The de-NIST process is used by many push-button e- discovery vendors for excluding system and application files based on the NIST National Software Reference Library database of approximately 19 million unique file signatures. Hash values or digital fingerprints of files are compared to the database and excluded if they match.
The problem with this approach is computers make a high number of extraneous files after system and program files are installed, so this may catch a large volume of junk files such as bookmarks, cookies and other files created by ordinary computer usage, but not necessarily considered user-created files. Additionally, system and/or application files not on the NIST list may be included. Assuming 40% of 100GB is program and system files from a hard drive, and a vendor charges $100/GB-$200/GB for de-duplication/keyword searching and date range filtering, this may result in $4,000-$8,000 of extra costs due to having a push-button technician with little understanding of underlying data being processed. So although your vendor may have really inexpensive GB pricing, the total cost of processing may end up ultimately being higher.
Although Digital Mountain will de-NIST if the customer requires it, we strongly recommend having a data expert analyze the drive based on the underlying file system. Utilizing a forensic program, the expert will assess where user-created data and email resides. This is typically performed on an hourly-based model of $250 to $400 depending on the vendor. The median analysis for user-created files and email may range from 1 – 1.5 hours resulting in optimal results without the junk that you still get in the de-NIST process. This process provides the added savings of attorney review time and better quality results. The caution is the vendor must have data experts and not just low level technicians who used to print paper and now follow a step-by-step process outlined on a wall.
It’s important to question the methodology and not just seek the lowest price per GB unit, so you end up minimizing total costs and maximizing value for your organization. Contact us at 866.DIG.DOCS or info@digitalmountain.com to work with our experts.
