Data Preservation
Digital evidence doesn't wait. Neither should you.
CCTV cycles overwrite, phones get reset, accounts get deleted — often within days. We forensically preserve devices, footage and data the moment a case demands it, in one in-house Belfast laboratory with a single, defensible chain of custody.
The problem
Evidence has a shelf life.
Most digital evidence is not stolen or hidden — it is simply overwritten before anyone thinks to preserve it.
- CCTV and DVR systems commonly overwrite footage on a rolling cycle, often within days or weeks, with no warning before it is gone for good.
- Mobile phones can be remotely wiped, factory reset, or set to auto-delete messages the moment a device changes hands or an app's own retention settings run their course.
- Work laptops and accounts are routinely wiped and reissued the day an employee leaves — often before anyone has flagged a dispute.
- Email, cloud storage and server logs are governed by retention policies that quietly delete older data on a schedule nobody in a legal team is watching.
A litigation hold letter tells someone to stop deleting. It does not stop an automated system from doing it anyway. Forensic preservation — imaging the device or data now, under a documented chain of custody — is what actually protects it. It sits alongside the rest of our in-house digital forensics and data recovery service, so preservation, examination and recovery can all happen under one roof.
Capability
What we preserve.
Mobile Phones & Devices
Forensic imaging of phones, tablets and laptops before a wipe, reset or loss — using the same Cellebrite and Magnet Forensics tools used by PSNI and Irish law enforcement.
Learn more →CCTV & Video Evidence
Footage secured from DVR and NVR systems before the overwrite cycle erases it — critical in business, insurance and criminal cases alike.
Learn more →Computers, Servers & Drives
Full forensic images of desktops, laptops, servers and storage — including devices that are damaged and would otherwise need outsourcing before they could even be examined.
Learn more →Cloud, Email & Business Systems
Preservation of mailboxes, shared drives and business application data ahead of scheduled deletion or retention cut-offs.
Damaged & Compromised Devices
A cracked phone, a dropped hard drive, a destroyed DVR — physical recovery and forensic preservation handled under one roof, with no need to send the device elsewhere first.
Chain of Custody Documentation
Every device and image logged, hashed and recorded from the moment it arrives — evidence that stands up to challenge in court.
Process
From instruction to secured evidence.
- 01
Instruction & scope
You or your solicitor tell us what needs preserving and why — a device, a system, an account — and we confirm exactly what will be imaged.
- 02
Forensic collection
Devices are imaged, or systems and accounts are captured, using forensically sound methods that leave the original untouched.
- 03
Verified, secure storage
Images are hash-verified and held securely in our Belfast laboratory, ready to be examined or produced whenever the case requires.
- 04
Report & certificate
You receive a preservation report documenting what was collected, when, and how — evidence you can rely on months or years later.
Questions
Asked before evidence is lost.
How quickly can you start preserving evidence?
Immediately where it matters. CCTV and mobile phone cases in particular are often time-critical, and we can arrange same-day collection or receipt of devices across the UK and Ireland.
We have already sent a litigation hold letter. Is that not enough?
A hold letter asks someone to stop deleting — it does not stop an automated retention policy or an overwrite cycle from doing it anyway. Forensic preservation captures the evidence itself, so it survives even if the letter is ignored.
Will preserving the evidence damage or alter the original?
No. We work from a forensic image, never the original device, and every step is logged and hash-verified — the original is preserved exactly as received.
Do you only work with solicitors?
Most of our instructions come from solicitors, barristers, insurers and businesses, and we accept Legal Aid cases across Northern Ireland, England & Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Businesses and institutions can also instruct us directly.
What happens to the evidence after it is preserved?
It is held securely in our Belfast laboratory under a documented chain of custody, ready to be examined, disclosed or produced as part of an expert report whenever your case requires it.
CCTV cycles, phone resets and retention policies do not wait for paperwork. Tell us what needs preserving and we will move today.