7 Things E-Discovery Auditors Must Do Right Now

7 Things E-Discovery Auditors Must Do Right Now

U.S. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) require organizations to look at the ability to respond in a legally defensible manner to discovery requests. Moreover, as organizations expand globally, they need to be ready at all times to provide information that could be requested as evidence in a legal proceeding. Hence, internal or external auditors are in the best position to recommend policies and best practices that can prepare organizations to respond to a data discovery request. Therefore, the auditors must 7 Things E-Discovery Auditors Must Do Right Now:

1. Determine the effectiveness of the e-Discovery communication plan
2. Document the IT environment
3. Regularly review backup, retention, and data destruction policies
4. Review compliance with document destruction procedures, when a litigation hold is issued
5. Document the steps that will be taken to respond to e-discovery requests
6. During litigation, determine whether employees are preserving the integrity of relevant material
7. Review existing backup controls, reports, and inventories of media stored off site

Failing to prepare for an e-discovery request can result in sanctions. In addition, organizations need to have a litigation readiness policy and plan in place to effectively deal with lawsuits. Auditors play a pivotal role in managing litigation risks and help organizations take a proactive approach to e-Discovery by recommending strategies that address key data preservation, storage, destruction, and recovery disquiets. Above all, Microsoft SharePoint 2013 and M-Files, for instance, offer e-Discovery and content management solutions.