There's help on the way for businesses of all sizes scrambling to meet new federal rules mandating the retention and production of virtually all electronic information – including e-mail and instant messages – in civil court, regulatory proceedings or audits.

The Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance) today announced a seven-part series of virtual seminars to provide businesses, and the lawyers advising them, expert guidance on complying with the amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which went into effect on Dec. 1, 2006. The rules cover everything from e-mail and receipts to memos, documents and contracts.

According to a Computerworld survey conducted late last year, 32 percent of IT managers "weren't at all prepared" to meet the new requirements. Just five percent said their companies were "completely prepared."

"Corporations and law firms are still waking up to these sweeping mandates," said Larry Clinton, ISAlliance's Deputy Executive Director. "These seminars will help CIOs, general counsels, and outside attorneys navigate this difficult new terrain and avoid a nasty surprise in civil court."

The ISAlliance is a collaboration of the Electronic Industries Alliance and Carnegie Mellon's CyLab and works closely with the CERT Coordination Center – a leading, nationally recognized center of Internet security expertise. The non-profit helps law firms and companies in the aerospace, defense, entertainment, financial, food service, manufacturing and telecommunications sectors by standardizing best practices in Internet security and network survivability and by working with legislators and regulators to ensure that market incentives are at the forefront of public policy.

The E-Discovery seminar series is open to all ISAlliance members. Those seeking more information on the E-Discovery rules or on ISAlliance membership can contact Larry Clinton at (703) 907-7799 or lclinton@isalliance.org. The seminar schedule is as follows:

Jody Westby, Chair of the American Bar Association's Privacy & Computer Crime Committee, CEO of Global Cyber Risk, and a Carnegie Mellon University Distinguished Fellow, will present the following E-Discovery virtual seminars:

March 8: Data Preservation and Sanction: The Alligator in the Swamp is Alive and Well
March 15: What Data is ‘Not Reasonably Accessible'
March 22: Technical Discovery Tools: Snake Oil or Silver Bullets?
March 29: Managing E-Discovery: Security and Governance Considerations

Jeffrey Ritter, the recipient of the American Bar Association's Cyber Space Excellence Award for his work in providing solutions to legal barriers to electronic commerce and Co-Director of Waters Edge Consulting, will present the following seminars:

April 5: E-Discovery: Survival Strategies for Information Security Professionals
April 12: Controlling the Risks of Security with Outside Law Firms
April 19: Designing Records Hold Programs