Linked documents in Microsoft 365 are an unusual challenge. Here is the Cimplifi approach to Microsoft 365 linked documents for Relativity.

In their post titled (wait for it!) Taming Modern Data Challenges: The Cimplifi Approach to Microsoft 365 Linked Documents for Relativity (available here), Cimplifi states that, in their experience so far, 80 to 90 percent of the linked documents we’ve seen have come from M365 and Google Workspace – with probably 20 percent of that from Google Workspace.

With M365 being the predominant source of linked documents to date, Cimplifi has developed pragmatic strategies through tailored workflows and custom scripting for bridging the gap between Microsoft 365’s evolving architecture and the demands of defensible discovery.

Whether they come from OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft Teams, linked documents are inherently messy from a technical standpoint. The linkage between a message (like an email or chat message) and a document depends on platform access, retention policies, and user permissions. Often, even with access, metadata inconsistencies or deduplication challenges during processing can make it impossible to link a document back to its originating message with 100% certainty. That ambiguity is why Cimplifi recommends collecting or linking these documents only after evaluating platform capabilities and legal requirements.

So, what’s the tiered approach to Microsoft 365 linked document workflows that Cimplifi recommends? And how should you handle legal holds and retention labels? Find out here, it’s just one click! It is (after all) a linked document! 😉

So, what do you think? How is your organization taming modern data challenges in eDiscovery? Please share any comments you might have or if you’d like to know more about a particular topic.

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Disclosure: Cimplifi is an Educational Partner and sponsor of eDiscovery Today

Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.