Legal Hold and Data Preservation Benchmark Survey Reports on Largest Study of Preservation Practices, Finds Majority Are Still in 'Adolescence' of Process Maturity

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Sep 6, 2013) - Zapproved® Inc., the developer of Legal Hold Pro™ -- the industry's leading software system for managing the litigation hold process, today published the Legal Hold and Data Preservation Benchmark Survey 2013. Conducted by the Steinberg Group LLC, the survey measured the prevailing attitudes of 525 professionals who currently oversee legal hold processes, making it the largest study of its kind focused specifically on how organizations are currently handling legal data preservation.

Some key findings from the Legal Hold and Data Preservation Benchmark Survey 2013 are as follows:

• More than half of survey participants still use manual processes for tracking litigation holds, five percent communicate litigation holds verbally, and one third now have a software system in place.
• Despite the attention afforded sanction cases, only 22 percent of the survey participants have had to actually defend their preservation efforts.
• 54 percent of respondents consider their organization to be "at risk" from legal holds.
• When evaluating efforts to create a "culture of compliance" through training about data preservation, 70 percent of participants indicated that their organization offers training but less than half (47 percent) feel custodians understand their responsibilities.
• When comparing their data preservation process to peer organizations, 62 percent indicated "better than most"; this figure jumped to 81 percent among respondents using an automated system.
• When automating the legal holds process, organizations reported benefits that included increased efficiency, the propensity to issue holds, and satisfaction and confidence in their process.

"By surveying the largest audience of legal professionals actively engaged in data preservation, the 2013 Benchmark Survey provides the clearest picture of legal hold process maturity to date," said Brad Harris, VP of Legal Products at Zapproved and the study's author. "In general, the legal industry is still in an early phase of embracing litigation hold processes with a need for more defensible processes and better internal training. However, we clearly see those organizations that are investing in their preservation process report tangible benefits that reduce cost and mitigate risk."

"We plan to continue to measure best practices in order to better understand the growing influence of case law and technology in this critical area of focus," Harris added.

To download a complimentary copy of the Legal Hold and Data Preservation Benchmark Survey 2013, please visit http://www3.legalholdpro.com/LegalHoldBenchmarkSurvey.html.

About Zapproved Inc.

Founded in February 2008, Zapproved is a software provider based in Portland, Ore., a software provider with a powerful compliance platform for businesses facing increasing rules and regulations to efficiently manage their obligations. Zapproved's first products focus on targeted compliance workflows that reduce liability risk in legal and regulatory compliance. The company is expanding its product line to create a suite of applications that address additional compliance issues and workplace collaboration. To learn more, visit www.zapproved.com/aboutus.