Author: Terry

The New Age of Electronic Discovery

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The New Age of Electronic Discovery

Electronic Discovery News – Court cases are won and lost based on evidence, but the nature of evidence has changed in the electronic age. Evidence is no longer confined to paper documents. It now includes a broad spectrum of electronic materials.  Emails, voicemail, instant message chats, website visits, scanned documents, word-processor documents and spreadsheets, databases, audio, videos, photos, and social media posts now count as evidence.

The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged the role of electronic material in court cases in a 2006 ruling that changed the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. As soon as an action is filed, attorneys must begin to compile relevant electronic evidence.  Legal holds are now the tune of the day.  This can present it’s own set of problems though.  Remember, criminals do not always follow the law concerning document preservation.

cellphone with earphones connected electronic discovery

Modern Electronic Discovery Services

Litigation support, which used to mean amassing and preparing copies of physical documents and preparing trial graphics, now encompasses electronic discovery, or eDiscovery, which refers to locating electronically stored information (ESI). The need for harvesting and maintaining ESI has expanded the role of firms who provide eDiscovery services. Detecting electronic evidence, protecting it from illegal deletion or destruction, and analyzing it is a full-time job that attorneys, legal services, and corporations turn over to litigation specialists.

Handling this type of evidence is tricky. Even paperwork can be lost, but ESI poses special risks for spoliation, which means destroying, altering, hiding, or withholding of data needed in the case. Data can be maliciously tampered with or destroyed accidentally in the normal housekeeping processes performed by a company’s IT department. To preserve the integrity of the files, the attorney and a competent eDiscovery firm should quickly formulate and activate a plan for managing materials.

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Developing An Litigation Support Plan

The plan should encompass six areas:                    

  1. Investigation: Using mapping techniques to identify who created the data and for what purpose, the investigative process identifies data that is relevant to the case.
  2. Preservation: Material considered relevant is placed in a legal hold to prevent destruction.
  3. Collection: Protected files are transferred to legal counsel to determine the next step.
  4. Processing: Files in their “native format,” or the original program used to create it, is loaded into a data review platform, where it is reviewed and prepared for the extraction of text and metadata — technical information about the file’s creation date, how it was created, authorship, network location, and more.
  5. Review: Documents are examined to narrow down what is relevant, based on criteria such as data range, authorship, creation date, etc.
  6. Production: Once reviewed, documents that meet agreed-upon criteria are given to opposing counsel with the metadata in either their native format or a “petrified format” such as a PDF or TIFF.

Finding The Right eDiscovery Support

A good litigation support company such as The Document Group of Houston has the software, the experienced technical experts, and the experience to progress through the necessary steps of data management. By using the services of a savvy eDiscovery company, a law firm can obtain the high-quality materials necessary to investigate evidence, withstand challenges, and win cases at a reasonable price.

In addition to data recovery and processing, The Document Group can also provide litigation copying, scanning, and graphics needed to round out a presentation. For more information about how we can help with electronic discovery and other litigation support services, contact us today for a consultation or a quote.

Preparing Packets Is A Snap When You Use A Copy Service

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Preparing Packets Is A Snap When You Use A Copy Service

Copy services across the country know that changing gears in the middle of a project can stall it.  People learn better when they experience information via multiple senses at once.  This makes handouts an important learning aid to any type of presentation. Handouts may consist of transcripts, charts, maps, supplementary articles, worksheets or even workbooks. In contrast to using printed books or manuals, putting together a packet of handouts allows you to vary, or add to, the contents. As your presentation or audience changes, so can your packet.

Prepared packets also save time, and money.  When your team has to get those sales brochures ready before lunch, having preprinted materials can make the difference.  Keeping your inventory of printed handout materials at consistent levels for your business can save that money in the long term.  

copy service materials

Partner With A Good Houston Copy Service

The logistics of preparing such packets can quickly become overwhelming and time-consuming. Outsourcing copying and collation of the items in the packet to a local Houston copy service is the perfect solution for a busy professional.  Whether you want to assemble course materials for your high school or college class, summer camp or Sunday School attendees, new employees, or participants in an upcoming business meeting or workshop, a copy service can do the prep work for you.

