Also recorded within a computer's own self-maintenance system may be information about who modified a file last and when the modification was made. An audit trail may indicate when and by whom files were downloaded to a particular location, copied, printed out, or purged. In addition to using a network's audit trail, an increasing number of companies are installing software designed to monitor employees' use of company computers. This software records information such as programs used, files accessed, e-mail sent and received, and Internet sites visited. Networked computers allow a large number of people to share information and keep it all in one central place-the network server.
Networks have their own logic that goes beyond any single workstation.
Access rights often depend on the employee's particular job duties and position in the company, and different personnel may have different access rights. From the plaintiff's perspective, you and your expert must meet the challenge that making mirror-image copies of hard drives is not intrusive, and that the process is an easy and straightforward task. Be prepared to enter into a protective order for your client that will allow the opposition to claim that certain identified files are off limits. The cheapest way for the plaintiff's lawyer to preserve evidence is to send the opposition a written notice to preserve that evidence. The request for production of documents should explain that the information sought may exist actively in places such as network file servers, mainframe computers or minicomputers, stand-alone PCs, and network workstations.