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What Is Office 365 eDiscovery?

Written by Shelley Bougnague | Jul 5, 2022 2:00:00 PM

When using Office 365, you may need to perform an eDiscovery search. The process involves looking for specific information stored in your accounts. Performing an Office 365 eDiscovery search can be complicated, but it becomes a lot easier once you understand how it works.

Key Takeaways 

  • eDiscovery is the process of finding and collecting electronic data for use in legal proceedings.
  • Microsoft Purview is a tool used to search and retrieve data from several different Microsoft platforms, including SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Groups, OneDrive for Business, Exchange Online, Microsoft Teams, and Yammer.
  • Microsoft Purview provides three main versions of the product: eDiscovery Premium, eDiscovery Standard, and Content Search.
  • eDiscovery Premium is the most expensive and comprehensive solution, with features such as legal hold notifications and custodians management, end-to-end workflow, predictive coding and machine learning capabilities, and the ability to narrow the scope of the search.
  • eDiscovery Standard is less expensive and provides basic features such as basic search and export, and the ability to put an eDiscovery hold on certain types of content.
  • Content Search is the most basic eDiscovery solution, allowing users to search for content using specific keywords and export the results.

What Is eDiscovery?

eDiscovery is the process of finding and collecting electronic data for use in legal proceedings. The data can be stored anywhere, including on computers, servers, email systems and cloud-based storage systems. Once retrieved, you might then need to deliver the data as evidence.

When using Microsoft Purview to search for and retrieve this data, it's essential to be as careful as possible. Mistakes happen, but even accidental deletion could trigger suspicion and become labeled as the destruction of evidence.

What Data Can Office 365 eDiscovery Access?

Purview pulls data from several different Microsoft platforms. It saves you from the hassle of checking each area manually. In fact, one

 search can draw from both sites and mailboxes. Here are a few platforms it pulls from:

  • SharePoint Online
  • Microsoft 365 Groups
  • OneDrive for Business
  • Exchange Online
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Yammer

What Are the 3 Office 365 eDiscovery Solutions?

Microsoft Purview provides three main versions of the product at different prices. You can try all versions for free to determine which one is the best fit for your organization or your case.

1. eDiscovery Premium

This is the most expensive and comprehensive solution. It uses the existing features of other versions as a base while bringing a wealth of other benefits to the table:

  • Allows legal teams to manage legal hold notifications and custodians
  • Facilitates a way to communicate with custodians regarding the case
  • Provides end-to-end workflow to find, collect and analyze content
  • Makes it easier to copy and organize data through filters and other tools
  • Incorporates predictive coding and machine learning capabilities
  • Makes it easier to narrow the scope of the search

2. eDiscovery Standard

This solution is less expensive and provides only basic features. Its primary capabilities involve basic search and export. It makes it easy to assign cases and limits case managers to handling only the cases assigned to them. You can also put an eDiscovery hold on some types of content and index searches.

3. Content Search

This is the most basic eDiscovery solution. Search for content using specific keywords and then export the results. Users can typically save these results locally on devices.

If you'd like to find out more about bringing cloudficiency to your project, reach out to us.

What Are the Important Office 365 eDiscovery Terms To Know?

Electronic discovery can quickly become a technical process involving professional jargon. You must become familiar with legal search terms to communicate clearly with other professionals working on the case and the discovery process. Here are some of the most common ones.

Case Management

This is the process of managing eDiscovery cases from start to finish. Case management includes creating a case, assigning custodians and putting content on hold.

Custodian

A custodian has control over electronic data that may be relevant to a legal case. In many cases, this will be the person who created the data.

Legal Hold

A legal hold is a notice that tells custodians to preserve data relevant to a legal case. It ensures the data isn't deleted or modified in any way. Consequently, it is sometimes called preservation.

Role-based Permissions

This security measure ensures that only authorized personnel have access to specific data. For example, you might give Office 365 eDiscovery case managers the ability to view cases but not make any changes.

Advanced Indexing

This method organizes and labels data to make it easier to search. You can do this manually or through the use of software.

Predictive Coding

This form of artificial intelligence can speed up the eDiscovery process. Predictive coding looks for patterns in data to determine which files are most relevant to the case.

Conversation Threading

This method organizes email data and groups all messages in a conversation together. It makes it easier to find relevant information.

Optical Character Recognition

This is a method of converting images of text into actual text. You can use it to extract text from images, such as scanned documents.

How Can Cloudficient Help You Access eDiscovery Features?

Ideally, you consider the potential need for eDiscovery before you do need it. That's because it operates in the cloud and primarily searches cloud applications for data. Waiting until you need it to migrate to the cloud might not work as well as intended.

One source estimates that 90% of corporations will face a lawsuit at some point. Consequently, being proactive is crucial. Are you ready to access Office 365 eDiscovery and other cloud features? Contact us to identify your migration options.

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.