Once you gather the contents of your package, you can arrange for printing with a quick trip to The Document Shop, Houston’s top copy shop, which works 24/7 to meet your deadlines. When you are preparing for a class or other event, arranging to have your handouts printed is only one item on your long to-do list. By using our free metro pick-up and delivery services, or submitting documents online, you can spend your time working on content instead of feeding sheets into the copy machine.

copy service annual report booklets

Giving Your Packets A Professional Touch

Entrusting your packet preparation to a copy company can offer you great flexibility. You may want to add materials to the packet that are different sizes, or prepare some pages in color and others in black and white. For frequently used-items such as maps, charts or tip sheets, you may want them printed on heavier paper, or to laminate them.  While this can be a challenge to do yourself, a copy service has the personnel and equipment to prepare packets in any quantity, in any mix of materials. If you want to bind a manual that goes in the packet, you can choose from several types of spiral binds, stapling, saddle stitching, and more. If you anticipate adding to the materials, you can even have sheets punched and inserted in a ring binder.

Especially if you need a large supply of packets, you want the finished product to be easy to distribute. The Document Group can shrink wrap your materials so you can easily hand them out, or store them until you need them.

Whether you need competent printing service or a full service copy shop to help you create and bind packets of materials, The Document Group in Houston is the best partner you can find. Contact us today to get started.

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How To Determine Whether To Outsource eDiscovery Or Keep It In-House

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How To Determine Whether To Outsource eDiscovery Or Keep It In-House

When conducting eDiscovery for a case, you can easily become inundated with material. More and more companies are transitioning to a paperless business model across the board. The process of sifting through electronic evidence, such as corporate emails, databases, digital files, web history, and other digital assets to find relevant information can be arduous.  Who wants to do that?  However, you may not have a choice overall.

Weighing your options – and your resources – will definitely help you decide between keeping the job in-house or outsourcing to a litigation support company, like The Document Group.  We are always happy to assist our clients with the decision if asked.  We understand that this may impact your bottom line for a long time.  We will always look for the most value for your dollar.  That is why we offer CS Disco as our main platform for cloud document review.

river of code floating through the air ediscovery

New Technology Makes In-House eDiscovery More Feasible Than Ever

As companies convert to a paperless workplace, it becomes increasingly necessary for them to retrieve their digital information easily. In many cases, the right software solution makes in-house eDiscovery efforts possible, as companies are able to process data, searching for relevant information and categorizing it for review.

There are a number of answers that a company must attain to help them decide if processing their eDiscovery in-house is their best solution:

  • – They must first determine the data sources for a case, as well as where they are housed.
  • – It’s important to match the best tool to company assets, and ensure that the technology will both integrate with the host system and meet its security requirements.
  • – It is also vital to have a process owner, who understands the process and can explain it to stakeholders.
  • – Lastly, determining the priority of the data sources to be mined allows you to focus your efforts.

Save Time And Money

Once the technology, process, and ownership are in place, you are able to work through the eDiscovery phase as quickly possible. Since you are not relying on third party resources, you can begin the process without delay.

In addition to expediting the process, your firm does not have to pay to house eDiscovery data. Maintaining your data on external servers can become expensive, and many companies have found that bringing eDiscovery in-house can save them some money – particularly in large, drawn out lawsuits.

Despite Technological Advances, Some Projects Are Best Outsourced

Often, eDiscovery requirements surpass the ability of an in-house IT group to process. When the in-house solution isn’t up to the task, it is time to bring in an outside agency to perform the work. The Document Group is an expert in eDiscovery. Utilizing a specialized software solution called Disco, we can offer you a speedy, cost effective solution to complex data discovery with customized reporting that is most relevant to your litigation case.

If you have determined that using in-house eDiscovery is not the best solution for your company, and that you want an experienced team investigating your data, contact The Document Group. We will review your specific needs and show you how we can help. If you would like more information, contact us or call our offices at 888-316-4670 to talk to a member of our team.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

With The Document Group's eDiscovery services, you can be assured that over 20 years of experience is on YOUR case.

Find Out How eDiscovery Can Help

To contact The Document Group and get your project quote, click the link below...
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Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Proves Need For Document Scanning

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Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion Proves Need For Document Scanning

Shortly before the Boston Marathon, a fertilizer company explosion rocked West, Texas. Though the tragic marathon event overshadowed the Texas explosion in the media, the impact of the explosion was even more devastating. Seventeen people died, including 11 first responders, while over 160 sustained injuries. More than 150 homes, schools, a nursing home, and other buildings and their contents were destroyed or damaged.  Many lost everything.

