Why You Need to Future-Proof Your EDiscovery Data Preservation Strategies

Legal ops professionals need to be proactive and adopt advanced technology to future-proof their eDiscovery data preservation strategies in a digital workplace, as Exterro writes in a recent blog post.

Data preservation is a fundamental aspect of the eDiscovery process. Managing legal holds and collecting data through a combination of emails and spreadsheets is no longer practical due to the growing complexity of communication platforms, cloud storage, and remote work.

During litigation, all relevant information must be preserved to meet discovery obligations. When data is not properly retained, organizations face severe consequences such as court sanctions, reputational harm, and financial penalties. Additionally, timely and accurate data preservation strengthens litigation strategies by ensuring that vital evidence is accessible.

Preserving data today is riddled with challenges. The proliferation of collaboration platforms — from email and messaging apps to cloud services — creates data silos that make it difficult to track and retrieve relevant information. Platforms with short retention periods, such as certain messaging apps, increase the urgency to act quickly. Furthermore, over-preserving data leads to high costs, while under-preserving poses legal threats. These risks are often compounded by poor communication across legal, information technology, human resources, and compliance teams.

Encouraging cross-departmental collaboration and issuing legal holds early can greatly enhance preservation efforts and reduce mistakes. Communication with custodians and compliance training are essential, while a centralized data map helps teams locate critical data quickly.

Technology also plays a pivotal role in modernizing eDiscovery. Legal hold solutions notify custodians and track responses, real-time preservation tools secure data across platforms, and compliance tracking software offers visibility into preservation efforts. In addition, advanced platforms allow real-time, in-place data preservation across various platforms like Slack, Teams, and cloud storage systems.

To future-proof data preservation strategies, legal ops professionals must embrace proactive strategies and advanced technology to ensure compliance, mitigate legal risks, and reduce costs. Modernized data preservation practices not only meet legal requirements but strengthen case outcomes and safeguard reputations.