GEC NEWS WIREDigital Forensics can Help You Uncover the Facts
Suspected employee misconduct is sometimes not fully investigated to confirm or deny any allegations, it is important for HR Professionals to understand the nature of IT evidence.
Simply browsing an employee’s computer or asking the IT staff to supply email files for HR review will sometimes not be sufficient to uncover the real facts in a case. Whenever IT is involved, an employee investigation should follow the chain of custody procedures where the original evidence should never be analyzed or tampered with but secured in a forensics manner, in most cases a forensic copy of the original evidence must be used in an investigation. Following the chain of custody procedures is not an option but a rule which every organization must be compliant with in order to ensure admissibility of evidence in a court of law. Digital Forensics can retrieve deleted files and allow HR professionals to make decisions based on facts.
Even the most careful and articulate employee will leave traces showing their actions and intentions. The key is to collect and preserve this information and then identify the suspect’s IT related activities that will establish facts and a timeline related to the allegations. It is important to develop a set of Standard Operating Procedures for HR investigations so that untrained individuals know what to do during these situations. HR Professionals should work with the IT department to ensure that IT evidence is retrieved in a forensically sound manner. This must be done by trained staff or external consultants.
HR Professionals should be aware of the role of Digital Forensics and how it can help confirm or deny employee allegations of misconduct. Adhering to Digital Forensic procedures that are based on the chain of custody rule will also protect the organization in case of legal or noncompliance proceedings.
Contego Solutions is a specialized digital forensics firm which is based in Dubai with expertise in assisting clients in extracting digital evidence in an investigation and providing a detailed evidential report of findings.