While these tragedies happen far too often, being prepared for the worst and hoping for the best is the way to go.  Disaster strikes and we are left to pick up the pieces.  Scanning your paper documents, keeping multiple backup copies, and keeping them in different locations is just good business practice.  

Canon G1100 scanning

The Toll In Business Disruption

Businesses located in the area faced a special problem. Any documents stored on site were incinerated in the explosion that rocked a five block area. As the residents of this small town rebuild their lives, many businesses were faced with reconstructing customer, student, and patient files in addition to finding new spaces. Unless the affected businesses had documents stored offsite or backed up electronically, the road to a smoothly functioning business was long and difficult.  

Business disruptions happen all over the world due to many different reasons.  Those that have their plans in place before disaster strikes are the lucky ones.  The lucky ones are able to get back to business quickly and with minimal re-startup costs.

 

Risk Management Scanning Protects Your Documents

Though the explosion in Texas started in a fertilizer plant, any business is at risk from accidents, fires, or natural disasters in their own facilities or nearby ones. Mother Nature does not care about the business of man. While businesses cannot predict, or even prevent, an accident or natural disaster, document scanning should be part of any efforts at risk management. Scanning transforms boxes and file cabinets packed with paper records into electronic images that survive when paper can not.

While nobody doubts the longevity of paper, vellum, and parchment products (see the Dead Sea Scrolls), there are so many ways paper can be destroyed that you don’t think about.  So much has been lost to history due to fire it is a tragedy of epic proportions.  Think the Library at Alexandria in ancient Egypt.  War and strife has led to many losses across time also.  How many treasures, stolen by conquering armies, were never seen again?  This is obviously worst case scenario but it still applies to your business documents all the same.

Industries In Special Need Of Archiving Scanning

Though disaster can strike any business, some industries are more dangerous by nature and pose greater risk to employees and to business documentation.

  1. Businesses using or storing chemicals. Fertilizer companies are prime examples.
  2. Businesses using nanotechnology, which manipulates atoms and molecules. Often used in many different industries, nano-materials are potentially explosive and toxic.
  3. Businesses that raise considerable dust, such as sawmills, flour processing plants, and grain silos. Accumulated dust is both explosive and flammable.
  4. Businesses that refine and store petrochemicals. Oil facilities in Texas might store millions of gallons of gasoline or oil at a time.
  5. Businesses that do spray painting. Boat yards, auto body facilities, and furniture companies employ ignitable chemicals in applying paint and coatings.

Enterprises that are more dangerous often have numerous safety measures in place to prevent accidents and function without incident that harms them or their neighbors. In Texas, though the fertilizer plant had safety violations on record, there were no accidents until now.

How Mobile Document Scanning Services Can Help

All this proves that any business must be prepared for unforeseen events. Document scanning can help you do this and has numerous benefits including:

  1. Assures that documents are safe from harm
  2. Electronic storage of scanned documents require no storage space
  3. The content is easily shared and accessible by authorized personnel
  4. Improved customer service as employees spend less time shuffling paper

Converting to electronic documents can be time consuming. However, in the Houston area, The Document Group has a qualified team of dedicated professionals who will come onsite to provide mobile document scanning services to make the process fast and easy. TDG can also provide services at their facility, but most customers prefer the convenience of onsite scanning. After the process is complete, TDG will take the records away for storage or shredding.

Regardless of your industry, document scanning is an easy way to minimize loss and prevent disruption of your business after a disaster. Contact us for a free quote for offsite or onsite scanning, or call us today at 713-343-4000 to learn more.

If you’d like to find out more information about the fertilizer plant explosion or help in the rebuilding of homes and lives in West, Texas.

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We can help with any of your printing projects - Fast, Accurate, and On Time, every time!
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Document Scanning: What Happens After The Initial Big Scan?

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Once your company has bought into the many advantages of document scanning, how do you keep the momentum going? You realize that keeping documents in paper takes up costly space, while confining the usability of documents to a single physical local. Scanned documents are available to anyone in your organization authorized to access them. After the initial scan, how do you assure that future documents are scanned?

