Strategic Planning
The professionals at Jimenez Consulting Solutions (JCS) take a
holistic approach toward addressing the eDiscovery
challenges faced by our customers. Our methodology is based on the
Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and
addresses EDRM functions of most interest to IT and Legal including:
Information Management, Identification, Preservation &
Collection, and Processing & Review & Analysis.
eDiscovery Strategic Plan
JCS can work with your organization to develop a plan intended to
assist Legal, Information Technology and other relevant constituents in
understanding their responsibilities for identifying, retaining, and
collecting electronically stored information (ESI). This plan
would include:
- eDiscovery Organization and Roles & Responsibilities
- Summary of eDiscovery Policies and Procedures
- ESI Data Map Summary
- eDiscovery Technology in Use
Enterprise Data Map
Corporate attorneys, their outside counsel, and Information
Technology personnel all have a need to understand where corporate
information lives, the retention and disposition policies governing the
information, and the complexity of holding, collecting, and producing
that information if required.
Working with your personnel, our professionals will develop a
Data Map containing summarized and detailed views of
potentially discoverable information including
electronic mail, documents (local, in file shares, and archived),
instant messages, and records from functional systems that rely on
relational or other database management systems. The Data Map,
which can be as simple as a spreadsheet or as comprehensive as to
require a database application, is comprised of the following key
sections:
- eMail Systems (Production, Backup, and Archive)
- Local Drives
- Network Shares
- Functional and Transactional Systems
eDiscovery Policies & Procedures
Implementing a successful eDiscovery capability requires the
introduction of new policies and procedures as well as modification of
existing policies and procedures. Our professionals will assess
existing policies and procedures to identify gaps and
document necessary changes. We will also identify new policies and
procedures required to form the organizational foundation of a capable
eDiscovery program. Some of the most common policies and procedures
include:
- A Legal Discovery Policy addressing the
implementation and support of litigation holds.
- Discovery Response Procedure: Procedures
stakeholders must follow in response to receiving Hold and/or
Collection Notifications.
- Retention and Disposition Policy: Defines
minimum or maximum retention period as required by law, regulation,
or industry convention for business records. Also defines when to
dispose of information.
eDiscovery Tools and Technology Strategy
Technologies supporting Identification, Preservation & Collection,
and Processing & Review & Analysis activities needn't require expensive
new tools. In some cases existing tools and technologies can be
leveraged to support your eDiscovery needs. Our professionals will
assess existing tools and determine the extent to which they support
eDiscovery requirements. Our team will identify gaps and whether
the acquisition of new tools is in order. Our team also will work
to develop a strategy calling out long-term tool requirements. The
eDiscovery Tools and Technology Strategy typically includes the
following key work products:
- Electronic Mail Infrastructure Assessment: Captures the
requirements for email storage in the context of eDiscovery-related
policies, and compares those requirements with existing mail
technologies. Includes a determination of fit-for-use and plans to
enhance deployment.
- Data Management Infrastructure Assessment: Captures the
requirements for company-wide data management practices and compares
those with the technology capabilities for classifying, searching,
collecting, and producing the data when needed.
- eDiscovery Technology Use and Deployment Strategy: Identifies
existing technology capabilities and gaps. Depending on budget and
timing considerations, a multi-year roadmap may be developed
outlining changes required to existing technologies as well as
acquisition and implementation of new technologies.