By Andy Frowen

Computer Forensics, or Digital Forensics to give it another name, is something that in today’s fast moving environment has become as much part of policing as walking the beat or patrolling or the mobile unit.

As technology progresses and it does so extremely quickly these days, so to do the ways in which technology is applied to crime and its uses by the criminal. Whereas in the past when crime was much more straightforward and involved a physical presence, Computer Crime requires, in some instances, nothing more than a computer, access to the internet, and the personal information of an unwitting individual.

As this type of computer criminal becomes more and more common so too does the need for experts in the field of Computer Forensics Analysis. However in the United Kingdom at the present time there is a shortage of trained professionals in this field which leaves the computer criminal at a distinct advantage.

Computer Forensics is used in a variety of different ways and not simply as a means of producing an auditable trail of data. A Computer Forensics Analysis of a laptop or desktop machine can provide valuable information as to not only how the machine was used to perpetrate a crime, but also who used the machine to commit the crime.

As individuals we all have certain ways of typing and committing words to a page and this is all very much part and parcel of the Computer Forensics Experts job, identifying these common traits and using them to help produce a profile.

The role of Computer Forensics Analysis in a court case is vitally important especially if that case pertains to the use of computers as a means to defraud money or in the distribution of materials deemed illegal such as pornography and child pornography. An expert Computer Witness will be able to provide such analysis to members of the jury, the judge, and the defense and prosecution teams in a way that is both informative and yet easily enough understood so as not to muddy the waters.

Such a witness is invaluable in both the prosecution and defense of a case and can be utilised to provide expert Computer Forensic Analysis and also provide the jury, who are not necessarily familiar with such terms, with easily digestible and retainable information.

Indeed an expert witness may also be able to physically demonstrate to the court just how a criminal has managed to perpetrate a crime especially if this crime is committed over a distance.

As touched upon earlier there is a shortage of such personnel in the United Kingdom at the present time and this is in no small part due to the face that computer crime is on the increase and becoming more sophisticated. Such trained personnel are invaluable to a case and are fully conversant with ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) guidelines.

With such a shortage of trained personnel it is fair to say that the floodgates have been opened for the Computer Criminal. He, she or they (it is often common to find such individuals working in cells using complex networks and IT infrastructures) are more likely to evade a thorough investigation and subsequent prosecution without the assistance of trained Computer Expert Witnesses and their informed analysis.

These trained personnel are often in short supply because of the need for more than one discipline when it comes to Computer Forensics Analysis.

Network Forensics is often such that an Computer Forensics Expert will be required to examine the data on a large number of computers either networked together physically (hard-wired) or operating as satellites as part of a Wi-Fi network. This particular type of auditing is particularly useful and often provides vital information in the prosecution of computer crime especially when it is necessary to link together a number of individuals spread over a large geographical area.

It is important to remember also that the analysis provided by a Computer Expert Witness is not only used to help in the prosecution or defense of a case at a judicial level but also can be used in helping to identify and prevent further instances of Computer Crime. Moreover this is something that has, and will have, an impact when it comes to fighting e-crime in the future as the e-criminals and their methods become more sophisticated and harder to track.

Andrew Frowen is Managing Director of IntaForensics and a registered Computer Forensic Expert.

Visit Computer Forensics for further information.

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By Glen Bowes

There is practically no one who manages their business manually anymore and I’d venture to contend that those who do simply won’t stay in business. Computers are vital to business today but often they are taken for granted and thought of as glorified typewriters.

Computers store critical data that could devastate a business should it be lost. Below is a list of the things I see out there all the time that could spell disaster for any small or medium sized business. If any of it sounds familiar, it might be worth looking at your overall Information Technology strategy.

Not watching the fort (or not having it watched)

It happens – more often than you might think. Someone dutifully replaces the backup tape everyday only to find out (sometimes too late) that the backup never ran or that it failed. In the same vein, knowing about other problems that may be going on behind the scenes can help prevent data loss and downtime.

It is vital to keep an eye on logs or automate the system so that failures generate a service call for your service provider. The more you know about what’s going on with your systems, the better chance you have of avoiding costly problems.

Failing to test restore

Without a doubt, a properly working backup can save your bacon in the event of hardware failure (hard drives always fail, it’s only a question of when), virus infection, fire, and so on.

With that said, your backup logs may indicate that everything is hunky dory until you actually try to restore data. Only then do you find out that the data is unreadable or otherwise useless to you.

