2024 Year in Review: A Holiday Message from HaystackID® CEO Hal Brooks

As our industry closes out this transformative year, it’s a time to celebrate the incredible advancements and challenges that have defined our work. 2024 has been a year of rapid innovation and constant adaptation. Our industry demands nothing less than forward-thinking solutions, and at HaystackID, we’ve embraced this challenge head-on.

As our CEO Hal Brooks shared in the accompanying video, “This year has brought immense change and opportunity to our industry. We’ve witnessed the rise of generative AI (GenAI), the challenge of managing massive data volumes, and a need for constant innovation to stay ahead. Yet, through it all, we’ve seen incredible creativity, adaptability, and teamwork across every corner of our organization and partnerships.”

As we embrace this season, we reflect on the collective drive and ingenuity that have fueled our success. These milestones were only possible because of the dedication and collaboration of our team, clients, and partners.

GenAI: The Talk of The Town Industry in 2024

This year, we launched Core Intelligence AI™, our GenAI-powered eDiscovery solution that bolsters how legal professionals tackle the complexities of managing electronically stored information (ESI). Built on the HaystackID Core® platform as part of the Discovery Intelligence suite, Core Intelligence AI addresses critical challenges such as data security complexities, increasing eDiscovery costs, and the inefficiencies of traditional information management workflows.

“We’ve integrated generative AI capabilities into our platform to meet the unique needs of our clients, enabling them to tackle complex eDiscovery challenges with confidence,” said Andrea Wallack, President of HaystackID, in a press release. “Our priority is to provide practical and efficient solutions, ensuring high levels of efficiency, defensibility, and compliance.”

John Brewer, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and Chief Data Scientist at HaystackID, said, “Applying generative AI in a responsible and practical manner ensures our solutions address the real-world challenges our clients face. Core Intelligence AI exemplifies this approach by enhancing precision and efficiency in eDiscovery.”

In September, we took another significant step by integrating Relativity’s aiR for Review into Core Intelligence AI. This collaboration enhances the solution’s analytical capabilities, offering a faster, more accurate, and defensible approach to document review.

Phil Saunders, CEO of Relativity, highlighted the importance of this integration in a press release: “The integration of aiR for Review into this solution brings with it a new chapter of speed-to-insights, natural language reasoning, and consistency. This partnership embodies the industry’s commitment to harnessing next-generation AI to empower legal professionals with fit-for-purpose tools that achieve real results.”

Beyond new offerings and partnerships, our experts have also been involved with myriad educational initiatives, from presentations at leading industry events to webcasts, to empower legal teams with the tools, knowledge, and strategies they need to excel. In a webcast earlier this year, we explored how AI workflows enhance ESI discovery. Young Yu, Vice President of Advanced Analytics and Strategic Solutions at HaystackID, underscored GenAI’s transformative potential: “GenAI does a better job than any of the previous tech out there. It’s a better means of classifying documents. You’ll get more accurate results; you’ll get more consistent results.”

Bring on the Volumes and Complexity: Unlocking the Power of Data

This year, organizations faced unprecedented data challenges. The sheer scale of ESI required innovative solutions to maintain operational efficiency, ensure compliance, and extract actionable insights. To address this challenge, we launched the M365 with HaystackID Suite in the first quarter, empowering organizations to maximize their Microsoft 365® investments. Our Global Advisory practice complements the suite, providing expert guidance tailored to each organization’s unique needs.

“We’re going beyond mere software implementation; our dedicated practice understands and aligns with each organization’s unique business processes and provides custom solutions to transform how they operate,” said Nate Latessa, Executive Vice President of Advisory Services at HaystackID. “With this targeted approach, organizations get more value from their data while strengthening compliance, increasing security, and driving seamless cross-team collaboration.”

Additionally, as the complexity of digital investigations grows, we expanded Mobile Elite Discovery and Analysis Lab (MEDAL™) into a comprehensive suite of six services designed to address challenges like BYOD policies and encrypted messaging. The innovation didn’t stop there. In October 2024, we launched the Remote Endpoint Analysis and Data Intelligence (READI™) Suite, a solution for remote forensic investigation, offering unparalleled speed, precision, and security for digital investigations.

“By enabling remote data collection and analysis across various environments, we are leading the way in giving our clients the flexibility and tools to address their most pressing forensic challenges,” said John Wilson, CTCE, FDACS, Chief Information Security Officer and President of Forensics, HaystackID, in a press release.

With Great Innovation (and Data Volumes) Comes Great Responsibility

2024 has been a testament to the transformative power of innovation paired with an unwavering commitment to security and compliance. The year began with HaystackID earning the 2024 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Award in the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity category for its Protect Analytics AI™ for Relativity offering.

“Protect Analytics AI for Relativity represents a significant leap forward in our ability to empower clients with the tools they need to manage their sensitive data,” said Michael D. Sarlo, Chief Innovation Officer and President of Global Investigations and Cyber Incident Response Services at HaystackID in a press release.

As 2024 progressed, TikTok U.S. Data Security Inc. (USDS) named HaystackID as an Independent Security Inspector to further enhance the security of TikTok users’ data and protect against cybersecurity threats. In collaboration with OnDefend and Mandiant Consulting, our work involves securing the TikTok app, its source code, and user data.

Innovation without top-notch security can be a liability, so we doubled down on maintaining industry-leading certifications. For the fourth consecutive year, we achieved our SOC 2 Type 2 certification across all trust services criteria, demonstrating our dedication to rigorous data security, privacy, and integrity protocols.

Additionally, we reached a significant milestone with the HITRUST r2 Certification, which validates compliance with stringent standards like HIPAA and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. This certification places HaystackID among an elite group of organizations worldwide dedicated to the highest levels of information protection assurance.

A Moment to Express Gratitude

Closing out this year, our industry should feel immense pride in all we have achieved. These achievements were only possible through the passion, dedication, and collaboration of our incredible team, trusted clients, and valued partners. As we look toward 2025, we’re confident that our collective commitment to innovation, excellence, and security will continue to propel us forward. On behalf of everyone at HaystackID, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a new year filled with peace, purpose, and continued success. Thank you for being an integral part of our journey.