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The Importance of Data Security in the eDiscovery Process

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Data breaches are on the rise in every industry in the U.S., and the legal industry has not been spared the damage to reputation and bottom line these attacks bring about. For a trusted industry, these breaches come as a surprise because lawyers have a duty to protect privileged client information. In addition, many law firms and lawyers claim capability in data security and advise clients on how to prevent and limit data breaches.

Still, as custodians of extremely sensitive data, law firms are inviting targets for hackers. Because lawyers are obligated to make reasonable effort to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of or access to client information, law firms have been stepping up their cybersecurity efforts on their home fronts. But what happens when lawyers rely on third-party experts for services like eDiscovery?

Data Security and eDiscovery with Gulfstream Legal Group

The Gulfstream team recently had the opportunity to visit our data center to check out recent upgrades to security and reliability. Located in Nevada, this unique site offers optimal year-round operations with low humidity and virtually no natural disasters. Built from the ground up with design features that focus on data security and uptime, it is the only Tier 5® Platinum data center in the world. What does that mean to our clients? It means our data center was built to surpass the highest benchmarks and standards when it comes to reliability, security, redundancy, connectivity and sustainability.

Our data center has a seven-layer on-site security system and team, which includes armed security staff and an on-site fire department. Other layers of data security include role-based access, firewalls with redundant gateways, antivirus protection, 24/7/365 system operations monitoring, data encryption in transit and at rest, regular penetration testing and so much more. Being inside our data center felt like we were in a data fortress and helped us understand we are offering our clients the very best defense against unauthorized access to or disclosure of their most important information.

Our data center also meets – and exceeds – the compliance and governance standards for the most security-sensitive organizations, including:

  • GDPR
  • EU-U.S. Privacy Shield
  • HIPAA
  • ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications

Our data center allows us to host critical eDiscovery infrastructure on the world’s largest active/active data center ecosystem. This gives clients all the advantages of the high-availability redundant fiber networks, including speed, redundancy and zero downtime. One thing that struck us during the visit that emphasized the importance of speed: our data center also houses infrastructure for one of the largest gaming companies in the world. Their servers were noticeably louder than any others, proving to us that the data center can handle any volume of data for all of our clients!

With all these valuable systems running all day, every day in the heart of Nevada, it is easy to think the cooling bills would be astronomical. While Nevada may be hot, it also has about 210 days of sunshine every year, so our data center is run on 100% renewable energy.

After our visit, we wished we could bring all our clients to see our data center in Nevada – and all the features and practices it offers to keep their data safe. Now, we’re excited to offer that opportunity in August during ILTACON. Contact us to schedule your tour.

Need help evaluating security practices of your other cloud providers? The EDRM offers a useful Security Audit Questionnaire.