Not having a computer tech you can trust

There is a big difference in what computer techs can do for you. The typical CompTIA A+ Certified service technician can easily fix your home computer and will be an invaluable asset to you for other home computing needs.

In your business however, you want to have someone who understands networks, domains, business applications, web technologies, and all the pieces that fit together to make a business hum in the technological sense. They should also understand your business. This point shouldn’t be taken lightly and shouldn’t be based on hourly rates. A solid, and certified, business technician will save you money and downtime – without exception.

Not trusting your computer tech

Once you have the right computer tech, trust his or her advice. Your tech will have the experience and the know how to competently recommend the right strategy to solve a given problem. It may be more expensive than another solution or it may be less expensive. Either way, trust your tech to help you make the right decision.

Buying the wrong equipment

Trust me on this – there is rarely a place in a business for Windows Vista or XP Home versions. If there is only one computer and there will never be more, maybe. Otherwise there is no place and you’ll regret the purchase eventually.

The same goes for many other hardware and software products that might be just fine in the home but don’t belong in an office. Often it makes business sense and money sense to think about what you actually need before walking into the local business supply store and buying an off the shelf computer or network equipment. Trust your tech to help with this.

Using obsolete equipment

Computers and everything else on the network have finite lifetimes. While it makes sense to squeeze every day of lifetime out of a piece of equipment, there comes a time when it slows to a crawl and wastes precious time or support is no longer available for it and it becomes a security risk or downtime waiting to happen.

Ignoring free and low cost alternatives

So often a business will see a need for custom software and rush off and hire a firm to build that software from the ground up. The price tag for such ventures is often tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. As you might hear Kevin O’Leary say on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, “STOP THE MADNESS!”

So often there are open source or off the shelf software that will do much of what a small business needs and if it’s open source, it can be modified to do the rest. Unlike the real world, in the computer world there is indeed such thing as a free lunch, and often it will be the best lunch on the menu!

Glen Bowes is a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, MCSE, and an A+ and Network+ Certified service technician. Glen is the owner of Bowes IT Solutions and he can be reached at (905) 378-1215 at http://www.bowesit.com

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-7-Business-Computing-Mistakes&id=1672565

Computer technician training is provided by two types of institutes. There are two kinds of computer technicians – computer engineers (with recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science from a college or university) and computer technicians (with a basic knowledge of computer hardware and software with or without any recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science). Basic computer training, such as the parts of a computer system and their functions are sometimes part of some school curricula. Also, such information is part of basic computer training courses provided by specialised computer training institutes. However, being a computer technician requires more knowledge than the basics provided by such courses. A computer technician needs more specialised knowledge about computer hardware. For such computer technician training, one can enroll at a local computer training institute. Some employers require a certificate such as an A+ or a MCSE certificate. The A+ certification is also called the ComTia A+ Certification (after the Computing Technology Industry Association). This certificate is vendor neutral which means it covers products made by different hardware and software manufacturers. The course outline is roughly as follows: basics of computer installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. Some other topics in this course are the domains of security, safety, and even environmental issues and professional standards. A+ boot camps are intensive training courses which provide a lot of practical experience. CompTIA Network+ consists of fundamentals about computer networking. CompTIA Linux+ is a certification that validates the knowledge of computer technicians with at least six months of practical Linux experience.

MCSE or Microsoft Certified System Engineer certification is another major certification. One can do this course at MCSE boot camps. This prepares one to work with Microsoft 2000 and 2003 Windows platforms and Microsoft Server Systems. Then there is the MCDST(Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) certification. These are some of the certifications that are a part of some computer technician training.

The software training that is part of computer technician training includes learning installation protocol for Microsoft Windows and Linux, fundamentals of networking operations and design (including routers and switchers) and troubleshooting techniques for operating systems among various others.

These are some of the various hardware and software courses that are a part of computer technician training. A certificate in one of these computer technician training programs opens up the opportunity to work in big firms and at a high salary. If one is looking to work for smaller firms, such as shops selling computers and providing computer repairing services, such certificates are usually not required. One can be self-taught or learn from experience and may not have to possess a certificate from a formal computer technician training course. Salaries offered in such smaller firms are usually much lower than those offered in bigger firms.

It depends on one’s resources as to what type of training one wishes to receive. If one has the financial resources and also a basic familiarity with computers and some computer knowledge, then going in for a certificate computer technician training program is advisable.

