Google chases e-discovery with Vault

Gmail, chat archive for e-discovery.

Google has unveiled Vault, a new addition to its Apps suite for business, that aims squarely at the e-discovery market with a $5 a user monthly price. 

The enterprise archive is meant to be for businesses that “need to be prepared for the unexpected”, which can come in the form of an e-discovery order that could involve sifting through terabytes of data.

Google’s head of eDiscovery, Jack Halprin, noting the “significant litigation” costs in the US that come from having to search data during a lawsuit, in particular failing to find those documents.

“Vault provides access to all of your Gmail and on-the-record chats and can provide significant savings to your business over the traditional costs of litigation and eDiscovery,” Halprin notes in the announcement. 

The other piece of automation Google will offer is automated “retention policies” for authorised personnel to search.

“The automated enforcement of policies, as well as legal holds, reduces the risks of spoliation and noncompliance. The legal hold functionality helps ensure email and chat messages can be preserved beyond their standard retention period for a litigation or an investigation,” it notes. 

“Authorised users can define and manage collections of message search results and collaborate with others to manage them. Email can be exported for further review and processing.”

Australia’s e-discovery rules are outlined by the Federal Court here. They place an emphasis on efficient document management, so that emails can be produced as evidence if a court demands it.

The court note also outlines that litigants agree upon the scope of discovery prior to an e-discovery order being made.