When responding to an e-discovery request, what should a security administrator provide if a user has over 1Tb of files despite a retention policy?

When responding to an e-discovery request, the security administrator must provide all relevant data related to the request, which includes the user's files regardless of their age, especially if a retention policy has not been strictly enforced. E-discovery typically requires extracting any data that may be pertinent to legal proceedings or investigations, meaning that outdated or seemingly irrelevant files may still hold importance in the context of the inquiry.

A retention policy might guide how long data should be kept, but during an e-discovery process, the requirement is to secure and provide all potentially relevant data, especially when there may be regulatory, legal, or compliance implications involved. The data retention policy is less about restricting access in this scenario and more about ensuring that all necessary information is available for review. This is vital for transparency and compliance with legal obligations, which can hold significant consequences for the organization if not properly adhered to.

Providing only a portion of the files or delaying the response until further notice could be problematic, as it may violate the obligations associated with e-discovery. Additionally, requesting additional storage resources does not address the immediate need to fulfill the e-discovery requirements. Therefore, providing all data as requested aligns with best practices for e-discovery procedures.