Which stage is about getting your electronic house in order to mitigate risk and expenses when e-discovery arises?

• A. Information Governance
• B. Preservation
• C. Collection
• D. Processing

Answer: (A)

This question tests Information Governance. It’s the practice of organizing and managing data across the organization so it’s easier to control, protect, and retrieve—especially when e-discovery comes into play. By setting up data creation, retention, classification, access controls, and defensible disposal policies, you reduce how much data actually exists, keep data where it belongs, and ensure you can locate the right information quickly. When a legal hold or e-discovery request hits, a well-implemented governance framework means you already know what should be kept, what can be deleted, and where to find the relevant data, which lowers both risk and cost.

Preservation, while essential, is the reactive step of securely maintaining data once litigation is anticipated. Collection focuses on identifying and gathering data from various sources. Processing involves narrowing and preparing the data for review. All are important, but the stage that means your electronic environment is already in order to minimize risk and expenses is Information Governance.