In the initial phase of each case, there comes a time when it’s necessary to share and provide all relevant information with all involved parties.

To have a productive eDiscovery process, you want to pull all the important information from the massive amounts of data available at our fingertips today. This includes things like emails, text messages, transcripts from messaging apps, and more that could be relevant to your suit. 

Achieving this is not always easy—after all, in our tech-heavy world today, there’s a massive amount of data to sift through for almost every case. To have a successful outcome, you need to have an eDiscovery process that stresses:

• Information without business value needs to be properly disposed of according to policy
• Valuable and relevant records must be stored and managed properly
• Information and records need to be thoroughly classified for consistency and control of information
• Records that are no longer needed need to be destroyed systematically, and with documentation.

This can be a costly and time-consuming process. Having a reliable eDiscovery solution can make it easier.

Evaluate eDiscovery Software with a Critical Eye 

What are your firm’s specific needs for an eDiscovery software solution? Knowing what your eDiscovery process is like and what tools you’ll need to make it happen is crucial to finding a high-performance solution that actually works for you. 

So how can you be sure you’re finding the right solution? It’s wise to shop around to find an eDiscovery software solution that meets the needs of your firm.

To start, you should look for a solution that answers “yes” to the following questions:

• Can it merge with the licenses you have for your other current IT solutions?
• Can it scale up and down on demand?
• Can it be customized to meet your specific needs?
• Is it fast, redundant, private, and secure, with first-rate encryption?
• Does it offer full support from IT professionals who understand the eDiscovery process?
• Does it offer precise, easy-to-understand billing practices? 

Beyond these questions, there are more technical specifications that your solution should have. What other requirements should you have when looking for the right eDiscovery software?

Peak Performance and Top Storage Architecture Configurations

From top to bottom, your eDiscovery system should be designed to maximize your performance. This means that from the way your data is written and stored to the way you access it, your software should be able to run demanding applications and meet your dynamic needs. 

This means that when choosing an eDiscovery solution, you should consider selecting a program that offers:

• Automated and accelerated storage tiers: Storage tiering is set up with multiple tiers of storage, and is configured to ensure your most-used data is kept on the fastest-available storage tier. Tiers are arranged so that each tier has more speed, less latency, and less capacity than the tier before it.
  
  Since costs go up with each level of storage, this automatic infrastructure configuration gives the data you access the most priority to the top tier, while data that isn’t accessed is moved to slower, less expensive tiers. When data on lower storage tiers is accessed, it moves up a level. You’re automatically prioritizing data to improve your eDiscovery system’s performance.

• Advanced network architecture: Your network architecture refers to the way the devices and services within your network work to serve your connectivity needs. A network architecture set-up that serves your eDiscovery solution will give you greater cost-efficiency and better cloud-computing capabilities so your overall performance is stronger.

• Enterprise-class equipment: Enterprise-class equipment is reliable and fault-tolerant. It’s able to withstand the heavy demands of your entire organization and your eDiscovery solution at high speeds even when powering complicated operations like those needed for machine-based learning. 

Centralized Management

You should be the one to have centralized administrative access to all your resources—not someone else. If you constantly need to be asking for permissions to access, scale, or reconfigure your system with a particular eDiscovery solution, that software may not be for you. After all, there are days that you will need to make critical changes at a moment’s notice and you won’t have time to wait.

Also, the cost for these reconfigurations should be transparent from the beginning. The last thing you need is to get slammed with a steep bill when you scaled up your system to meet demands. Instead, you need to know exactly what you’ll be paying, especially as you maneuver resources like storage tiers so it’s always efficient. 

What should you be looking for in a system that offers prime centralized management?

• Administrative control: Administrative control includes things like granting and revoking access privileges to security-sensitive information, as well as keeping information protected. It’s an essential part of your security practice. Also, when you need to scale up or down or reconfigure your system as needed, you have the power to do so yourself.

• Cost certainty: When you’ve taken the time to integrate an eDiscovery solution into your daily operations, you don’t want to have to do it again because you’ve discovered too many hidden fees or surprise costs with the program you’ve taken time to implement. Instead, look to choose a solution that’s completely transparent in its pay structure, even as you scale to meet the evolving needs of your firm, like during mergers and acquisitions or a particularly large or complicated suit.

Comprehensive Protection and Security

Working in a legal firm, there are all kinds of industry demands and compliance standards at stake. You owe your clients attorney-client privilege even against the threat of a data breach or a hacking attack.

There’s nothing more important than attorney-client privilege, and the eDiscovery process should be no different. As the Duke Law School Scholarship Repository stated:

“The attorney-client privilege is the most sacred and important privilege in our legal system. Despite being at the center of daily practice, the privilege still remains a mystery for many lawyers. This is primarily because the privilege is not absolute, and there are certain actions or non-actions that may waive it. 

The application of the privilege is further complicated by electronic discovery, which has both benefits and drawbacks. On one hand, it has made the practice of law more efficient. On the other hand, it has made it easier to inadvertently waive the attorney-client privilege in response to a discovery request.”

Your eDiscovery solution should include state-of-the-art encryption services and an isolated network architecture to keep your data protected and compliant with industry standards. What should be included in a secure eDiscovery solution?

• Isolated network resources: An isolated network consists only of servers that are connected in their own environment without a connection to any other network; there’s no network connectivity to a larger internal network and no potential for remote exploits that can lay bare your files. This kind of network is only limited to personnel who have access.

• Secure data ingestion: Data ingestion refers to obtaining and importing data for use and storage within your database—like when bringing in large volumes of data regarding a particular case. Data sources are prioritized, validated, and then routed to the right destinations. Thes best data ingestion tools have advanced security measures in place to keep all of your new and existing data secure during this process.
• Physical safeguards and encryption: What happens if there is a flood or fire where physical servers are located? The Security Rule defines physical safeguards as “physical measures, policies, and procedures to protect a covered entity’s electronic information systems and related buildings and equipment, from natural and environmental hazards, and unauthorized intrusion.”
  
  Additionally, you need to have the ability to define which data should be encrypted. In an ideal world, everything would be encrypted in transit and at rest, but that’s not practical from a cost and efficiency perspective. But you should be able to keep confidential data secure when it’s necessary.

Essentially, your eDiscovery solution should only enhance your work and never get in the way of the task at hand, all while keeping you and your clients protected. When this matters most, only the best solution will do.

At Aquipt, we believe our eDiscovery solution is the pinnacle of what legal firms are searching for. With capabilities to expand and grow to meet your needs, keep your data protected and managed, the choice is clear. Are you ready to learn more about MatterPoint, our eDiscovery solution? Contact us today!