Title: 1. Understanding Forensic Lab Certification Requirements
Course: IN 2005 Digital Forensics > Section: Module 3: Chapter 3 - Planning for Contingencies

Understanding Forensic Lab Certification Requirements

Identifying Duties of the Lab Manager and Staff

1. The tasks of a lab manager, including:
  - Set up goals, schedules, staff duties, and responsibilities
  - Assign cases to the lab staff members and know when to expect preliminary and final reports
2. Staff members are responsible for their knowledge and appropriate training to perform their tasks. They should be aware of new technologies and look for training programs that can help them develop on a professional level.

Lab Budget Planning

1. You should break costs down into daily, quarterly, and annual expenses. Use past investigation expenses to extrapolate expected future costs.
2. The different expenses that should be considered when planning a lab budget such as:
  - Hardware
  - Software
  - Facility space
  - Trained personnel
  - Changes in technology

1. The lab manager is responsible for planning the lab budget.

1. You should also identify crimes committed with specialized software.

1. The requirements for setting up a lab for a private company, including:
  - Hardware and software inventory
  - Problems reported last year
  - Future developments in computing technology
  - Time management is a major issue when choosing software and hardware to purchase.

Acquiring Certification and Training

1. The benefits of having appropriate training and certification.
2. Some of the problems you may encounter when getting certification, including:
  - Certification programs might be expensive
  - Certification requirements may be hard to meet
3. Some of the most well-known certification programs and organizations, including:
  - International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS)
  - High-Tech Crime Network (HTCN)
  - EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE) Certification
  - AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE) Certification
  - High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA)
  - SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute
  - Computer Technology Investigators Network (CTIN)
  - NewTechnologies, Inc. (NTI)
  - Southeast Cybercrime Institute at Kennesaw State University
  - Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
  - National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C)
4. You are encouraged to find the certification program that fits your needs.