Holds, collections and review
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery
Last reviewed
Ghani Governance configures Microsoft Purview eDiscovery so legal and compliance can run a matter: who may open a case, how a hold is authorised, and how collections are scoped. Enabling the licence is not an implementation. We are not a law firm and we do not invent litigation case studies.
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery as a working path
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery can place holds, collect content, and support review. Enabling the workload is not an implementation. The work is deciding who may open a case, how a hold is authorised, how collections are scoped, and how review happens without becoming an ungoverned export.
Ghani Governance configures that path for UK organisations. We do not invent litigation case studies, and we are not a law firm. Product references: Microsoft’s get started with eDiscovery guide and manage eDiscovery cases documentation.
eDiscovery configuration we deliver
Scope cards below are first-party delivery detail: role groups, holds, collections, review (where licensed), and operating notes. Product case and hold behaviour is defined in Microsoft’s manage eDiscovery cases documentation.
Role groups and access
Who can create a case, place a hold, collect, or review — named, not “everyone in IT”.
Holds
How a legal or investigation hold is requested, applied and released, with a written purpose.
Collections
Scoping a collection so it matches the matter, rather than pulling an entire mailbox estate.
Review
Where licences allow, review-set workflow; where they do not, an honest path that does not pretend Premium features exist.
Operating notes
How a matter is opened, handed to counsel if instructed, and closed — written for the people who will do it.
Communication Compliance · Insider Risk · Data lifecycle · Policy to Purview · Compliance Manager · All Purview services
How we implement Microsoft Purview eDiscovery
Implementation follows prerequisites, path design, configure, test on a harmless scope, then hand over. Steps below are our method; Microsoft’s get started with eDiscovery guide is the product baseline.
Prerequisites
Licensing, audit, permissions, and whether any search or hold already exists.
Design the path
Who authorises a hold, who collects, who reviews, who closes.
Configure
Cases, role groups and a pilot collection on a harmless scope.
Test
Hold, collect, review or export — then check what was missed or over-collected.
Hand over
Documented steps your legal or compliance owner can repeat.
eDiscovery questions
Are you a law firm? Do you run the litigation?
No. We implement Microsoft Purview eDiscovery so your legal, compliance or instructed firm can place holds, collect and review. We do not conduct litigation or give legal advice on a matter.
How is this different from searching the admin centre?
Content search finds items. eDiscovery adds holds, collections, review (where licensed) and a documented chain so a matter can be run without ad-hoc exports. Implementation is making that path usable, not turning search on.
Do we need eDiscovery Premium?
Not always. Holds and collections cover many matters. Review sets and advanced analytics depend on licensing and the kind of review you actually do. We say what your licences support before designing around a Premium feature.
Related Purview services
Other Ghani Governance Microsoft Purview services on this hub that often sit alongside eDiscovery:
- Communication Compliance — policy-based message review that can escalate into a formal matter
- Insider Risk Management — risky-activity cases that sometimes need holds and collections
- Data lifecycle and records management — retention and records paths that affect what remains searchable
- Policy to Purview design — written hold and investigation policy before tooling is configured
- Compliance Manager — assessment programmes that may surface eDiscovery-related improvement actions
- All Microsoft Purview services — full hub list
Book a discovery workshop
A scoping conversation about what you need to protect, what is already configured, and what must not break.