A Closer Look at 3 eDiscovery Solutions From Microsoft Purview

In recent years, eDiscovery solutions have become increasingly important for businesses of all sizes to prepare themselves for legal situations and govern their data efficiently. With most information now available in electronic formats, robust processes for eDiscovery are necessary components of your business's protocols and strategy.

The Importance of eDiscovery Solutions

Due to its increasing relevance to most legal cases that arise, understanding eDiscovery and the methods that make it possible should be a priority whether your organization is looking to prepare for legal proceedings or simply fortify its IT infrastructure for more security. This all-important process is key for providing your attorneys with the data they need to help you succeed.

In light of this, your business needs efficient tools at its disposal that can help your legal team sift through data to find what it needs. The software that makes this kind of data collection easy and reliable has made a way for companies of any size to find the eDiscovery solutions they're looking for.

There are many situations in which simple search engine tools will fall short of providing your legal team with the precise documentation, dates, and other information it needs. Even if you're a young or small business that hasn't yet dealt with any legal proceedings, it's best to be set up with an eDiscovery solution ahead of time so you're prepared. And while every attorney should have a solid grasp on eDiscovery, if you train yourself and your team to handle the process, then everything will go smoother when the rubber meets the road.

3 eDiscovery Solutions from Microsoft Purview

One of the best eDiscovery solutions out there is Microsoft Purview, a resource from the tech giant under the larger umbrella of their Azure software offerings. Microsoft offers three different levels of Purview, however, so it's good to know the differences between them to make the most informed decision about your own setup. Here's a breakdown of each level of Microsoft Purview.

1. Content Search  

The most basic of Microsoft Purview's eDiscovery solutions, the Content Search level of functionality offers about a quarter of the overall features available in Premium. However, Content Search is still a powerful tool for data collection.

The search feature allows you to find specified content across multiple Microsoft applications, including

• Microsoft Teams,
• Yammer Teams,
• OneDrive for Business,
• SharePoint,
• Microsoft 365 Groups, and
• Microsoft Exchange mailboxes.

You can also apply keyword queries to help narrow your search.

Perhaps one of the best capabilities offered by Purview Content Search is its robust statistics feature. Once you create a query, you can collect stats such as which folders had the most hits and what data items appeared in the widest number of places. You can then export these results for easy storage and communication. Finally, Content Search includes Purview's ability to limit which users in your organization can access specific levels of content search features.

2. eDiscovery (Standard) 

The next level of Purview is eDiscovery Standard, and although it technically only offers a couple more features, those features give it a significant advantage over Content Search.

The first such feature is case management. Case management allows you to connect specific content searches with specific investigations, which is especially helpful if you're dealing with more than one legal matter at a time. Case management also lets you assign specific organization members to certain cases, further enhancing your ability to organize permissions and tasks.

The other feature is the option of placing content locations on a "legal hold." When you set a legal hold on a folder or item, it secures that item and protects it from deletion or modification while the case is still open.

3. eDiscovery (Premium) 

Finally, eDiscovery Premium is the most advanced and feature-heavy of Purview's eDiscovery solutions. Premium introduces custodian management, which allows you to associate content with specific people relevant to the case at hand. You can also track the receipts of legal hold notifications that you send to those custodians.

Error remediation is another important aspect of Premium. Because many files utilize password protection or encryption, Purview may not be able to read these files properly, so Premium allows you to download them, modify their status, and reupload them for use in your case.

The analytics features that Premium offers are advanced and time-saving. Premium is able to detect multiple email threads that may be connected and help present a bigger picture of the situation (called "email threading"). It can also find textual similarities between documents and group them together so you can more easily remove extra or duplicate content. There are plenty more features in eDiscovery Premium, but these are some of the most significant.

Knowing Which Level Is Right for You 

If you're wondering what level of Purview is best for your business, it may be a good idea to start with the Standard level and then work downward or upward from there as needed. The learning curve that comes with new software will quickly give way to an efficient and organized method for data collection and governance in your business.

Secure the Right eDiscovery Solutions

It's important to protect your business from unnecessary loss by securing eDiscovery solutions. Contact us at Cloudficient today to take advantage of the top-notch technology and services we offer for businesses of any size. Our team is well-versed in the many facets of eDiscovery and the IT procedures and protocols that make it possible.

With unmatched next generation migration technology, Cloudficient is revolutionizing the way businesses retire legacy systems and transform their organization into the cloud. Our business constantly remains focused on client needs and creating product offerings that match them. We provide affordable services that are scalable, fast and seamless.

If you would like to learn more about how to bring Cloudficiency to your migration project, visit our website, or contact us.