delivering a compelling, persuasive narrative.

Why Technology Is More Critical Than Ever

The landscape of data and legal discovery has changed dramatically over the past decade. Data volumes continue to grow at exponential rates, fueled both by traditional sources like email and file shares and also by collaboration platforms, instant messaging, social media, and increasingly, AI-generated content. At the same time, global privacy regulations are becoming more complex, with GDPR, CCPA, and similar frameworks around the world introducing strict requirements for data handling and retention. These factors make eDiscovery more challenging and more costly to manage than ever before.

Legacy data remains a significant hurdle, as many organizations still rely on outdated archives or siloed systems that are difficult to access or migrate. Without the right strategies and technology in place, organizations risk spiraling costs, regulatory non-compliance, and missed insights that could directly impact the outcome of legal or regulatory matters.

Modern legal teams must recognize that AI and automation are no longer optional; they are essential. Advanced tools now assist with everything from data classification and legal hold management to predictive analytics and technology-assisted review. Automation reduces manual effort, accelerates timelines, and improves accuracy. Beyond efficiency, these innovations also enable compliance with evolving standards, giving legal teams the ability to respond to discovery requests with greater speed, confidence, and defensibility. In today’s digital environment, organizations that fail to embrace modern technology in eDiscovery risk being left behind both legally and competitively.

How Cloudficient Supports EDRM in 2025

At Cloudficient, we’ve built Expireon to help organizations address the toughest challenges of eDiscovery and information governance with confidence. Expireon is more than a tool; it’s a full platform designed to simplify, automate, and accelerate the early stages of the EDRM, while also reducing costs and risks across the entire process.

• Automated information governance & compliance: Expireon helps organizations establish defensible, consistent policies for managing data, covering cloud, on-premises, and legacy systems. Built-in compliance features support GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations so organizations stay protected.
• Smart identification & legal hold: With intelligent search and custodian management, Expireon makes it easy to quickly identify relevant information and apply legal holds automatically, ensuring that critical data remains preserved and defensible.
• Seamless collection & transformation: Expireon integrates directly with Microsoft 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and other platforms to collect relevant data securely. It also handles legacy archives and enables smooth migrations to modern cloud environments.
• Early case assessment & cost savings: By reducing data volumes before review and leveraging automation, Expireon minimizes the time and expense of downstream discovery while maintaining defensibility.

Expireon is built on our next-generation migration and transformation technology, giving organizations the ability to retire legacy systems without disruption. With scalability, speed, and built-in intelligence, Cloudficient empowers clients to modernize their approach to eDiscovery while staying prepared for future challenges.

To learn more about how Expireon and Cloudficiency can bring speed, compliance, and cost‑efficiency to your discovery process, visit our website or reach out to us directly.