Building a Computer Forensics Lab,

                       Forensic Lab Update

We received the computers for the lab and I already set them up. Now, we need to add a network switch in the room so that each computer can communicate with each other. Once the switch is in place, we can share the hard drives from each computer to allow easy file transfers among the machines.

Although there are three computers, we are only using two monitors. We have the two LCD monitors that came with the new PCs and two huge CRT monitors. However, due to limited space, we removed the CRT monitors from the room. Instead, we are using a KVM switch for two of the computers. We also need to get the forensic server up. I am trying to get all of this set up as soon as possible because it will be put to the test soon!

Some companies in the private sector do some things to impress a client such as running simulated processes on multiple screens. It's all for show. However, the public sector is different. There are no clients to impress. Sometimes, we need to work with what we have and aim for functionality. That's not to say that labs in the public sector are not impressive. I have seen some very nice labs from the state and federal government.