Case Study: Shepherd Data Services, Inc. Uses IPRO Software to Comply With Short Case DeadlineIPRO SaaS solution was used to meet tight deadline with accuracy and data integrity.
In September of 2008, SDS was asked to process a 14GB data store of Lotus Notes files filled with elaborate Excel spreadsheets and lengthy e-mails. The Excel files were intricate and cumbersome, far exceeding what was anticipated. The case involved, a civil litigation procedure, is strictly confidential; however, suffice to say the amount of documentation and discovery was massive and staggering.
Too many pages, too little time
The request for processing was very specific: provide TIFF files with extracted text and metadata in a format compatible with a Summation database. The task seemed simple enough except for the fact that all processing was to be completed in four days, three of which were a holiday weekend. It was daunting at best due to the limited amount of time and large quantity of data.
The project initially began with staff members using the production software that was currently installed at SDS. Soon, it became apparent that the actual amount of data was going to be more than ten times what was expected at approximately 150GB. The increase in the amount of data would now demand the services of at least 20 staff members in order to meet the four day deadline.
Wade Peterson, Director of IT at SDS, knew there had to be a better way to complete the project than enlisting the services of so many people to focus on this task. He decided to utilize the IPRO SaaS solution using eCapture, to which the firm had recently become a subscriber. According to Peterson, there were several reasons for this decision. “The ease of scalability to the required number of processing staff, the ease with which the IPRO eCapture software handled NSF files and the availability of technical support from IPRO were major factors in relying on IPRO to handle this assignment,” he said. He particularly noted that members of IPRO support staff were incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, helpful and immediately available. “Without [them], we would have been lost,” he said.
IPRO SaaS Program Manager, Megan Wilcox said she was happy to help out, and understood the urgency of the assignment. “In law, so many things are on deadlines,” she said. “I know how frantic the SDS team was to process the mammoth supply of information and documentation. This is exactly what our products are designed to do.”
Utilizing the IPRO intelligence
Peterson went on to note that the technical structure of the solution needed to lend itself to an easy deployment in the production structure at SDS. The key element in this easy deployment was cloud computing.
Cloud computing, also known as “Software as a Service”, refers to the concept of accessing powerful software via the Internet. In the electronic discovery world, this emerging technology allows litigation support companies such as SDS to deliver a higher level of value to their customers without carrying the burden of significant hardware or IT infrastructure investments. IPRO was one of the first software providers in the industry to offer its electronic discovery applications online, utilizing a pay-per-use licensing model, called IPRO SaaS.
SDS used the IPRO SaaS licensing model to access IPRO eCapture, a powerful eDiscovery software application designed to handle large projects with speed and scalability. It was extremely important that SDS’s production staff get up to speed and utilize the program quickly because of their time constraints. They were able to learn the program in a timely manner with surprisingly minimal support from IPRO staff. “Unlike other production suites which require a high level of IT intervention, I was capable of working out the processes right online and we were able get right to work very quickly” said Peterson.
He also noted several features of the IPRO solution that made it an effective tool for this project. These were:
- Intuitive straightforward user interface, allowing staff members to operate the program in a clear-cut, uncomplicated way
- Flexibility at all stages of the project, which allowed staff to alter processing accordingly
- Ability to stop and restart anywhere in the project, giving staff members freedom to take breaks and continue where they left off
- Ability to go to project “wavepoints”, extract data then continue working, allowing staff to revisit data without losing any new information
- Excellent data tracking and project management tools, creating an environment free of frustration or confusion
The project was executed on time, eventually resulting in an astounding 3.2 million pages being loaded into the clients Summation database by the team at Shepherd Data.
Firm founder Christine Chalstrom depended on Peterson and Wilcox for insight and feedback saying that between the two of them, she had confidence things ran smoothly. Chalstrom has positioned Shepherd Data as the company with the experience necessary to listen to the needs of the customer and deliver timely, accurate solutions. Because of this, she is eager to utilize top-of-the-line products and services that allow the company to excel. She particularly noted the ease and accuracy of the load file that IPRO eCapture generated, which allowed her to walk to the client’s office with the residing data on portable hard drives and quickly perform the transfer into Summation.
Peterson said the data tracking and logging features provided the ability to insure defensibility against any attacks on the accuracy or integrity of the processing work, a feature that Chalstrom agreed is imperative. Thus, the IPRO eCapture application accessed via the IPRO SaaS platform makes an excellent marketing tool for the company as it allows Chalstrom to assure potential clients that SDS can handle tight deadlines with accuracy and data integrity.
Poised with technology for the future
Overall, says Chalstrom, IPRO was integral to this case. “I was impressed and alarmed by the enormity of the task at hand – unfortunately, e-discovery can be very deceptive, and this was certainly the case this time. Once we started processing on our own, we knew quite quickly that we needed an alternative,” said Chalstrom. “Once we relied on IPRO, everything improved!” What was then an alternative will likely be the first choice in the future.
SDS combined its skill set with the proven technology of IPRO to successfully administer a complex project on time. While the case still toils, Chalstrom says that she has been very pleased with the firm’s product. “Our end result was far superior to our opponents” she said. “It was more logical and well ordered and simply better.”
About Shepherd Data Services
Shepherd Data Services is a litigation technology company that was designed to meet the demands of the legal marketplace through high-quality and process-efficient production standards to ensure the most accurate product delivery possible. Founded by veteran professionals who are experts in their fields, Shepherd combines experience in the legal industry and a thorough knowledge of programming and various litigation support software programs to deliver unparalleled service for large and small cases alike.
About IPRO
IPRO creates high-speed, scalable, and efficient eDiscovery software tools for early data assessment, database management, review, processing, and production. The IPRO Enterprise Litigation Content Management System is currently one of the only eDiscovery software platforms that allow users to cull, process, review, and produce terabytes of data without the need to import and export between applications. IPRO software is used by thousands in law firms, corporate and government legal departments, and litigation service organizations. Currently, 80 of the Am Law 100 rely on IPRO Software in their firms. IPRO clients are found on six continents of the world. To learn more about IPRO, visit www.iprotech.com or call 1-888-477-6463.
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