6 Useful Email eDiscovery Software Features Your Law Firm Needs

05 January 2020 by Mithun eDiscovery software features email law-firm
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Takeaway: Try finding software that comes with these features: (1) Cloud storage, (2) A versatile ‘import’ option, (3) A powerful search engine, (4) Email attachment processing, (5) Quick tags, and (6) Metadata protection.

What software features help you get email eDiscovery right?

Businesses run on email. So, taking on an eDiscovery case usually means tackling email eDiscovery. But with so many applications on the market, which one is best for you? Here are some key features to look out for when choosing your eDiscovery software.

1. Cloud storage: So you can access your emails on the go

The best eDiscovery applications give you unlimited storage space. Email applications like Outlook download your email onto your computer. This makes it easy to read them at your leisure. But it limits you to the size of your hard drive. In contrast, modern eDiscovery applications store your email in the Cloud. Which means you can access it on the go. All you’ll need is a laptop and an internet connection. What’s the Cloud? Well, it’s thousands of interconnected servers (high-performance computers) that work together to give you storage space and processing power. And the more people there are in the Cloud, the less the costs for each. That’s the beauty of Cloud economics. Learn more about Cloud computing.

2. A versatile ‘import’ option: So you can get emails into your eDiscovery software

To start work, you’ll first need to get your eDiscovery emails into your software. So, it’s got to have a good ‘import’ function. For example, with the eDiscovery application GoldFynch, you just drag-and-drop files into the GoldFynch browser. It’s the same way you’d move files from one folder to another in Windows. GoldFynch even lets you import emails from other applications:

Learn more about different eDiscovery file types

3. A powerful search engine: So you can find emails quicker

You’ll need an eDiscovery application with a powerful search engine. Most applications get ‘basic’ searches right. That’s when you’re looking for a single keyword. But only the good ones can handle ‘advanced’ searches properly. With an advanced search, you combine keywords to give your software a complex command. Like, ‘Find all emails from John Anderson to Sally Nedry about a severance package, but not those from 2015.’ Here, you’re connecting the keywords ‘John Anderson,’ ‘Sally Nedry,’ ‘severance package,’ and ‘2015.’ And you’re doing it through a complex equation. Advanced searches save you time and guarantee you’ll find the emails you need, so they’re an essential eDiscovery feature.

4. Email-attachment processing: So you don’t miss attached files

A powerful search engine isn’t enough, though. It should also be able to search email attachments. With most email clients, you can search for keywords in the body of your email. But if there’s an attached Word file or PDF, its content doesn’t get searched. And that is content you can’t afford to miss. The best eDiscovery applications process attachments and make their content searchable. So, you can find keywords, dates, etc. in the email body as well as the attachments, using the same search.

5. Quick tags: To help organize your emails

Think of a tag as a stamp or a sticky note on a file. It provides an additional method to categorize or call attention to individual documents or groups of files. But it doesn’t affect the way your eDiscovery software uses those files. You can name the tags yourself, and there’s no limit to the number of them you can create. Plus, you can save time with bulk tagging – where you tick the boxes next to multiple emails and tag them all at the same time.

6. Metadata protection: To protect free ‘bonus’ information

When you send or receive an email, your email application ‘stamps’ it with a bunch of information. Things like who created it, when it was created, when it was sent/received, etc. This ‘data about data’ (i.e., metadata) is a digital footprint which tracks the history of the email. So, for example, when you want to find an email your client sent to a colleague last January, your software scans the ‘date’ metadata field of all your emails. As you can imagine, metadata is valuable. It’s bonus information that can help make or break your case. But it’s also fragile. Even a simple thing like forwarding an email modifies its metadata. So, it’s worth finding an eDiscovery application that can protect it. Learn more about metadata.

Need email eDiscovery features like these? Try GoldFynch.

It’s a next-generation eDiscovery application with all the features that a discerning small-to-medium size law firm needs.

  • It costs just $27 a month for a 3 GB case: That’s much less–every month–than the nearest comparable software. And hundreds of dollars less than many others. With GoldFynch, you know what you’re paying for exactly – its pricing is simple and readily available on the website.
  • It’s easy to budget for. GoldFynch has a flat, prorated rate. With legacy software, your bill changes depending on how much data you use.
  • It takes just minutes to get going. It runs in the Cloud, so you use it through your web browser (Google Chrome recommended). No installation. No sales calls or emails. Plus, you get a free, fully-functional trial case (0.5 GB of data and processing cap of 1 GB), without adding a credit card.
  • It can handle even the largest cases. GoldFynch scales from small to large, since it’s in the Cloud. So, choose from a range of case sizes (3 GB to 100 GB, and more) and don’t waste money on space you don’t need.
  • You can access it from anywhere. And 24/7. All your files are backed up and secure in the Cloud. And you can monitor its servers here.
  • You won’t have to worry about technical stuff. It’s designed, developed, and run by the same team. So, its technical support isn’t outsourced. Which means you get prompt and reliable service.

Want to learn more about GoldFynch?

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