Three Stages of eDiscovery

I drafted an earlier version of this column last year but never used it. Perhaps it was the original title, which contained the words “Insanity,” “eDiscovery” and “IT.” I decided it was too inflammatory and never published it. The subject? My frustration at getting the message across that eDiscovery should matter to IT. The message seemed to be falling on deaf ears and I will admit to writing a few scathing comments about it. It was just as well that it never saw the light of day.

How things can change in a year.

I am very encouraged at IT’s response to eDiscovery now as opposed to a year ago. Then much of IT – and the industry press – was convinced that eDiscovery was strictly the realm of the lawyers. When I mentioned eDiscovery to a publication or trade conference that caters to IT, I got blank looks or “not interested” emails. The general consensus was that IT doesn’t care about eDiscovery and doesn’t need to.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and I am seeing very encouraging signs that IT thinks so too. Because here is the deal: IT is directly responsible for the universe of data that feeds the eDiscovery and compliance business processes. How much more involved can you get?