Kroll Ontrack Launches Cloud-Based E-Discovery Service

Data management provider Kroll Ontrack Nov. 8 launched a new cloud-based service for preserving, filtering and exporting data that could potentially be used in litigation or investigations.

The new service, Ontrack Guardian, uses Kroll's branded Ontrack Compass enterprise archiving package as its base platform. The repository enables enterprises to locate and search for potentially important evidence data by keyword, custodian, date range and content type, Director of Product Line Management Tom McCaffrey told eWEEK.

It is designed with drop-down menus and wizards for business people to use to find their own files, which takes the pressure off an IT staff when a litigation situation arises.

"This really makes it easy for people to use, and it cuts large upfront costs—no servers are needed," McCaffrey said. "The service takes care of all aspects of finding the right files."

Guardian is designed around the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM). The EDRM working group develops guidelines, sets standards and delivers resources to help e-discovery consumers and providers improve quality and reduce costs associated with e-discovery.

Key features, according to McCaffrey, are as follows:

• Smooth transition: With potentially responsive data already in the repository, discovery projects can begin immediately and be ready for document review faster than when the data has to be located, restored and sent on for discovery project setup.
• Reduced strain on IT: Guardian discovery repository services include setup, training and ongoing support. Users are empowered to quickly and independently access the data, so IT can focus on other business priorities instead of installation, configuration and support duties.
• No IT capital expenses: Ontrack Guardian discovery repository services enable enterprises to rent, not buy, a location to host their repeatedly responsive data at a flexible monthly subscription rate, eliminating upfront investments in equipment and personnel resources.
• Secure access to the most up-to-date data. Housed in a secure Kroll Ontrack data center that is staffed 24/7, Guardian discovery repository services capture continuous up-to-date data and make them accessible at any time and from anywhere via a live, secure connection.

As options, Kroll Ontrack also includes litigation hold/preservation consulting, data mapping services, data collection services and data security assessments.

"No enterprise is exempt from e-discovery," McCaffrey said. "Discovery is inevitable, especially for enterprises that are highly litigated, regulated or the subject of compliance audits.

"Once discovery is anticipated, enterprises begin the arduous process of working with IT to issue a legal hold and begin locating sources of potentially responsive data. With Ontrack Guardian discovery repository services, enterprises now have an alternative."