Computer Forensics and Security

Forensics can be described as a process that involves the use of scientific knowledge collection, analysis and then presentation of evidence to a court of law. It essentially involves the recovery and analysis of evidence of a crime. A computer forensic expert therefore is a person who combines law elements and advanced computer knowledge in the collection and analysis of data obtained from a computer system or storage devices and later present it as evidence in a court.

Roles of a computer forensic expert

A computer forensic expert has several important roles in an organization. He is entitled to planning, organization and management of various computer forensic activities and examinations around the office. These activities include conduction of a live analysis on various networks within the organization. He is also supposed to offer advice about forensic issues to all members of the organization. He is also supposed to ensure that all digital information about the organization is preserved for any future reference.

Projected growth rates for forensics experts and security roles over the next five years

A forensic expert is also required to verify and validate all the software and hardware to ensure that they are in accordance t the law. He should also assess the security of the company systems to detect any hacking activities and conduct system examination on computers and servers that might be compromised.

A computer security expert on the other hand has the main duty of training and promoting security awareness among computer users to ensure the security and efficient functioning of the whole system. He should also ensure that all computer data is safeguarded against destruction or any modification that is not authorized. He is also supposed to monitor any virus reports on computers and ensure that the system is protected against viruses at all times. The expert is also supposed to assess the systems regularly to guard against any risks on data.

In the next five years, there will be a lot of change in regard to computer forensics and security.  Hackers will pose a very big challenge to security experts as new harmful software is constantly being developed. There is going to be further development of anti- forensic tools to counter efforts of forensic experts. Computer forensic tools will be also highly developed and improved making them easier to learn and use than they are now. The duty of forensic experts will also increase as computer hardware and storage devices are being improved to hold more data and process it at high speed.

Positions in demand within business organizations

Computer forensic has gained popularity in all forms and sizes of organizations with various job titles being available for computer forensics examiners. The titles for professionals within this field that are on demand in organizations include computer forensic examiner, forensic investigator, forensic scientist and forensic analyst. All these job titles among others are dependent on their areas of specialization and responsibilities involved in the field (Nelson, 2010).

I am likely to be a computer forensics investigator. A computer forensics investigator involves training in fighting crimes varying from offenses against children to recovery of computer file systems that have either been hacked or damaged (Nelson, 2010).  Upon retrieving the required information, a computer forensic investigator comes up with a technical and detailed written report that can later be used in court as evidence.