Guidance Offers E-discovery Service

PASADENA, Calif. -- Guidance Software Inc., The World Leader in Digital Investigations(TM), today announced it has formed a strategic alliance with Protiviti Inc., a global business consulting and internal audit firm. This global alliance provides a technology and consulting service solution that uniquely empowers organizations to manage their eDiscovery processes in-house and avoid costly outsourcing. The alliance combines Guidance Software's EnCase eDiscovery, which is the market-leading technology for the identification, search, collection, preservation and processing of electronically stored information, with Protiviti's strong expertise in risk and advisory services for eDiscovery and data governance.

Under this alliance, Protiviti leverages Guidance Software's EnCase eDiscovery software and the technology's new Pay-Per-Use capability. This enables companies to immediately realize the benefits of the technology through Protiviti's Discovery Risk Management team as the customer transitions to an in-house process or faces a pressing eDiscovery request or regulatory matter. Current plans call for more than 100 Protiviti professionals worldwide to be certified on EnCase eDiscovery as part of the first phase of the rollout.

Electronic discovery presents significant risks and concerns for companies in today's litigious environment. Mishandled preservation and collection of electronically-stored information in the face of a civil lawsuit or government investigation is a persistent concern, as reflected by severe spoliation sanctions imposed by several courts since the new eDiscovery amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect in late 2006. Additionally, eDiscovery service vendor costs are spiraling out of control, subjecting companies to exorbitant eDiscovery service fees resulting from reactive project-based approaches.

Under the new relationship, organizations will procure EnCase eDiscovery with Protiviti taking the lead on process integration and providing critical turnkey training. EnCase eDiscovery is powered by search technology that enables automated, scalable, rapid eDiscovery collection. It is also highly defensible as it is built upon the standard, court-validated technology for computer evidence collection and handling. Combined with Protiviti's expert process integration services, this alliance enables companies to realize tremendous cost savings by bringing the eDiscovery technology in-house, to develop internal processes that are repeatable, consistent, and reliable, and to respond quickly to eDiscovery requests. Alternatively, companies can engage Protiviti to leverage the EnCase eDiscovery and EnCase Legal Hold technology to rapidly address an immediate litigation hold or internal investigation requirement.

"Organizations that have to address the risks of legal discovery are finding complex problems that cannot be solved by improving an isolated component within their organization or system," said Paul Sachs, a managing director with Protiviti and leader of its global Litigation, Restructuring and Investigative Services solution. "This global alliance with Guidance Software enables companies to develop the appropriate in-house capacity and capabilities to control and transform the challenges of ad hoc electronic discovery into cost-effective sustainable practices in their routine operations."Guidance Software Inc.