The Problem

Now before we even talk about Google Vault, which is a solution, let us first understand the problem, I mean why we really need it? what are we missing without Vault?

Today, almost all the business communications take place via digital channels such as emails, file sharing, instant messaging (chat), video conference which is great as it makes us productive, but it comes with some challenges too, lets talk about them-:

(a)‌ Accidental or Intentional Data Deletion

So you might have created your own Gmail account and have been using it in your personal life, you treat it the way you need, if you want (may be if you are drunk) you can even delete all of your emails, files etc and no one (other than you) cares, right?

Will it work if that happens to a business? what if one of your employees (either by mistake or intentionally) deletes all emails, files etc from his corporate G‌ Suite account?

That will be huge …, right, especially if that user belongs to any critical function like research or management.

(b)‌ Industry Compliances

As a business, you really need to meet your legal (and social) obligations, and ensure you meet all compliances based on your industry.

For e.g – In the United States, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) supervises transactions in the investment banking sector and requires that providers of securities trading services retain emails for a certain period of time (see FINRA Rule 3110.09).

It is not unusual to see Enterprise businesses have dedicated “Compliance” department and “Compliance Officers” working hard to meet their industry compliance and minimize the chances of hefty fines.

(c) Legal Investigations

Your employees work hard round the clock, from different locations, devices, as individuals, as teams, toward a common goal of making the business successful.

They generate lots of content…………a lot happens in emails, files, chats, video conferences…… usually, positive….

but, sometimes there are cases where ethics are not followed, the right things are not done, conflicts take place, and investigations (either legal or internal) are required.

Now, as a business, you would need to ensure all communications among your employees, partners, customers, vendors etc are retained to serve those investigations if/when needed.