[Editor’s Note: EDRM is proud to amplify the educational efforts of our Trusted Partners.]
Since its inception in 2005, eDiscovery has taken on many forms—evolving with us to keep up with the colossal data demands of today. Even so, many law firms, corporations, service providers, and government agencies have not moved on from using the time-consuming and labor-intensive traditional, legacy eDiscovery tools of yesterday.
Some of these tools include spreadsheets, database management systems, cloud storage platforms, and paper management systems.
Database management systems are most often used when organizations need to ingest large volumes of data from IT endpoints, end users, or customers.
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Let’s take a closer look at how these four traditional tools measure up to modern eDiscovery solutions.
- Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are one of the most common ways organizations manage their eDiscovery. This comes as no surprise, as spreadsheets are very affordable, easy to learn, can be exported for simple data visualization, and easily shared for rapid analysis.
However, all information—including electronically stored information (ESI)—has to be manually entered and updated cell by cell. This is an incredibly tedious process that is very prone to data entry errors and is quickly becoming an impractical practice with the current, vast growth of data volumes.
- Database Management Systems
Database management systems are most often used when organizations need to ingest large volumes of data from IT endpoints, end users, or customers. Because of this, database management systems have some serious advantages. They are scalable to fit nearly any data set size and are excellent for long-term storage. Additionally, database management systems are helpful with processing and analyzing large datasets very quickly.
Though, the scalability makes it difficult for litigators to manage and deploy database management systems—potentially costing organizations their cases, investigations, and/or audits. These systems also require a subject matter expert that can be expensive and hard to find in addition to the high cost of software due to the cloud storage costs.
- Cloud Storage Platforms
Organizations also use cloud storage platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure to aid in their eDiscovery process. Cloud storage allows you to save on computing equipment costs, like physical consoles, and utilizes fast and efficient computing infrastructure to get your eDiscovery processed quickly.
Similar to database management systems, cloud storage platforms are scalable, allowing you to fit the software to your needs. But the hidden costs of cloud platforms, such as changing monthly bandwidth costs, can be higher than expected and the software sometimes requires additional training for your IT department.
- Paper Management Systems
Though we are moving further and further into a paperless world, organizations still use this analog method for their discovery. While there are absolutely no cybersecurity threats (because there is no cyberspace to threat), paper management systems are more time-consuming and labor-intensive than spreadsheets. Any ESI must be printed before you can even begin the discovery process and the added expense of mailing can quickly add up.
How the EDRM and AI Shaped the Current State of the Legal Industry
The creation of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) after eDiscovery was added to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure revolutionized our understanding of eDiscovery processes. The EDRM outlines the eDiscovery process so that legal professionals can ensure they stay in compliance with federal regulations and avoid sanctions and other penalties for missing court deadlines or data spoliation.
Read the entire article here.