Emergency Services Personnel Can Benefit from Computer Training
by IanTraynor
In their professional schooling, emergency services personnel receive extensive training. In the initial phases of training, the focus is mainly academic in regard to subject matter. For example, law enforcement personnel go over topics such as drug recognition, hazardous materials recognition, state laws, and many more hours of classroom instruction. The rest of the training occurs in hands-on situations.

For a portion of the hands-on training, computers are central. As an example, law enforcement students are presented with “shoot or don’t shoot” scenarios. These are played out in video game-like settings, whereby the officer-in-training stands on a padded surface that can detect every movement, such as shifting side-to-side, kneeling, or ducking. When the officer is standing on the surface, he or she has a weapon that is “holstered.” In the training situation, the student is provided a scenario in which he or she must decide whether or not he or she should shoot a subject. During the course of this training, the officer’s every action or lack thereof is monitored, including verbal commands that are given to the “perpetrator.” This computer training has proven immeasurably beneficial over the years in regard to measuring prospective law enforcement officials’ skills.

Within the world of emergency services, certification is mandatory. Emergency services personnel include fire, police and EMS officials. In most states, these people are required to maintain certification through a points system. Emergency services personnel must earn points through course completion. There is also annual certification in different subject matter and annual recertification for those courses already taken.

In addition to the points earned for required academic subjects, there are points awarded for similar training courses. These ‘extra’ subject matter are often considered an acceptable substitution for required subjects.

In the past fifteen years, due to budget constraints and other factors, annual academic subject matter is being rearranged to accommodate computer training. This has proven cost effective to state and local agencies: budgets aren’t stretched thin, leaving funds available for special projects and such.

There are many ways in which computer training is received by emergency services personnel. Among the many important classes, for example, are hazardous material recognition classes. These courses are beneficial to complete for two reasons. First of all, the material in question can be covered easily during a shift, and instant results are given. Because a computer-training course can be completed during a shift, it’s cost effective for small departments and saves on such things as wear and tear on vehicles, travel expenses, and time lost to training.

If policemen wish to get trained on a subject that normally would require attendance at a distant training conference, computer-training courses can provide a significant benefit. These courses can cover topics such as drug recognition and are easy to find. In general, each state’s law enforcement training division also recognizes these courses.

While policemen may be discouraged from taking these courses while on duty, it’s entirely possible to do so while off duty. As stated previously, this type of computer training benefits not just the officer, but the department as well.

One of the biggest benefits of computer training for emergency services personnel is that it allows them more time for a significantly neglected aspect of their lives: family time.
About the AuthorIan Traynor has been involved with computers since the 1980s. Since then, he has continually been involved in computer training, both receiving and delivering training. Check out his big collection of great articles related to computer training at Computer Training Secrets:
Article Source: OnlineEarnings Article Board

Computer Repair Training To Become Certified Technician
By Michael Bustamante

With millions of computers in use around the globe, there is a huge and growing demand for computer technicians with good computer repair training. If you are one of those computer-minded folks with good dexterity and a knack for repairing things, you might be the perfect candidate for vocational training in computer repair.

The ultimate goal is to become certified in computer repair so that you will qualify for gainful employment as an expert computer technician. Look to trade schools, community colleges, technical schools, and vocational schools to offer the best computer repair training. In less than two years, you can gain a vocational certificate or Associate degree that will convince any employer of your professional competency.

Computer repair training can include a number of interesting subjects, but in general you will learn to install, repair, and maintain computers of all types. Your computer repair course will have you tinkering with a variety of electrical devices and computers, including those found in homes, businesses, and government agencies. An education in computer repair will delve deeply into the various aspects of computer technology, and may even cover radar systems, televisions, industrial and medical equipment, and telecommunications systems.

Check with several computer repair schools to be sure the one you choose will be able to meet your professional goals. Once you have graduated and become a certified computer repair technician, you may choose to enter into an apprenticeship to gain the hands-on, practical experience you will need for a career in computer repair. Depending on the extent of your computer repair training and the nature of the specific computer technician position, you can soon be earning an annual salary of $36,000 or more.

If you think a career in computer technology is for you, check out schools providing Computer Repair Training at SchoolsGalore.com. You could soon be on your way to becoming certified in computer repair.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice to Publishers: Please feel free to use this article in your Ezine or on your Website; however, ALL links must remain intact and active.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Find Computer Repair Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Computer Repair Training at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

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