102 Chapter5·TheFocusofITwithinaDiscoveryResponseTeam Introduction This chapter expands on the preceding one by presenting best practices for managing the technical components within a discovery response program. Critical to the creation and management of a successful discovery program is the relationship between the legal and information technology (IT) departments; the key to this will be IT's ability to translate technical concepts for the legal team. In addition, the ability to facilitate data collection, oversee project management and vendor management, and identify sources of electronically stored information (ESI) will also be important. Because you will have limited technical resources, it is essential to develop a clear understanding of your business's legal and regulatory requirements, data management practices, and the enforcement of your policies and procedures. The ultimate goal is to streamline the discovery practices throughout your organization and ensure that electronic evidence can be produced in a defensible and admissible manner. IT Steps to Prepare for Discovery Readiness Even though the legal team is typically challenged with creating a reliable discovery readiness proto- col, IT should be as interested in helping to shape this protocol. Increasingly, the responsibility of managing technical aspects of discovery efforts falls within the IT group. If you are part of the IT senior management team, you need to start thinking about which key employees can best assist the overall discovery readiness process. N ote Even the perception of possible litigation requires that your company must preserve potentially responsive ESI. Because of this mandate, the ability to efficiently identify, preserve, and collect ESI is paramount to the success of your program. Knowing where information resides, understanding the standard policies and procedures that should be ceased for a litigation hold, and having the ability to communicate a hold to potential custodians are just a few steps that can drive an efficient response. From the IT team's perspective, a standard protocol should lay the groundwork necessary to: Identify and manage standard corporate policies and procedures, forms, and case-tracking information within a central repository. Assess the technical environment. Identify gaps within the existing discovery program. Leverage litigation support systems. Creating a Central Repository for Corporate and Case Information This section of the chapter focuses on what documentation you could create--including policies and procedures, case information, and other documentation--that should be readily accessible to all discovery