In October 2022, REW Computing Inc. will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary… (16th if you count the year that it was a sole proprietorship). So, we thought it would be interesting to just look back at a few things and to look forward, learning from the past. Here is what we see for the future:
More
More data, data types, eDiscovery platform features, tools, automation, artificial intelligence, challenges, and opportunities. All of this will lead our field/vertical/colleagues to a point where we need to continue to collaborate, learn, develop and advance existing processes, workflows and technologies to new heights and push the boundaries so that we continue to reduce the overall volume of data for review, increase the reliability and relevancy of the data that needs to be produced – with a focus of meeting the needs of our client(s).
Cyber Security and Information Governance
These are already becoming blended into the technologies and principles that we all use/follow, where we have developed workflows to identify security breaches and the data that was potentially accessed/exposed. But as new features of Information Governance (like Data Loss Prevention, and Records Management) in the Microsoft 365 and Google Suite platforms become more and more integrated with a clients (or our own) corporate initiatives, there will be an impact on our eDiscovery processes and the collection of the data that may be related. It is not to say that the emails and SharePoint site data will not be collectible. Rather, it could mean that less data is attached to emails, a link is shared instead, and that data is no longer accessible because of records management rules that have seen it having been removed / purged from the systems. These are all issues that we face right now, but I see this continuing to grow as more and more corporations embrace information governance in an attempt to get control of the explosive data growth that is occurring.
An Ever-Changing World
There are many things going on in all of our lives and then we look at what is happening in our community, towns, cities, countries and the world. These things will have an impact in many different and varying ways upon us as individuals, corporations and as eDiscovery service providers.
Lessons Learned from The Past 15 Years
There is no “magic wand” that we can wave that just makes all the work disappear and all the relevant data appear ready for production. Even with established processes / workflows (individual or corporate certifications in eDiscovery, Project Management, Quality, IT, Cyber Security, are important to our industry) and technologies, every project is a unique entity that requires us to step back and say what is the best tool / approach / etc. for the job. Sometimes it is “platform X”, sometimes it is “platform Y”, and sometimes it is saying the client should go with another service provider.
There is No “I in Team”
Sometimes, we need to take a back seat and just become part of the project team that supports the client in a specific aspect of the project. We all have something to contribute. A fresh set of eyes, a different perspective and different experiences. All of these help to bring a robust team that can rise to the challenges that are presented.
Documentation is Critical
I have posted about this before, but as the complexity of the projects increase and as the team expands to encompass more members, proper documentation and project management principles are critical to success. I guarantee at some point someone will ask you “What did you do?” to that I would hope you can answer “Let me get my documentation so we can walk through what I did”.
We Are Not Alone
As eDiscovery vendors, each brings to the field different experiences and capabilities. Organizations like ACEDS, EDRM and other local or regional legal-related associations allow us to collaborate and learn from one another. If you are not part of one of these, I would recommend that you sign up for their various newsletters and blogs to help keep yourself up to date and informed. Check out eDiscoveryToday and ComplexDiscovery along with your local legal Associations for more information.
Be Involved in Your Community
For NearZero Discovery, it has meant sponsoring a number of different local / regional and global charities. From your local faith-based community to the local shelter/food bank, to the regional hospital / health centre, to environmental efforts. Each of these interchanges causes you to grow as an individual and impact your community in positive and meaningful ways. I would encourage you to get involved and learn more about what is going on in your community and how you can help. Be part of the Change! Just a reminder that we are sponsoring 5 Acoustic Tags for FinsAttached.Org to use in the upcoming Mexico Shark research program – and you can participate in submitting names for the 5 sharks that will receive the tags – Check it out here!
In closing, there is a lot more that I have learned, a lot that that we have done, and there is a lot that we have celebrated over 15 years in business… in the end I think it can come down to the following: Listen, Act, and Repeat!
Would you like to learn more about our services? Email [email protected] or call 289-803-9730. We would be happy to share more details about our self-service or fully managed eDiscovery services!
