ESI forensic services and appliances from Integreon

Integreon has unveiled an enhanced version of its Seek & Collect service and appliances. The company reports Seek & Collect captures electronically stored information (ESI) from remote locations in a forensically sound manner without the need for physical collection by forensic experts. Version 2.0 builds on V. 1.0 and features multiplatform support, collection for much larger data sets, stronger encryption technology and a simpler, more flexible configuration utility, according to Integreon.

The company adds that its “plug-and-play” Seek & Collect appliances have been designed to simplify the e-discovery collection process and provide Integreon clients with targeted, defensible data collection from multiple unique data custodians across their global enterprises. The Seek & Collect technology, which can be installed on a wide range of storage media including USB memory sticks and external hard drives, executes automatically when connected to a computer to capture ESI.

Integreon explains that Seek & Collect works by making logical copies of specified files and their directories without altering dates or metadata to avoid data spoliation, while creating a unique hash value for each collected file (using MD5 hashing algorithms). The entire dataset is copied into an encrypted archive container for secure transport, and the container is then returned to Integreon’s evidence labs via courier.

The captured ESI is stored in Integreon’s highly secure evidence room with a closed IT network. Throughout the entire process, Integreon strictly adheres to the standards set forth by the National Institute of Justice for preserving the authenticity and integrity of evidence, and follows Integreon’s own strict methodology for preserving data integrity and chain of custody.