Incident reporting and case management software provider D3 Software announced the introduction of a Web-based platform designed for IT forensics investigators.
The solution, IT Forensics Case Management, helps investigators acquire data, manage the case, track the physical evidence and analyze digital evidence to such an extent that it can be presented in a court of law.
The suite is completely Web-based and available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or as an enterprise application.
In addition, the suite manages the entire investigations process as it relates to mobile devices and computers, from the seizure and acquisition of data, to facilitating secure collaboration and analysis, and finally, analytical reporting.
The D3 forensics suite consists of four major components, including Web Intake, Case Management, Evidence Tracking, and Transparency Reporting, all of which are designed to support the expanding needs of computer forensic investigators, computer security and litigation support professionals.
With D3’s Web Intake component, case requesters can specify the parameters of a case request, including the ability to upload a list of hundreds of custodians through a tailored Web-form.
Case requesters are not locked into a template, but can specify keyword requirements and any non-standard data sources, in addition to the standard minimum package of Hard Drive, Network Drive, and Email.
The Case Management interface of the suite focuses on managing the hundreds of tasks that can be associated with an IT forensics case, including any due dates stipulated by an internal SLA (Service Level Agreement).
These tasks are color-coded based on their due-date for easier prioritization, and email reminders can also be generated when a task becomes overdue. The feature also tracks key details for each data source, such as date and time of data retrieval, quantity of data retrieved, date and time of data processing, and quantity of data processed.
The Evidence Tracking component provides a mechanism for D3 customers to track the physical evidence associated with a case, including tag number barcoding of hard drives, and chain of custody tracking for each exhibit.
The Transparency Reporting analysis tool is the final component of the offering, which can generate reports from any field in the system and lets users create ad-hoc analysis, and combine reports into executive style dashboards.
In addition, nightly reports can be used to identify trends, quantify the completion of tasks and monitor the status of open cases or compile detailed digital evidence that can be used in a court of law.
The company said this can help to reduce the high volume of emails that request case status, allowing investigators to focus on progressing their cases, while leaving the D3 system to produce and distribute status updates.