DOCUMENT Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 38) PDAs, thumb drives, CDs, DVDs, MP3 players, external hard drives and document servers. Be prepared to search through instant messages and cell phone text messages as well since they are increasingly popular methods for communication. In fact, pay particular attention to these mediums given that text messages and instant messages are only kept on the cell phone and computer where the communication occurred. Ediscovery is all the more challenging in regards to these text messages and instant messages simply because the data inputted using these mediums is generally stored on a different company information portal. Do not be fooled by the size of some of the aforementioned devices: they all can store massive amounts of data. For example, an average USB memory stick may contain up to eight gigabytes of data. to your business’s internal network. Many employees tend to plug their iPods and digital music players into their computer portal nodes during work hours. Whether connected to your business’s internal network or not, tracking for all firm portable devices is essential. Despite the clear need to account for all company portable devices, as they relate to e-discovery and litigation, many transactional organizations still fail to adequately track them. Some of these businesses may simply elect not to locate their mobile devices because they assume that the information generated on these devices will automatically link into their company-wide main email system. A good portion of the time, this very well may be the case and a duplicate of the data produced on portable devices will indeed be on the business’s central email system. However, as companies have increasingly learned, this is not always the case. A thorough search and accounting must still occur to account for these devices since employees invariably modify the settings on company mobile devices. Changes that company employees may input involve having the portable device save files, pictures and emails that do not exist on the main company email system. As a result, there will not be a duplicate copy to locate on the company-wide main email system in these cases. Once accounted for, portable devices can be as helpful to the discovery process as traditional computer laptops and desktops since they too transmit, log and receive data. The data collected from these types of mobile devices is of particular value, in addition to the raw data that can be collected, since these devices can usually provide a clear timeline of events given their sophisticated time and date features. This information is extremely valuable for plotting out when the facts of a case occurred and establishing chain of custody issues. Mobile E-Discovery Best Practices 1 Preserve all data 2 Blend in 3 Manage data encryption 4 Utilize remote security applications 5 Update company technology usage guide In addition, be sure to conduct a search to locate all mobile devices that are not connected to your organization’s main network. These devices may contain important evidence that would be vital during ediscovery as well. On the flip side, it is also essential to take note of any unauthorized company employee mobile devices that are connected 38 document june.08 www.DOCUMENTmedia.com http://www.atalasoft.com http://www.atalasoft.com http://www.DOCUMENTmedia.com
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