CCL Fetch: taking forensic collections to the next level

When we launched CCL Fetch in early 2023 we promised a new forensic data collection solution that would transform the speed, ease, and cost of data retrieval and evidence recovery.

Our confidence in making that promise wasn’t built so much on the raft of different technology options that we have to offer, game-changing as some of them are; it was more based on our determination to draw on our know-how to always offer an ‘optimal strategy’.

And ‘optimal’ isn’t a static, unchanging state, it is whatever works best in the context of client needs. Optimal could be interpreted as fastest…. cheapest…. most proportionate or convenient… completely defensible… most sensitive… sufficiently compliant… with a simultaneous capability around the world… an ability to reliably crack encryption… or indeed any mix of those things.

The value of CCL Fetch lies in that studied, expert thinking piece, the ‘what’s the best way of doing this’ to deliver against the client objectives; and then the segue into the execution phase, where we deploy the appropriate tool or tools as the strategy demands.

The great thing is that over the years we’ve worked hard to bring in new technologies and engineer ever smarter processes – and the more of a toolkit we have, the ‘more optimal’ we can get!

Currently CCL Fetch comprises the following:

- Remote data collection

- In-lab data collection

- On-site data collection

- Cloud-based data collection

- Targeted extraction

- Advanced extraction

Given the task and the client’s objectives, it’s a case of intelligently mapping these option(s) to secure the desired result. We take that responsibility on, the client doesn’t have to sit and worry, trying to work out how best to do their collection given an often alarming number of variables and constraints: from device type and volumes to logistical barriers and jurisdictional obligations to pressing deadlines and cost pressures.

Perhaps the simplest way to think about CCL Fetch is a data collection service that blends what’s possible, what’s permissible and what’s best. For example, we have clients who come to us asking for remote collections. Not surprising, considering the time and cost savings; but inappropriate if, in fact, the investigation demands that a full forensic image of the target device(s) be taken – that must be done on-site or in-lab.

Or those requests where there’s just an unthinking ‘collect everything’ instruction, when in fact we can do judicious targeting of data, reducing the volumes collected (and associated cost) and meeting proportionality demands.

Or clients troubled by the scale – and potential cost – of a probe that will take in multiple devices across multiple sites, when we have the tools, techniques and personnel to expedite recovery with very lean operational teams. In every instance, we listen, advise, and challenge where appropriate, driven always by thoughts of optimal – what is the best solution in this scenario?

The ambition for CCL Fetch is to become the default collection mechanism for law firms, in-house legal, corporate investigation teams, eDiscovery providers, large accounting and consulting firms, insurers, regulatory bodies, indeed any organisation looking for a turnkey project that derisks the process while delivering the results.

‍