Preserve now, process later: Safeguarding sensitive cloud data for HR investigations and eDiscovery

Handling cloud data effectively and securely has become a critical priority for organizations managing human resource investigations, potential litigation, and other sensitive matters.

That’s because much of today’s business-critical data like communications and sensitive documents may be stored in the cloud. According to the Flexera 2024 State of the Cloud Report, more organizations are adopting cloud services and cloud-based applications with 89% of respondents reported having a multi-cloud strategy. And Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that the total amount of data stores in the cloud “will reach 100 zettabytes by 2025, or 50 percent of the world’s data at that time, up from approximately 25 percent stored in the cloud in 2015.”

It’s essential for digital investigation teams to invest in solutions that can forensically collect and preserve cloud data where it is necessary to safeguard information, but not immediately process it when not needed or, in some cases, even allowed.

Magnet Axiom and Magnet Axiom Cyber reliably acquire data from cloud storage service (like AWS and Azure) and cloud-based applications (such as Slack, Box, and Microsoft 365), without automatically processing it which is especially important in the context of eDiscovery and HR investigations.

Why do you need to collect and preserve cloud data without processing?

There are numerous scenarios where collecting cloud data but delaying its processing is crucial. For digital investigations supporting HR investigations and the eDiscovery process, these situations often include:

• Employee exit audits: When an employee leaves the company, there may be a need to audit their communications and data stored in cloud services. However, an organization might only need to collect this data as a precaution. With Axiom Cyber, you can ensure this data is preserved for future use but processed only if an issue or investigation arises later. This approach saves time and resources while ensuring the security of sensitive information.
• Legal hold for eDiscovery: Companies often encounter cases where they must place a legal hold on data for ongoing or anticipated litigation. This can mean preserving data for long periods without needing to process it immediately or at all. By allowing teams to collect cloud data and retain that data indefinitely without moving into the analysis phase unless necessary, you’re saving time avoiding unnecessary processing and most importantly, adhering to privacy laws. As the experts equipped with specialized tools, service providers are often engaged to perform these services. In many cases, these consultants may only have legal authority to collect data for holding—and processing that data is outside of their legal authority. Download the 2024 State of the Enterprise DFIR report to learn more about the types of investigations service providers commonly engage on.

Putting control back in your hands

We heard your feedback, and this workflow update reinforces our commitment to providing flexible, user-driven solutions that meet the diverse needs of handling sensitive data for a variety of different investigation types. By giving you control over when and how to process cloud data, it enhances your ability to navigate complex legal and HR landscapes while adhering to strict compliance and privacy standards.

Whether you’re conducting HR audits or managing legal holds, Axiom and Axiom Cyber ensures that cloud data can be collected and preserved—without unnecessary processing or exposing sensitive data prematurely. The ability to choose whether you’d like cloud data processed puts the power back in your hands to handle cloud data responsibly, ensuring both compliance and efficiency.

Once you’ve collected the data, it is saved as a .zip file within the folder you specify during case setup.

If the need to process and analyze the data arises, it can be loaded under the cloud evidence option using the “MAGNET FORENSICS”  option.

Additional resources

• Understand how to work with HR on sensitive employee investigations in the white paper “Employee misconduct: The great threat – How to keep your business safe and productive”
• Learn more about how Axiom Cyber supports eDiscovery investigations in our blog post “10 Ways Magnet Forensics Supports eDiscovery”
• Try Axiom Cyber for free today, request a demo here.