Role of Technology
There has been a paradigm shift due to reliance on computers and electronic information. The attorneys involved in litigation try their best to understand the policies and practices that have been put in place by the IT department to restore electronic data. Given the complexities of modern litigation and the wide variety of information, electronic discovery often requires IT professionals from both the parties in litigation and the attorneys' offices to communicate directly to tackle technology incompatibilities and agree on production formats. Failure to get expert advice often leads to additional time and unexpected costs in acquiring new technology or adapting to accommodate the collected data. It is an imperative business prerequisite that one craft and deploy a good record retention policy. The key ingredient of the policy is how and where the information will be stored so as to facilitate trouble-free restoration of the information as per business exigencies. To avoid severe legal penalties one must be able to demonstrate the existence of a well designed retention policy.
