Digital forensic capabilities – FRCP 2006 edition impacts on an organization
Information on the date is one of the most crucial and valuable things in the world. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedures were amended in 2006, and a lot of emphases have been laid on information and its storage. Electronically Stored Information (ESI) has been redefined in a way that no data can be left out of the digital warehouse.
Why develop a team?
The amendment has ignited a massive demand for digital forensic experts within the organizations. There are various benefits that organizations can enjoy if they have useful digital forensic capabilities. Some of the most common ones include:
- With digital forensic experts, they will have authorized investigators who can handle the tasks of collecting and storing important information electronically (Dirking & Kodali, 2008). This includes documenting all sorts of information electronically. The IT-related documents must be presented to the government while other records may have to be displayed in the court of law in cases of submission requests. Thus it is essential for organizations to store all documents electronically.
- The collection and storage of data are not enough if it is not kept safe. There are a lot of sensitive data that are also stored as ESI. Such data may be essential for future reference and must be easily accessible. Thus, it is necessary to protect these data so that they are not lost. Having a capable expert in digital forensics can make it easier for the organization to ensure the protection of such data.
- The ESI must not be left unprotected as tampering with the organization’s sensitive data can bring in a lot of impacts. It is essential for the organization to prevent the abuse of ESI and cut down such risks as much as possible (Chorvat & Pelanek, 2012). A digital forensic professional can mitigate the risks by establishing restricted access to such information and maintain the confidentiality of such data.
- The FRCP amendments have forced the organization to abide by a wide variety of regulatory guidelines in relation to ESI from the legal aspects. As mentioned already, submission requests in the court of law can be made for any document that is related to the case under consideration. However, they are not bound to respond to all requests made in the court of law (Elyas al., 2015). In case the organization does not wish to respond to a request, they have the freedom to do so. Useful digital forensic capabilities can make it easier for the organization to attend to legal affairs and handle the issues more efficiently.
Developing useful digital forensic capabilities is not that tough task for organizations. They can develop an in-house team of trained experts in digital forensics. In addition, the right equipment and gears would be essential for them to carry on with their responsibilities. Apart from the various other factors, the availability of resources and effective management of the team is crucial as it can enable them to take prompt actions for legal affairs. With frequent training and access to the right technologies, any organization can develop an expert team with excellent digital forensic capabilities.