The Benefits of Using Cloud-Based Software for Evidence Management

According to the National Institute of Justice, the average criminal case can easily generate 1.5TB of digital evidence content. Take a moment to consider that: 1.5 terabytes of digital evidence content for every case. That’s the equivalent of 50,000 images, 375,000 4mg audio files, or over 300+ stored seasons of your favorite Netflix series. Then multiply that by the number of cases the average police precinct handles each year.

Cloud solutions are becoming the go-to for organizations looking for a one-step solution to evidence and data management and top-tier security because they help ensure your department remains agile and resilient. Cloud solutions enable your organization to maintain stricter data controls and allow you to manage what comes in and what goes out. Whether your information is in transmit or receive mode, it’s fully encrypted and secure.

The Risk of Modern Security Breaches

Your current database houses the law enforcement data your officers collect every day. Over time, this daily accumulation of sensitive information, including digital evidence, incident reports, and pedigree information, amounts to massive volumes of data that your department must keep secure and confidential.

Investigative collaboration presents an inherent challenge by requiring departments to share their collected data with one another. However, not all data is necessary to share with other agencies – or even store, for that matter. In the event confidential information were released to the public, your department would be exposed to a range of consequences. From compromised investigations to libel suits, your department could experience blows to its reputation, safety, and financial soundness.

First and foremost, defending against data breaches requires the implementation of strict data permissions to help prevent unauthorized access. Restrictive data controls are vital to deterring data breaches and potential leaks without inhibiting access by those with permission. Ideally, any records management solution you choose will allow you to assign custom sharing agreements for each partner agency and define the exact fields of data for sharing to enhance security.

Limiting the physical transfer of information is also crucial for safeguarding your data. Cloud solutions that offer strict permission-based access to shared information without requiring any data to leave the system will help ensure your database remains secure.

Self-Hosted Data Concerns

Departments not utilizing cloud solutions need to manually manage, host, and secure their data. Often, large agencies in major cities can afford their own dedicated IT teams to manage and optimize the servers that host their sensitive information. While most agencies do not have the same breadth of resources, even those serving smaller communities require the ability to access and share data securely.

Regardless of size, digital security needs to be a top priority for any department. If your department currently hosts its own data, consider the following questions:

• Who are you designating to take on this task, and are they properly trained to handle the changing landscape of cyber security?
• Is your anti-virus software up to date?
• Does your server have a firewall?
• Are backups performed on a regular basis and stored in a secure location?
• Are you educating everyone within your agency about best practices for avoiding data breaches?

Often, without realizing it, many departments expose their data to threats due to a general lack of awareness about proper protocols and procedures or even basic human error.

Trusting the Cloud

Cloud software solutions are the best way for both large and small law enforcement departments to address these security issues. Selecting a software vendor you trust to host your most sensitive information in the cloud will help you do more with your data and worry less about who has access to it. A trusted, cloud-based RMS enables you to collect, access, and share crime data in a highly secure manner – a level of security most smaller departments with outdated systems or security measures cannot otherwise achieve.

Below are four other reasons to invest in cloud-based software solutions:

Support

• Faster resolution to bugs and problems
• Faster updates push
• No hold-up time to get access to replicate problems
• Well-tested environment ensures 100% compatibility with the application for new updates
  

Availability

• No limits on access, downloads, or storage
• Infrastructure is historical up to 99.999999% of the time
• Server scaling up/down based on demand
  

Security and Data Privacy

• AWS-Gov-Cloud specific environment
• CJIS Privacy Act compliant
• Data encrypted at rest and in-transit
• Cloud watch and monitor
• Firewall and intrusion detection
• Data will never be used for commercial use
• Customers owns the data
  

Data Recovery

• Data files are written three times to ensure no file is ever lost
• Hot failover database setup and application recovery
• Data backups are automatic, resulting in higher uptime and fewer expenditures for infrastructure, equipment, storage, and personnel
• Backups are kept for seven days
  

The Bottom Line

Data accessibility and sharing help keep officers and their communities safe. But the sheer volume of data and the frequency of its use can place agencies at risk. With the right cloud-hosted solution, your department will be able to securely access and share information as needed to better protect and serve your community. At the end of the day, your main concern is the safety of your officers and how to best enable them to do their jobs. Hosting your department’s data in an integrated, secure cloud solution is step one.

Ready to make the switch? Contact us for more information or to request a software demo.