What is e-Discovery?
Effective December 1, 2006, a number of substantive revisions were made to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP). Some of the most significant changes appear in Rule 26, which governs the production of evidence in most federal court cases, and in particular as the rule applies to electronic stored information (ESI). ESI covers any and all information that can be stored electronically - including email, instant messaging threads, Skype chats, social media transcripts and other forms of electronic communication. In a nutshell, the changes to the FRCP require organizations to manage their data in such a way that this data can be produced in a timely and complete manner when necessary during legal discovery proceedings.
The Risks of Non-Compliance
Unlike some more specific compliance regulations, e-Discovery rules affect every type of company in every industry. If you can be sued in a federal court, then the rules apply. Failure to comply can mean fines, sanctions, executive liability, and other far-reaching effects on business and the bottom line.
Google Message Discovery
Google Message Discovery, part of Google’s Postini suite of security and archiving services, allows you to create a secure and searchable email archive. Google Apps for Business customers can purchase Google Message Discovery archiving and search tools as an add-on product for Google Apps or use it independently with other systems.
Rippe & Kingston is an Authorized Reseller for Google Apps as well as a leading provider of software for Law Firms. Learn more about Postini and LMS (Legal Management System).
