DesktopIQ

Identifying and acting on email and user files from remote offices or mobile users is problematic due to the combination of low network bandwidth and high latency.  The challenges can be further compounded for occasionally connected mobile workers.  Organizations that use file copy software to transmit data across an extended network cannot intelligently filter data.  Typically this leads to over-collecting what is necessary extending the time and effort to complete a collection task.  They also face significant difficulties properly preserving all metadata, taking enormous amounts of time to complete data collection activities, and having no automated method to restart the collection process after a network interruption or if a remote user disconnects while a collection is in progress. The result is that either a member of the IT staff or a consultant is dispatched to a remote office to perform custodian collection, or remote users are forced to ship their laptops into a main office for a few days. StoredIQ designed DesktopIQ to overcome these difficulties.

DesktopIQ Reduces Complexity of Remote Information Collection and Management

StoredIQ's ground-breaking desktop solution offers a significant advancement over any current approach in the industry for discovery and management of data on desktops and laptops.  While the StoredIQ Platform includes the ability to discover and manage data on desktops and laptops, the DesktopIQ application is specifically designed for organizations that are geographically distributed, of significant size, or have a large number of mobile staff members who often find it difficult to coordinate availability and access to identify and collect data for investigations or litigation matters or disposition data for records management. StoredIQ's DesktopIQ addresses all of these situations to provide a comprehensive, enterprise-wide desktop data management solution at a total cost that is much lower than traditional methods.

DesktopIQ solves problems of visibility and control of business content stored on occasionally connected desktop and laptops over high latency networks.  The agent encapsulates the features of the StoredIQ Platform that benefit from close proximity to data stored on remote devices.  The desktop agent is installed on targeted desktops and laptops.  As network connectivity is available, it registers with a designated StoredIQ appliance becoming visible in the DesktopIQ management dashboard.

The agent supports both a reactive and permanent deployment model to provide flexibility to meet either tactical or long-term information management requirements.  In a reactive deployment, the agent is installed and removes itself as soon as its’ assigned task is complete.  This relieves on-going needs to manage or update the agent software.   If there is an on-going need to for the agent, it can be deployed permanently.  DesktopIQ has features to assist in the on-going management and update of the agent.

Centralized Management

The desktop agent management dashboard provides centralized management and visibility of agent task assignments, activity and audit logs.  The StoredIQ Appliance administrator defines, distributes and controls the execution of agent tasks.  Agent tasks can be paused by the administrator and later resumed or cancelled, allowing tasks to be dynamically prioritized.  Dedicated desktop agent connections can be assigned to key custodians and executives who require priority in responding to collection requests.  All activity performed by the desktop agent is logged and available for analysis.

Intelligent Desktop

The desktop agent can filter out non-relevant files on the target computer, reducing the amount of data to be collected and expediting the collection effort. Filtering can be performed using keywords, dates, file types, NIST hash list comparisons, or other metadata criteria though the StoredIQ query interface. The list of responsive files is available for verification prior to execution, allowing administrators to incrementally adjust and refine collections criteria as appropriate.

The desktop agent is able to identify and act upon any internal or external storage devices attached to the target computer including CD/DVD, USB or Firewire drives. Non-standard drive configurations for desktops are discovered and can be adjusted accordingly for proper collections.

In the event the network connection is lost, such as a user turning off the computer, the status of the agent activity is preserved and resumed later when the target computer re-connects to the network.

Scalability

The desktop agent supports massively parallel collection activity across multiple computers, improving efficiency.

Feature Highlights

• Flexible installation - DesktopIQ is easy to install and can remove itself when completed, eliminating the need for IT staff to manage or patch; or it can be installed permanently.
• Network-friendly - The agent is designed to work across a variety of low bandwidth or high latency networks and through network firewalls to support VPN connections over ISDN, DSL or cable.
• Centrally managed desktop agent dashboard - The desktop agent management dashboard provides centralized management and visibility of agent task assignments, activity and audit logs.
• Intelligent desktop collection - The desktop agent can filter out non-relevant files on the target computer, reducing the amount of data to be collected and expediting the collection effort. Filtering can be performed using keywords, dates, file types, NIST hash list comparisons, or other metadata criteria though the StoredIQ query interface. The list of responsive files is available for verification prior to execution, allowing administrators to incrementally adjust and refine collections criteria as appropriate.
• Recover from disconnected connections - In the event the network connection is lost, such as a user turning off the computer, the status of the agent activity is preserved and resumed later when the target computer re-connects to the network.
• Visibility to computer storage devices - The desktop agent is able to identify and act upon any internal or external storage devices attached to the target computer including CD/DVD, USB or Firewire drives. Non-standard drive configurations for desktops are discovered and can be adjusted accordingly for proper collections.
• Pause, resume, restart, cancel workstation activities - Desktop agent tasks can be paused by the administrator and later resumed or cancelled, allowing tasks to be dynamically prioritized.
• Reserved agent connections - Dedicated desktop agent connections can be assigned to key custodians and executives who require priority in responding to collection requests.
• Concurrent desktop collections - The desktop agent supports massively parallel collection activity across multiple computers, improving collection efficiency.
• Write directly to litigation hold volume - Collected data can be stored to a target volume where StoredIQ can manage multiple litigation hold policies and deduplicate data collected across different desktops and different matters.
• Searchable audit trail history - All activity performed by the desktop agent is logged and available for analysis.