Computer Forensics Hardware
Although our forensic machines are capable of performing multiple tasks such as wiping, duplicating, and archiving data, dedicated hardware can make our lab more efficient. While we cannot currently afford any of these equipment, we are trying to get the money to do so. These are some of the equipment that I have experience using and will recommend to my supervisor.
Wiping:
Wiping a drive can take several minutes or hours to wipe each, depending on size and method used. If we were wiping one drive at a time, we can spend a whole day wiping drives on a machine that could have otherwise been use for investigations. For wiping multiple drives, I would use Logicube's Omniclone 5Xi.

Duplicating:
We always create forensic duplicates of the original evidence, and usually do so in EnCase or FTK Imager. However, there are times when we have to go outside the lab to perform an acquisition. It would be impractical to take our lab machines with us to the scene. Therefore, we usually rely on a mobile solution. This can include a laptop in a briefcase, with the forensic software installed. However, I prefer to use Logicube's Forensic Talon.

Archiving:
Image files are usually placed on our forensic servers and take up space when they are no longer needed. Once a case becomes inactive, we need to archive it. If it is a large case, we usually archive to tape. However, many cases are small enough to fit on DVDs. Currently, we are using one of our forensic machine to burn these files to DVD. However, this manual task can get tedious. First, we have to make sure the files all fit in one DVD. If not, we must manually split them. Then, once each DVD is done, we must manually remove one DVD and put the next one in and repeat the process. This wastes the investigator's time and the machine used to burn the DVDs. A better method is to use an automated machine. I have had good experience with Primera's Optivault Archival Appliance.

We usually create two sets per case. One is sent to a remote location and one stays in-house. This is so that we can restore the case if necessary and can get the second backup if something is wrong with the first.
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