In a world with cloud data, and social media data, and email data, and cellphone data, and messenger data, and … well, do we need to go on? The point is, it's hard enough to remember where exactly all your data may be in the event of a litigation hold. But there's one source that seems to be increasingly forgotten these days: old-fashioned tapes.

RVM Enterprises CEO Vincent “Vinny” Brunetti noted that even with all the new sources of data, these tapes are still a crucial part of many corporations' discovery strategy because of the crucial information they hold. And in the hands of the right people, they can be combined with more modern analytics strategies to reveal some important insights.

“Although tapes aren't the mainstream today, they're still out there,” Brunetti explained. “There are numerous companies that aren't even aware that they have them, but if a litigation hold comes about, potentially they have to touch them and restore them. Our experience has been that nobody's really taken the time to catalog or index the tapes so that they know what they have.”

It's this focus on the often-forgotten tapes that led RVM to its most recent business venture. Last week, the New Jersey-based e-discovery and litigation support services company announced it was acquiring The Oliver Group, known best as a media restoration and forensics firm. Through the acquisition, RVM is looking to expand its forensics capabilities, marrying RVM's “core competencies of data analytics and workflows,” in Brunetti's words, to Oliver's collection capabilities.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Brunetti told Legaltech News that there will be no expected changes for current Oliver customers, and in terms of current Oliver personnel, he estimated that “99 percent of the people will be staying on.”

As an impetus behind the deal, Brunetti pointed to Oliver's ability to stand out as a brand name even in a marketplace shifting toward different types of collection. Pointing to consolidation such as RenewData's 2014 merger with LDiscovery, he said he felt “The Oliver Group has done a great job in a tough market to keep their name out there as a media restoration and forensics company, while the other companies you really don't hear that often.”

It's also the people that will be coming with Oliver in the acquisition. Despite describing his company as not being one of the “800-pound gorillas,” Brunetti is looking to set RVM apart in terms of customer service, a strategy that he felt aligned well with Oliver's pre-existing values. The ultimate differentiator from other discovery companies, he said, is “the human behavior that we put a lot of time and energy into to drive our customer service, our customer retention, the experience that our customers have.”

“Most of us have the same tools,” he added. “I think it's a) how do you understand the audience that you're servicing to not inundate them or talk above their heads, and b) to understand what they're looking for from a service provider. That's a partnership.”

And there's one other arrow in RVM's quiver that Brunetti believes helps with customer service: the fact that RVM is privately owned, and that even acquisitions such as this one are financed with the company's own capital.

While adding that he feels most companies do focus on making customers happy, “we're continuing to grow and focus on servicing the customer without having, I don't want to say a third party, but someone coming in who's not really in the business,” Brunetti explained. “They're more of a financially driven entity looking at how to best generate profits. My view is, as a company that doesn't have to report to private equity or someone who's funding you, you can still maintain the values of taking care of the client, and if you do that, everything will fall into place.”

Of course, even the best-laid plans are sometimes difficult to execute. The e-discovery market continues to consolidate, and those “800-pound gorillas” he referenced continue to expand their service offerings. The past few months have seen Counsel on Call acquire DSi, Smarsh acquire Cognia, and companies such as K1 receive substantial investment. Especially for midmarket e-discovery companies, it's a difficult terrain to navigate.

Still, Brunetti is banking on consistency in delivery, even post-acquisition, to maintain its current footing and continue to grow. “We want to maintain the relationships with the same level of customer satisfaction and service,” he said on RVM's plans post-acquisition. “With the consolidations that are out there, many customers are not happy with relationships changing, and people leaving, so we don't want to create any discomfort and any dissatisfaction for pre-existing Oliver Group customers.”