Forensic technology is an essential component of almost every financial investigation. Litigators practising in today's digital environment must understand the various ways information can be stored and retrieved in order to build the best possible case and to ensure compliance with discovery rules. Deloitte's Forensic Technology practice combines the investigative experience of its Forensic Services professionals with technologically advanced computer hardware and cutting-edge software to offer new, innovative solutions to our clients' complex legal problems.

What we do

Using the array of technology featured in our worldwide network of computer forensics labs, our professionals can recover a wealth of information from computer hard drives and backup tapes, including active, deleted, hidden, lost or encrypted files, file fragments and even files that were merely viewed but never saved. Using our proprietary electronic discovery systems and methodologies, we are able to efficiently search and process very large volumes of electronic data including word processor documents, spreadsheets, text files, e-mail and financial data. We have the unique ability to tailor our resources and diagnostic tools to recover large amounts of data and find innovative solutions in even the most complex litigation matters. An incident that needs investigating may result in legal action, which means that the information collection process must be structured and lawful. Computer information is volatile - it can easily be changed and therefore reduce its evidential value.

Taking it one step further

Traditional forensic technology tools are designed to deal with stand alone computers and portable media. They are used to take a complete copy of data held on a variety of magnetic media in a process often referred to as "imaging".

Deloitte can take this process one step further by making use of the next generation of forensic technology software. We have the facility to carry out forensic IT investigations on machines connected to corporate networks. We are able to create a secure connection to a remote computer, which can then be forensically reviewed and copied as though we were connected directly to it. One of the major benefits of this is the ability to review corporate servers and computers according to forensic principles without disrupting normal business operations.

This new advance in forensic technology can greatly enhance a variety of electronic analysis.

Examples of use

Some of the areas where we have applied these tools include:

• Fraud investigations
• Securities and Exchange Commission investigations
• Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act investigations
• Asset tracing
• Intellectual property theft
• Unauthorised access
• Industrial espionage
• Systems reconstruction
• Software disputes