Welcome to our frequently asked questions. Whether you’re looking for details on how we handle digital forensics, need guidance on shipping evidence to our lab, or want to learn more about our eDiscovery and cybersecurity response services, we’ve answered our most common questions below. If you need immediate assistance or have a question not covered here, please feel free to reach out to our team directly.
Most phone collections and verification steps require approximately 3 to 8 hours before the process is completed, and the phone can be returned. The time needed can vary based on multiple factors, such as:
- Make and model of the device
- Operating system version
- Type of extraction being performed
- Amount of active data on the device
- Security settings on the device*
Tips for getting your phone back as quickly as possible:
- Schedule your phone drop-off at the N1D lab for 9AM – This allows N1D’s technicians to start the collection early, making it more likely that you’ll get your phone back by the end of the workday (between 4pm and 5pm).
- Provide N1D with an alternative phone number to reach you while your phone is being collected – N1D will call as soon as the collection has completed so that you can promptly pick up your phone.
For more information about forensic collections, see our data collection page or contact N1D.
*For iPhone users specifically, Apple’s Stolen Device Protection may delay the start of imaging. Contact N1D for additional information.
Your N1D project manager will be happy to assist with any questions you may have, but the following are some general shipping guidelines:
- Pack electronic devices with waterproof packaging and appropriate padding. Do not use packing peanuts or Styrofoam as packing material; opt instead for foam or bubble wrapping.
- Contact N1D before removing the hard drive from any device.
- Power cords for the associated device should be included. Unless otherwise instructed, do not ship any mice, monitors, keyboards, or other external equipment.
- N1D recommends using a reputable shipping company and shipping the evidence overnight with signature required. Additionally, N1D recommends purchasing insurance for all shipments.
- Address the shipping label as follows:
N1 Discovery
Attn: (Contact N1D for Project Number)
1450 W. Long Lake Road
Suite 230
Troy, MI 48098
Please click here for additional information and to download N1D’s evidence submission form.
Yes, pursuant to the State of Michigan Professional Investigator Licensure Act, Public Act 285 of 1965 (as amended), people performing digital forensic services in the State of Michigan are required to be licensed, insured, and bonded.
N1D developed RapidSnap®, an application providing clients and their counsel with information about intellectual property theft, confidential information extraction, and deletion of company data. RapidSnap® is available for macOS and Windows devices.
RapidSnap® provides:
- An overview of device activity – including system information, user file activities, internet artifacts, device connections, deletions, and more
- A conversation with N1D’s forensic analysts to review RapidSnap® and identify critical artifacts that may merit further analysis
- A standardized price designed to reduce the cost of a forensic examination significantly
When you contact the N1 Discovery Incident Response Team, you are usually speaking directly to an incident response specialist within 1 hour, and if needed, personnel can be onsite to assist the same or next day.
Today, electronic data may exist in a wide variety of locations, so the first step is identifying the data of interest and where it is located. Utilizing specialized tools and techniques, a qualified forensic technician can create a forensically sound copy of the data for eDiscovery processing, searching, and review.
