ESI Data Maps

You may have heard about “data maps”or “data mapping” or “ESI content maps.”  Whatever you want to call it, an ESI data map is the foundation upon which a reasonable, effective, and defensible electronic discovery response plan is based.
ESI Attorneys experts are nationally recognized as both pioneers and leaders in the ESI data mapping arena, quite literally helping to define what constitutes a defensible ESI data map.

What is an ESI data map?

An ESI Data Map is a comprehensive and defensible inventory of an organization’s IT systems that store information –  electronically stored information or ESI — which may be relevant to litigation, regulatory proceedings, government investigations, or audits.

How is in ESI data map created?

An ESI data map is created via a methodical process which systematically identifies potentially relevant IT systems and gathers pertinent facts about the configuration and operation of those IT systems.  The data map represents a good faith and reasonable effort to document an organization’s IT systems — a powerful tool for narrowing the scope and cost of discovery.  Although every ESI data map we create is unique to the organization’s IT infrastructure, generally each of the following types of information are included:

  • Types of big picture systems at play in the IT infrastructure (email, ERP, instant messaging, legacy data, etc.)
  • Locations where each type of information can be stored
  • Age of each type of data, by storage location
  • Backup systems and age of backup data available for each system
  • Contacts for each system within IT for ease of communication during implementation of a legal hold
  • Applications database

The data map also provides much of the background for creation of the E-discovery Guide, written for in-house and outside counsel to assist clients in achieving consistency in e-discovery and reducing costs.  Upon completion, the data map can be delivered electronically for storage internally, or hosted on our secure client portal.  We will also conduct periodic reviews, audits and updates of the data map to ensure compliance.