Fios Upgrades Processing Center to Meet Market Demand for Both Complex Jobs and Basic E-Discovery TIFF Productions

Business Wire, June 7, 2005

PORTLAND, Ore. -- New Grid Technology and Increased Storage and Backup Capacity Now Surpassing 100 Terabyte Mark Delivers Greater Scalability and Reserves in Processing Center

Fios(R) Inc., a tier-one provider of IT-enabled electronic discovery (ED) services, today announced that it has increased the scalability and capacity of its processing center to meet growing market demands for complex processing engagements, as well as common TIFF productions. As part of the upgrades, Fios has increased its storage capacity and has added new grid technology to enable an on-demand, distributed deployment of ED engagements across the entire network of servers and databases in the processing center.

"What we're seeing in today's market is a true need for flexibility and scalability to meet a wide range of client needs in projects varying size and complexity," said Jason Ray, vice president of delivery for Fios. "While we are known for being able to deliver on tough ED projects, our clients regularly turn to Fios for 'routine' TIFF productions as we are better able and prepared to manage the unforeseen problems that often occur, even during the simplest jobs."

Over the past six months, Fios has added new servers and storage hardware and has now surpassed the 100 terabyte mark to meet this growing market demand. The new servers are being used for storing client data, backup and archival requirements, and dedicated database storage. Further expansions and enhancements to the processing center are already underway and scheduled over the summer months.

Tier-One ED Vendors Preferred Choice for TIFF Jobs

ED vendors, like Fios, continue to be the preferred choice for processing all levels of ED engagements, including routine TIFF productions. According to Ray, one of the biggest misconceptions beginning to surface in the marketplace today is that full-service ED vendors are not necessary for straightforward jobs, such as TIFF productions. In fact, Fios is regularly selected for these jobs because the company is competitively priced and offers a wealth of expert resources that smaller, tier-two shops simply can't deliver. Some of the biggest pitfalls that can be found in standard TIFF projects, according to Ray, include the following:

1. Using "Auto-fit" in spreadsheets -- many spreadsheets have long text headings and explanations above columns of numbers. When those numbers are cut off due to column width, most TIFF providers use auto-fit methods to reveal them, often making them unreadable by the review team. Fios sizes columns individually just enough to expose the necessary hidden data.

2. Hidden worksheets -- a quality TIFF job will identify hidden worksheets not necessarily detected in a standard conversion.

3. Comments -- comments associated with spreadsheets, word documents and other file types tend to get lost in TIFF conversions if not identified properly at the outset.

4. Track changes -- the ability to view tracked changes, such as in MS Word, is not automatic in all TIFF conversion processes.

5. Unique file requirements -- whether from MS Word or the Linux version of Office, the TIFF conversion process must be able to identify multiple file types, whose extensions might be deceiving, as well as properly convert them.

6. Item stamping -- the TIFF vendor should offer the ability to brand the TIFF images with unique endorsements to make it easy for the review team to identify responsive evidence.

7. File response -- in the conversion process, it's important to understand what kind of system is in place to identify the files that cannot be handled. For example, the TIFF vendor should be able to process complex files, such as an email that contains a zip file that contains an email that contains a Lotus Notes database.

8. Project management -- if a job should become more complicated than originally thought, it's important to know in advance what the TIFF vendor's response will be and what kind of project management team is on site to help.

9. Success rate -- understanding the overall success rate on different sizes and complexities of projects will help in understanding the full capacity of the TIFF vendor.

10. De-duplication -- it's important to understand what de-duplication options are available during the conversion process. For example, when a refresh collection is needed in the middle of a job, the TIFF vendor should be able to offer de-duplication by document set, by custodian, across multiple collections and more.

"The end-to-end electronic discovery services offered by a tier-one provider, such as Fios, eliminates many of the risks that simply may not be immediately identified or known at the outset of the project," added Ray.

Pricing for Fios electronic discovery services varies by project size and complexity. More information on the new services and technologies offered by Fios can be found on the company's Web site at http://www.fiosinc.com.

About Fios Inc.

Fios Inc. is a tier-one provider of electronic discovery and discovery management services. Serving the legal community since 1999, Fios gives litigation support teams, outside counsel and in-house counsel greater control over litigation response and electronic discovery processes. Fios provides complete visibility into potentially responsive data, allowing clients to collect, process, review and produce massive amounts of electronic documents while maintaining a legally defensible audit trail. Fios' proprietary data collection, processing and Web-based review technologies are based on an in-depth knowledge of litigation and information technology, enabling fast, efficient and cost-effective discovery response. Fios is also the principal sponsor of the leading Internet portals for electronic discovery, www.discoveryresources.org, and compliance, www.complianceresources.org. Headquartered in Portland, Ore., Fios is backed by top investors, including 3i, Fluke Ventures, FBR CoMotion, Digital Partners and Banyan Capital Partners, and has offices throughout the continental United States. For more information about the company and its services, visit http://www.fiosinc.com.