Exploring Novel Uses for Exterro Review Technology

Exterro client twobytwo Solutions provides computer forensics, e-discovery, and expert consulting services to a diverse client base, including public sector agencies, law firms, and businesses. However, they are far from a traditional legal services provider. As a boutique firm, they focus on technically challenging cases and pride themselves on solving problems through unconventional approaches.

Their name itself reflects this mindset, inspired by “two-by-two tables” used in epidemiology—a field in which founder and principal Dennis Cheng holds a graduate degree. As he explains, their cases are often not just technically complex in terms of technology, but also in the nature of the data, the litigation context, or other unique constraints. “We’re solution finders,” he says.

Their work varies widely—from high-profile cases making headlines to pro bono efforts supporting rural public defenders. As a small and agile organization, twobytwo carefully selects clients based on alignment in values, goals, and vision.

Experience with the Exterro FTK® Family of Solutions

As a long-time user of the FTK® Forensic Toolkit, Dennis had also worked with Summation for document review. Its integration with forensic tools made it particularly effective for intellectual property investigations. However, with that technology being phased out, twobytwo needed to explore new solutions.

They required a platform that was both flexible and powerful—capable of supporting traditional litigation as well as unconventional, complex review scenarios.

While evaluating options, Dennis noted that some competitors focused more on pricing and scale than understanding client needs. In contrast, his experience with Exterro Review stood out as more collaborative and forward-looking. He saw potential not just in the product, but in a long-term partnership approach.

twobytwo ultimately decided to trial Exterro Review.

Putting Exterro Review to the Test

One of their first major use cases involved reviewing approximately one terabyte of data—essentially an entire school district’s email system—in a sensitive child abuse litigation case.

Using alternative platforms would have made the review financially unfeasible for the client, a law firm representing victims. With Exterro Review, twobytwo was able to process the data efficiently, support the litigation, and help secure relief for the victims.

They have since applied the platform to other scenarios, including data breach investigations, where they successfully identified compromised personal data by searching for patterns such as Social Security numbers.

Efficiency and Usability Advantages

One of the most significant benefits Dennis highlighted was usability. This directly translates into time and cost savings during document review projects.

Training new reviewers—often a major bottleneck—was minimal. In one example, a veteran attorney with no prior experience using Exterro was able to become productive within 20 minutes of instruction and completed the workload equivalent of four reviewers.

This combination of ease of use and scalability enables twobytwo to handle complex, high-volume cases without the overhead typically associated with document review platforms.

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