In today's digital age, companies face numerous challenges when it comes to managing and preserving electronic business communications. With employees using personal devices and messaging platforms to conduct business, companies must be vigilant in ensuring that their data is accessible, preserved, and compliant with government regulations as this has become a significant factor in the Department of Justice's evaluation of a corporation's compliance programs.

When companies need to investigate allegations of internal misconduct, a critical point of focus is use of data and management and preservation of such data. This data can be both structured, such as spreadsheets and databases, or unstructured, such as email or messaging communications. Management, or those performing an independent investigation, will identify the relevant sources of data and collect such data to analyze and interrogate it further to identify any relevant results.