Document management: service collates data for big cases

Global accountancy firm Deloitte & Touche this week launched the digital equivalent of a litigation war room.


The AFTNet system is a Web-based service designed by Deloitte's forensic and dispute services practice to cope with the millions of separate documents that can now be needed in large-scale litigation, particularly in international cases.


The war room takes the form of an on-line document management system, with large volumes of files uploaded to the AFTNet Web site. The site enables lawyers to search, view, categorise and reproduce transcripts, e-mails and notes, from the same central Web site. The site is hosted by the forensic and dispute services' laboratory and is protected by encryption and security.


A digital evidence collection system collates data including the forensic imaging of computer hard drives and servers, and covert network surveillance. It can duplicate and restore archive tapes, with computer forensic professionals able to extract information from hidden, deleted, encoded, password-protected and encrypted files.


The system's proprietary software sifts through large amounts of information to eliminate unnecessary files that are not relevant to the litigation. It also organises vital information and links processed data to their related images, such as pdf files.


Tom Aleman, global leader of the analytic and forensic group, said: 'The sheer quantity of data at the core of major lawsuits and corporate and regulatory investigations has hit new levels of magnitude.'