Are your teams struggling to keep up with the growing number of record requests? From FOIA inquiries to DSARs, manually retrieving data across platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Teams can slow response times and increase legal risk.

The volume and complexity of these requests continue to rise, leaving many organizations unprepared. Join us, as we look into the problems with manual records handling and how modern record request solutions can improve compliance and efficiency.

The Challenge of Modern Record Requests

Public agencies and private organizations are seeing a major shift in how record requests are made and managed. Most requests now involve digital communications from platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, and Google Workspace. The volume, file types, and formats can create roadblocks that traditional systems were never built to handle.

There are three main challenges behind modern record requests:

• The rising number of requests and formats
• The widespread use of cloud-based communication tools
• The difficulty of retrieving complete and accurate records on time

The Rising Number of Requests and Formats

FOIA and DSARs are increasing each year. More individuals are exercising their rights to request personal or public information.

They rarely involve just a single document. They often include long chat threads, recorded meetings, and shared files, which adds to the work involved. This growth in volume makes it harder to respond without delays or errors.

The Widespread Use of Cloud-Based Communication Tools

As more teams work remotely or in hybrid setups, collaboration tools are taking the place of traditional email and documents. Tools like these generate large volumes of unstructured data.

They also spread that data across different locations and formats. Pulling records from these platforms manually is time-consuming and prone to mistakes.

The Difficulty of Retrieving Complete and Accurate Records on Time

Most record requests come with deadlines. Missing those deadlines can create legal problems and damage trust.

Without tools that can search across platforms and file types, response teams may overlook important data or spend hours reviewing each message by hand. The delay adds risk and keeps staff from focusing on other priorities.

Legal and Operational Risks of Manual Processes

Every FOIA or DSAR comes with a set deadline. If those deadlines aren't met, an organization can face legal action or fines.

Even when no penalties are issued, failing to respond on time can damage public trust or client confidence. It shows a lack of control over internal processes and data access.

Manual collection often leads to incomplete responses. It's easy to miss messages, attachments, or shared files, especially across apps that weren't built for recordkeeping.

These gaps can open the door to legal disputes. In some cases, leaving out a single message or file can be seen as withholding information.

Manual review and collection take time away from other responsibilities. Legal, IT, and compliance teams may all need to stop what they're doing to handle one request. It slows down other work, stretches resources thin, and increases stress on staff. 

Why Traditional Systems Fall Short

Most legacy systems were designed for structured documents, emails, or local files. They can't easily search through conversations in Slack, recordings in Zoom, or files in cloud storage.

That creates large blind spots when someone makes a request. If the system can't locate all the records, the response will be incomplete.

Manual steps add time and increase the chance of errors. With traditional tools, teams often need to tag, filter, and organize data by hand. This takes longer and opens the door to missed items or duplication. The process becomes a burden instead of a support tool.

When systems are slow or disconnected, teams spend more time tracking down information and less time reviewing what matters. The delay puts pressure on legal and compliance teams and makes it harder to meet deadlines.

It also increases the risk of turning in the wrong or incomplete data. FOIA request optimization can't happen without systems that keep up with how people communicate today.

The Role of Cloud-Based DSARs Solutions

More record requests now involve data stored in cloud platforms. As requests increase in both size and frequency, the ability to scale matters.

A cloud-based system doesn't hit the same limits that traditional tools do. It can handle large batches of files, long message threads, and requests that cover several collaboration tools at once. This gives teams more room to work without delays or system failures.

Many organizations use more than one communication tool. Searching through them one by one takes too long. Cloud-based DSARs solutions allow teams to search across all connected platforms at once.

It gives a clearer picture of the data and helps avoid missing anything important. It also improves record request efficiency and supports better FOIA request optimization.

Manual collection burns time and adds labor costs. With a strong cloud-based tool, much of that work is automated. Teams can find, tag, and export records in less time, which frees them up for review and delivery.

How Onna Simplifies Record Requests

Managing FOIA and DSARs across cloud apps is hard without the right tools. Onna pulls data from tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Zoom, and Microsoft 365.

The connection stays active, which means users don't have to wait for a sync or run separate exports. Teams can get the data they need right away, without jumping between systems. It helps with record request efficiency and supports faster DSAR and FOIA responses.

The platform makes it easy to search across all connected sources at once. Whether a request covers chat messages, email threads, or shared files, Onna makes them all accessible from one place.

It cuts down on time spent tracking data and reduces the risk of missing something important. It also helps teams stay focused and organized during high-pressure reviews.

Streamlining Records Maintenance

Managing record requests no longer has to mean delays, risk, or wasted time.

At Onna, we give legal teams the tool to move faster and make smarter decisions. With a focus on speed, accuracy, and cost-efficiency, we help deliver insights quickly when time and budgets matter most.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help with your record requests.