CrashPlan Legal Hold preserves user backup data for legal matters and supports its collection for eDiscovery. A preservation policy specifies what files to keep and for how long, while a matter applies that policy to a group of custodians. CrashPlan automatically captures regular file updates from custodians’ devices. Custodians are not told about a hold, and its backup set does not appear in the CrashPlan app. The program logs data access and changes to preservation policies, and CrashPlan says it retains file timestamps, permissions, and directory paths for discovery. An open API and integration documentation let an existing eDiscovery platform access preserved data. Collection requires an active hold and a target device with the CrashPlan app installed and running. Console collection is unavailable for archives protected by an Archive key password or Custom key, although the data remains preserved. Custodians remain active subscribers while a matter is open. Releasing a custodian or closing a matter starts permanent deletion of the data preserved by that hold. Legal Hold is available on Enterprise plans, with pricing on request.
Who it is for
Legal and eDiscovery teams that need to preserve backup data for groups of custodians may find Legal Hold relevant. It is intended for use with an existing eDiscovery platform through its API and integration documentation.
What is good
- Automatically captures regular updates from custodians’ devices.
- Preservation policies define files and retention periods.
- Logs data access and policy changes for audit.
- Preserves timestamps, permissions, and directory paths.
- Offers an API for existing eDiscovery platforms.
What to know first
- No free plan is listed.
- Console collection is unavailable for Archive or Custom key archives.
- Custodians continue consuming a subscription while matters are open.
- Closing a matter begins permanent deletion of its preserved data.
Verdict
CrashPlan Legal Hold provides ongoing preservation and an API path into existing eDiscovery systems. Before adopting it, teams should account for collection prerequisites, subscription use during open matters, and deletion when a matter closes or a custodian is released.
Get started with CrashPlan Legal Hold
- Visit the CrashPlan Legal Hold website.
- Contact sales for Enterprise plan pricing.
- Create a preservation policy defining files and retention.
- Apply the policy to a group of users through a matter.
- Keep the hold active and ensure the target device has the CrashPlan app installed and active.
- Use the open API and integration documentation to access preserved data from an existing eDiscovery platform.
Limits to know first
Collection requires an active hold and an active CrashPlan app on the target device. Console collection is not available for archives using an Archive key password or Custom key, and custodians continue to consume subscriptions while matters are open.
Questions about CrashPlan Legal Hold
How is CrashPlan Legal Hold priced?
It is available on Enterprise plans with custom volume pricing on per-user licensing. Pricing is on request.
Does a custodian receive notice of a hold?
No. Custodians are not notified, and the legal-hold backup set does not appear in the CrashPlan app.
What is needed to collect preserved files?
The hold must be active, and the target device must have the CrashPlan app installed and active.
Can every preserved archive be collected through the console?
No. Console collection is unavailable for custodians whose archives use an Archive key password or Custom key, although their data remains preserved.
Which desktop systems does the CrashPlan app support?
The app supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
What happens when a custodian is released or a matter closes?
Releasing a custodian or closing a matter begins permanent deletion of the data preserved by that hold.
CrashPlan Legal Hold plans and pricing
All plansCompared on legal hold software
- Free plan
- No
- Custodian acknowledgment
- No
- Audit trail
- Yes
- Matter tracking
- Yes