Scanning Without A Document Management Plan Is Electronic Hoarding

The key to making sure that document scanning is an ongoing process is to have a document management plan, with strategies in place to assure that future documents are electronically captured. You want to make sure future scanning happens, which means that scanning is part of the procedure for handling any document. Even more important is making sure that the scanned material is part of a system that makes it accessible. If documents are scanned but not easy found, your organization has traded filing cabinet for electronic hoarding.

Many companies have their original digital conversion handled by a scanning service that comes in to physically scan the paper and develop a document management system often based on software. To outsource ongoing scanning means setting aside piles of documents that the vendor will either pick up for offsite scanning or do it at your location. This can pose logistical problems for companies if the documents are needed. Either people will make copies of documents so that original can be out of service for scanning, or they will have to gather up all the documents before the scanning service drops by.

Employees May Be Able To Manage Ongoing Scanning

Having employees scan documents as they go along can be an effective way to keep up with the process. This might be done on a network copier scanner or on a desktop scanner or all-in-one, and sent to the scanning systems where it is compressed and indexed for immediate use. The steps after the scanning might be managed by the scanning company if the files are uploaded to their servers. The scanning service will ensure that the proper software is in place to save documents in the right file format.

With a document management plan in place, one scan can even automate electronic document routing so that by pushing one button, a document will be scanned, formatted, and routed to the proper person or department. This is particularly important for materials where several departments must approve or be aware of the status, such as engineering changes, loan applications, accounts payable, or building permits. Scanning the document becomes a key part of the work process.

Involving Employees In Document Management

Having employees scan materials is an easy-to-implement policy if they have the right equipment. Since many companies have a centrally-located machine to copy, scan, and print and/or provide their employees with equipment at their desks, this can be more cost effective than having the scanning service do all the work. If you expect employees to do the scanning, it is important that procedures for how, what, and where to direct scans be very clear, especially if the documents involved have sensitive data or complex images.

Whether you need help with an initial scan, developing a document management plan, or continuous scanning, the Document Group of Houston, TX, can help you. Contact us at (888)316-4670.

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Maximize In-House Creative Resources By Using A Printing Center

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Maximize In-House Creative Resources By Using A Printing Center

Over the last two decades, the world of graphic design has been turned upside down with the advent of desktop publishing and digital printing. In the “old days,” the Marketing Department would confer with artists, who would then create a design concept with layout, copy, and graphics. The artist would send the art to a printer, who would set the type by hand. Now, an office worker with minimal graphics training can prepare a brochure, adjust the graphics, and print off multiple copies from a local printer or network printer-copier. Where does that leave the professional design firm or the local printing company?

In-House Resources Do The Job Printing Your Project

This in-house creation process does not always result in artistic masterpieces, as not everyone with a computer has the design sense to create good industrial art. For many office ventures that involve sales sheets, signs, flyers, and brochures, a competent graphics software user can deliver output that is more than adequate to do the job. Many offices have high-end copy machines that allow color adjustment, printing on paper up to 11″x17,” and stapling and folding capabilities to bring the project to a successful completion.

However, having in-house creative talent and a copy machine will never eliminate the need for professional design and a print service. Most companies have some projects that need the talent of professionals with advanced training and experience. For major brochures, large format printing of signs or trade show graphics, or specialized jobs, a company is likely to call in the pros on the design or printing end – or both.

Using A Printing Center For Best Results

Even if your company has creative in-house talent and a high-end copy machine, a good Houston printing company still offers capabilities beyond what the average office machine can deliver. A print shop has professionals who know how to get the best out of equipment. In an office, a user must climb a steep learning curve to acquire proficiency with seldom-used features.

In addition, Houston’s top printing center has advanced equipment beyond what most offices need, able to print, collate, and bind thousands of pages per hour. Whether you need high volume, large format printing, output on heavy or oversized paper, multiple cuts, folds or staples, you will get the quality you need to make your design pop.

Having a relationship with The Document Group, Houston’s top full-service printing service, offers you the flexibility to expand the capabilities of your in-house talent. We accept camera-ready jobs online or in person, and can offer any pre-press services you need. Since we man our machines with qualified operators 24/7, we can complete your job on time, and even deliver the output to your office.

Contact us today to see how we can help with your next project.

printing sales brochure showing samples of our products