Implementation guidelines for a harmonised digital forensic investigation readiness process model

Abstract

Digital forensic investigation readiness enables an organisation to prepare itself in order to perform a digital forensic investigation in a more efficient and effective manner. Benefits of achieving a high level of digital forensic investigation readiness include, but are not limited to, higher admissibility of digital evidence in a court of law, better utilisation of resources (including time and financial resources) and higher awareness of forensic investigation readiness. The problem that this paper addresses is that there is no harmonised digital forensic investigation readiness process model with appropriate implementation guidelines and, thus, there is a lack of an effective and standardised implementation of digital forensic investigation readiness measures within organisations. Valjarevic and Venter have, in their previous work, proposed a harmonised digital forensic investigation readiness process model. This paper proposes implementation guidelines for such a harmonised digital forensic investigation process model in order to help practitioners and researchers to successfully implement the proposed model. The authors believe that these guidelines will significantly help to properly and consistently implement digital forensic readiness measures in different organisations in a bid to achieve higher admissibility of digital evidence in a court of law, as well as more efficient and effective digital forensic investigations.