How to Upload eDiscovery Files [The Easy Way]

28 March 2021 by Ross ediscovery uploads

Takeaway: With the right software, eDiscovery uploading can be simple and intuitive. Here’s how to upload files from your computer, Outlook, Gmail, Facebook, Dropbox, and more.

Most of the best eDiscovery applications run in the Cloud. And this means you’ll be uploading your data onto Cloud servers.

Nowadays, you don’t buy eDiscovery software. Rather, you subscribe to an eDiscovery service. Tech giants like Amazon and Google lease storage and computing power to businesses all over the world. And their thousands of interconnected servers formed a ‘Cloud.’ So, eDiscovery providers run their software in this centralized Cloud and handle all the backend technical challenges. Meanwhile, you just pay a subscription fee, log onto their website, and start using their software. You won’t need new equipment, won’t have to troubleshoot computer errors, and will save money because Cloud eDiscovery is cost-effective. The only thing you have to do is upload your data into the Cloud.

Thankfully, the best eDiscovery applications make uploading easier than ever. For example, here’s how eDiscovery software GoldFynch handles uploads.

If the Cloud made eDiscovery affordable, ‘drag-and-drop uploads’ make it simple. To see how simple, let’s use GoldFynch as an example.

Step 1: Drag-and-drop files into your eDiscovery case.

You’ll use your web browser window to access GoldFynch. So, to upload files, navigate to the folder they’re stored in, select the ones you want to upload and drag-and-drop them into your web browser. By drag-and-drop, we mean:

Choose the files to upload by left-clicking and highlighting them all
Drag them into your browser window using your mouse cursor
Drop them there by releasing the mouse button.

[Note: GoldFynch will copy your files onto Cloud servers without changing the originals or moving them off your computer.]

Step 2: Assign the files to a custodian or source.

GoldFynch will ask you to assign the files to a custodian or source. That way, you can search your case for files collected from a particular person. And you’ll be able to use custodians and sources as parameters for productions with load files.

Step 3: Track your upload.

GoldFynch will show you an infographic of the number of files you’re uploading, how many of them have been uploaded, and where they’re being uploaded to. You’ll also see a list of recently uploaded files.

The best eDiscovery applications also let you upload files from other platforms.

GoldFynch, for example, lets you upload files from the following apps and services:

Outlook. You’ll drag-and-drop emails from Outlook onto your computer desktop. This saves single emails as MSG files and groups of emails as PST files. You can then drag-and-drop these into your GoldFynch browser window. (Learn more about uploading from Outlook.)
Gmail. You’ll navigate to the Google ‘Takeout’ app and follow the instructions to export your emails. (Learn more about uploading from Gmail.)
Yahoo! Choose the ‘email import’ options in GoldFynch’s ‘add-on services’ tab. The GoldFynch team will then import your Yahoo emails into your GoldFynch account. (Learn more about uploading from Yahoo!)
Dropbox. Select the files you want to upload from Dropbox and click the ‘download’ button. Once they’re downloaded to your computer, you can drag-and-drop them into GoldFynch. Alternatively, you can let the Dropbox team import your files by giving them access to the relevant Dropbox files.
Facebook. Go to the ‘Your Facebook Information’ page (in the Facebook Settings section) and select the ‘Download your Information’ option. Here, you’ll be able to choose which data to download, all packed into a single file. Once this file is on your computer, you can drag-and-drop it straight into GoldFynch. (Learn more about uploading from Facebook.)
Via FTP. You’ll use an FTP client like FileZilla – which you can download for free. It’ll let you connect with the GoldFynch server and transfer files directly.

So, what keeps eDiscovery uploads easy? It’s the work that your eDiscovery software does behind the scenes.

The best eDiscovery applications automatically handle the following tasks (and more).

Keeping your upload speeds fast. The best applications ‘chunk’ your data to boost upload speeds. With regular uploads, you’re sending an entire file into the Cloud. With chunking, your eDiscovery software breaks up larger files into multiple parts (or ‘chunks’) and uploads these chunks separately. So, instead of uploading a large 1 GB file in a single shot, it’ll get broken into, say, fifty 20 MB chunks. Once the chunks are on the Cloud server, they’ll be reassembled into the original file.
Making your data searchable. Your computer can’t ‘read’ (i.e., edit and search) the text in the documents you scan and upload. (Think of these scanned documents as pictures of text rather than actual text.). So, your eDiscovery application will need a tool called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It’s software that converts scanned documents into text files that a computer can process. To get OCR, you usually need to contact a vendor, get a quote, and wait a few days as they convert your files. Instead, work faster by finding eDiscovery software with inbuilt, automatic OCR.
Keeping related files together. If your files are already organized into folders, you’ll want to keep this hierarchy intact. You’ll want to keep ‘file families’ (i.e., associated files like emails and their attachments) intact, too. A good eDiscovery application helps you keep these structures and connections intact when processing files.

(Learn more about how eDiscovery applications process uploads.)

Our eDiscovery service is perfect for small- and midsize law firms and companies.

It costs just $27 a month for a 3 GB case: That’s significantly less than most comparable software. With GoldFynch, you know what you’re paying for exactly – its pricing is simple and readily available on the website. (Note: You’ll get a free 512 MB trial case to sample, first)
It’s easy to budget for. GoldFynch charges only for storage (processing is free). So, choose from a range of plans (3 GB to 150+ GB) and know up front how much you’ll be paying. It takes just a few clicks to move from one plan to another, and billing is prorated – so you’ll pay only for the time you spend on any given plan. With legacy software, pricing is much less predictable.
It’s simple to use. Many eDiscovery applications take hours to master. GoldFynch takes minutes. It handles a lot of complex processing in the background, but what you see is minimal and intuitive. Just drag-and-drop your files into GoldFynch and you’re good to go. Plus, it’s designed, developed, and run by the same team. So you get prompt and reliable tech support.
It keeps you flexible. To build a defensible case, you need to be able to add and delete files freely. Many applications charge to process each file you upload, so you’ll be reluctant to let your case organically shrink and grow. And this stifles you. With GoldFynch, you get unlimited processing for free. So, on a 3 GB plan, you could add and delete 5 GB of data at no extra cost – as long as there’s only 3 GB in your case at any point. And if you do cross 3 GB, your plan upgrades automatically and you’ll be charged for only the time spent on each plan. That’s the beauty of prorated pricing.
Access it from anywhere. And 24/7. All your files are backed up and secure in the Cloud.

Want to learn more about GoldFynch?

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