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You are viewing ARCHIVED CONTENT released online between 1 April 2010 and 24 August 2018 or content that has been selectively archived and is no longer active. Content in this archive is NOT UPDATED, and links may not function.Extract from article by Jennifer Johnson
The survey results suggest that all parties building out eDiscovery services are feeling the impact of a competitive marketplace, namely; data volumes, budgetary constraints, and lack of personnel.
In Canada, if we were to characterize the pain points of the average eDiscovery stakeholder, we would say that managing electronic data volumes in a cost-effective manner while acquiring, developing and retaining qualified personnel is the most significant challenge in what is still a relatively small marketplace. In-house eDiscovery teams are characteristically challenged to advance and maintain expertise in a manner similar to vendors who manage multiple complex cases day in and day out, with the benefit of a more robust and secure infrastructure. The nuances and variables associated with eDiscovery alongside the pace of change in our industry make this a tall order even for those on the front lines. As a result, many firms and corporations are aligning themselves to specialized vendors to address these challenges along with the others cited in the survey: security, increasing types of data, inadequate technology.
While ranked lower in the survey results, we know from regular conversations with our clients that challenges around security, increasing types of data, and inadequate technology are very real and present for them. We predict that when challenges with email are addressed through a technology-driven approach to review, issues with data volumes will receive a lower ranking, and increasing types of data will become a more prevalent challenge. There was also speculation on the panel that while eDiscovery technology is still not perfect, people are looking to streamline more than they are looking for fine-tuning of the “bells and whistles”.