Overview

EvidentData is a team of computer forensic investigators that recover and discover electronic evidence, assist in the production of digital discovery and investigate computer break-ins and other types of network compromises.  EvidentData is the first California-based private computer forensics laboratory of its kind, custom-designed and state-of-the-art to recover evidence from devices ranging from palmtops to enterprise servers.

“Our computer forensics lab is very dynamic, machines are wiped and recycled on a frequent basis to accommodate various engagements” states Mark Spencer, Computer Forensics Examiner at EvidentData.  A typical engagement involving computer forensics can result in thousands of documents and fragments that need to be produced for clients.  In some cases, the data collected is over ten years old and was created with software applications long since forgotten.

Business Challenge

It was a real challenge for EvidentData to access the required information as well as ensure document accessibility for their clients who do not always have advanced technical skills.  A software solution that would enable both themselves and their clients to quickly access data compiled in hundreds of different formats, while maintaining a high level of security and ease of use was needed.

Solution

With ExpressConversion Server, EvidentData is able to convert hundreds of file formats into a single, universally accessible file format, Adobe PDF.  Once converted to PDF, files can be accessed by anyone with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.  “Navigating Adobe PDF documents is very intuitive,” adds Mark Spencer, “something our clients appreciate”.

When dealing with very large amounts of data, two high-powered forensic workstations are used to run ExpressConversion Server and convert Text files to PDF, Word to PDF, HTML to PDF and many other common file formats. The combination of powerful forensic workstations and the batch conversion processing offered by ExpressConversiion Server provides EvidentData with a quick and convenient method of converting files to PDF.

In addition to batch conversion, ExpressCOnversion Server allows EvidentData to fine-tune other features such as security, serial numbers and headers and footers.  With advanced PDF branding, users are able to add unique serial numbers to each page and create custom headers and footers, therefore providing clients with further flexibility when accessing and searching for information.

Benefits

ExpressConversion Server is:

• Smart  - Even without the original application ExpressConversion Server is able to convert over 300 file types into PDF documents.
  
• Efficient - Batch processing enables quick and convenient document conversion.
  
• Customizable - Documents are processed to the individual needs of each customer with the placement of watermarks, serial numbers and security features.
  
• Universal - The PDF format is accepted world wide as a secure non-editable format, perfect for archiving.