What Companies need to consider for e-Discovery

Within the legal environment, Discovery is the process of identifying, locating, preserving, securing, collecting, preparing, reviewing, and producing facts, information, and materials for the purpose of producing/obtaining evidence for utilization in the legal process. Electronic Discovery (e-Discovery) is an extension of these processes into the digital environment and Electronically Stored Information (ESI). Legal departments are ill-prepared to deal with the digital environment of a business. Increasingly they are turning to the company's Information Technology (IT) department in order to identify, locate, preserve, and collect ESI. This is not break/fix work that is typical in IT operations. This is a new area of Data Governance and Records Information Management. This paper explores the relationships between Executive Management, Legal, Risk Management, IT, and Security in fulfilling the demands and obligations for defensible e-Discovery. This analysis includes a discussion of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (ERDM) and its integration with Information Governance Reference Model (IGRM).