Exploring Excellence with HaystackID: Michael D. Sarlo
Editor’s Note: In the latest article in our “Exploring Excellence with HaystackID” series, we highlight HaystackID’s Chief Innovation Officer and President of Global Investigations and Cyber Incident Response, Michael D. Sarlo, a leader in legal technology innovation. Michael‘s early involvement in a high-stakes class action case was a defining moment in his career, where his expertise led to a large settlement and justice for the plaintiffs. From his time as a data analyst and project manager to various leadership roles at HaystackID, Michael has always focused on client success, continuous learning, and building solutions to combat our industry’s most pressing challenges. Dig into the article to learn about Michael‘s commitment to industry education, his role in spearheading new offerings, and how to connect with him and fellow experts at ILTACON 2024 and beyond.
Exploring Excellence with HaystackID: Michael D. Sarlo
By HaystackID Staff
When Michael D. Sarlo started in digital forensics, he was brought into a long-running class action case involving the world’s largest grain commodities trading company and an individual who would later become known as the “Madoff of the Midwest. ” The odds were stacked against the plaintiffs, a group of farmers who fell victim to a scheme that cost them a combined $30 million. There was contention about how the large company being sued stored data, and the judge overseeing the case appointed Michael as the expert to manage the discovery process for both parties. Michael and his colleagues developed a program that mapped out this company’s historical data map using email metadata extracted from historical emails, ultimately showing that the company had servers they were hiding with relevant information. This information allowed the case to settle and secure justice on behalf of the farmers.
“This case was a significant turning point in my career,” Michael said. “It showed me how much I could do with my background and skillset in delivering justice.”
Michael’s dedication to client success, ability to stay ahead of industry changes, and talent for creating solutions to overcome challenges have solidified him as a true innovator in our industry. Less than 15 years later, Michael is at the forefront of legal technology as the Chief Innovation Officer and President of Global Investigations at HaystackID, handling some of the largest and most newsworthy matters in the world.
Pioneering Change in eDiscovery and Legal Innovation
According to Michael, establishing your expertise, empowering your clients, and educating them is essential. From being a data analyst to an executive at HaystackID, Michael has always prioritized sharing his knowledge to uplevel how our industry operates.
“I started in this industry as an analyst, making $14 an hour, and have worked my way up to where I am now. Because I started at the ground level, I know what our clients are up against, their challenges, and how I can create solutions to overcome those obstacles,” Michael said. “I love that my job is to provide solutions for clients with data challenges and help them extract meaning from that data.”
Case in point: Michael recognized the shifting winds of data privacy well before the GDPR went into effect. He spearheaded HaystackID’s Cyber Discovery offerings to ensure that our clients could handle this influx of changes and maintain their business operations. This line of business has grown tremendously in headcount, revenue, and reputation in the market.
Under his leadership, HaystackID developed the Protect Analytics AI® for Relativity offering, which won the 2024 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards for its ability to allow investigators to focus on the most sensitive documents within a dataset immediately.
Hal Brooks, CEO of HaystackID, said, “These Legalweek honors reflect our team’s dedication to continual innovation and to enhancing how our clients manage their business data related to legal, compliance, regulatory, and cyber events. Our solutions, especially with our sensitive data density score feature, accelerate the prioritization and handling of sensitive data and critical documents. Legalweek’s recognition validates our commitment to excellence in data privacy and cybersecurity on a global scale.”
Michael led the team that expanded this suite to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of identifying, analyzing, and reporting on sensitive information within large, unstructured datasets. With the enhanced suite, HaystackID transforms breach investigations and notification actions by decreasing the time needed to achieve precision insights and actions from weeks to days and days to hours.
“Data complexity and security concerns are escalating with technological advancements, demanding more sophisticated cybersecurity tools and techniques,” said Michael. “As the digital landscape becomes increasingly intricate, the necessity for advanced, AI-driven discovery and security solutions becomes even more critical. HaystackID continues to lead in this area, providing the expertise and technology to negotiate this evolving terrain.”
With 2023 data putting the average cost of a data breach at a staggering $4.45 million, having a solution that helps organizations mitigate their risk is critical. Michael’s forward-thinking and innovative approach has ensured our clients are well-equipped to handle these risks.
Championing Industry Education and Awareness
Michael lowers barriers to technology adoption through his industry education, ensuring that our clients understand and confidently embrace innovations. By sharing insights on managing complexities like mobile review and data volumes, he provides valuable knowledge that fosters continuous learning and adaptation.
“With the guidance of many others in this industry, I am where I am today. I was one of the individuals who helped build HaystackID to the hundreds of experts that we have today, mentoring people from all departments along the way. I try to share as much of what I know as possible,” Michael said.
Michael also continues to strive to increase his knowledge. Throughout his 11+ years at HaystackID, he has actively pursued industry-specific training, earning credentials such as:
- EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE)
- Relativity Certified Administrator (RCA)
- Cellebrite Certified Logical Operator (CCLO)
- Certified Blacklight Examiner (CBE)
- Certified Cellebrite Physical Analyst (CCPA)
“In our field, stagnancy is not an option. That’s why I am constantly seeking new avenues to learn to stay ahead of what’s unfolding in our industry,” Michael said.
Defy Complacency: Learn How to Stay Ahead with HaystackID
With all the changes unfolding in our industry, knowledge is power. Connect with Michael and our experts at ILTACON 2024, or book time with us to learn how you can solve your complex data challenges.
About HaystackID®
HaystackID solves complex data challenges related to legal, compliance, regulatory, and cyber events. Core offerings include Global Advisory, Data Discovery Intelligence, HaystackID Core® Platform, and AI-enhanced Global Managed Review powered by its proprietary platform, ReviewRight®. Repeatedly recognized as one of the world’s most trusted legal industry providers by prestigious publishers such as Chambers, Gartner, IDC, and Legaltech News,
HaystackID implements innovative cyber discovery, enterprise solutions, and legal and compliance offerings to leading companies and legal practices around the world. HaystackD offers highly curated and customized offerings while prioritizing security, privacy, and integrity. For more information about how HaystackID can help solve unique legal enterprise needs, please visit HaystackID.com.
Assisted by GAI and LLM technologies.
Source: HaystackID