Just as police will demand that physical evidence at a crime scene is preserved intact, so electronic evidence must be retained and made accessible in cases and regulatory investigations.

And with businesses facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny in the wake of the financial crisis, managing the vast amounts of electronic data they produce so that they can keep the regulators on side has become a major headache.

Indeed, the cost of complying with information requests from regulators can be as crippling as any subsequent fines.