Internal investigations are the backbone of organizational integrity. For HR and legal professionals, the ability to respond quickly and thoroughly to issues like employee misconduct, harassment, intellectual property theft or fraud is a matter of compliance as well as protecting the company’s reputation and bottom line. Yet, for many organizations, the process of conducting internal investigations holds a variety of challenges. Technical barriers and fragmented workflows can delay progress and increase risk. In some cases, these challenges can leave critical questions unanswered and open organizations up to unnecessary risk.
The Realities of Modern Internal Investigations
Evidence lives everywhere in today’s digital workplace. Devices, whether they’re mobile or desktop, hold messaging apps, cloud storage and social media interactions – all of which are central to how employees communicate and collaborate. One of the most significant hurdles for internal investigations is the technical barrier between the forensic tools needed to collect data and non-technical users who are involved in the investigation. Forensic software is complex and can be intimidating for HR and legal professionals who don’t have a forensic background. It can be a struggle for these users to navigate unfamiliar interfaces or interpret raw data, which means they must rely on forensic experts. This extra step in the process can create bottlenecks and delay resolution.
A typical internal investigation scenario is when an employee leaves the company under suspicious circumstances. HR could suspect possible IP theft or fraud and needs to review the employee’s communications and device activity. The digital forensics team collects the relevant data, and here comes the hard part: sharing it with HR and legal partners for them to review and determine next steps in the investigation.
It’s not always as simple as sending an email. File sizes may be too large, and there may be privacy concerns. With each handoff, there is risk of accurate information being compromised through a lack of version control, lost context or delays in decision-making. Cellebrite’s Vice President of Portfolio Management, Ashley Hernandez explains:
“Because there’s a disjointed process here between the tool that you’re using for collection and preparation of what you’re sending them – and what they’re getting back, it can lead to delays in understanding and follow up for what they need to be able to resolve this matter.”
The Real-World Challenges at Every Turn
Privacy and compliance concerns add another layer of complexity. Handling sensitive employee data requires strict adherence to privacy laws and internal policies. Organizations must ensure that only authorized personnel can access evidence and that every action is tracked and auditable. Maintaining a clear audit trail is a best practice, and it’s essential for legal protection and regulatory compliance.
Collaboration itself can be a challenge. When multiple stakeholders need to review evidence, provide input and make decisions, the lack of a unified platform can lead to miscommunication and inefficiency. Real-time collaboration is often bogged down by having to send files back and forth, schedule meetings or rely on email threads. This process can quickly become unwieldy.
Finally, data management and retention are ongoing challenges. Organizations must balance the need to preserve evidence for potential litigation with the imperative to protect employee privacy and comply with data retention policies. Flexible, secure data management is essential for ongoing investigations and long-term compliance.
The Human Element: Making Digital Forensics Accessible
The question now is how do organizations address these challenges? It is vital to prioritize user-friendly tools and processes that are accessible to non-technical users. Cellebrite’s Head of Technical Product Marketing, Matt Goeckel, stresses:
“HR and legal teams don’t want another complicated program that’s going to make you put your evidence in a drawer and never look at it.”
Tools that present evidence in familiar formats, such as chat bubbles for messaging data, can make a significant difference in accessibility and speed. When HR and legal professionals can easily interpret digital evidence, they are empowered to make timely, informed decisions.
Cellebrite’s newest SaaS offering, Guardian Collaborate for Enterprise – one of the highlights of the recent Autumn Release – addresses these needs. The ideal scenario for teams is having a solution which requires little to no training. Goeckel further explains:
“As long as you have a computer that can run a chromium browser, you can review UFDRs (Universal Forensic Extraction Device Report). Those days of having to have a forensic machine just to review a large UFDR are gone.”
This shift to cloud-based, browser-accessible platforms is game changing for teams, since evidence can be accessed as soon as it’s uploaded, regardless of location. Whether working from home, in the office or on the road, authorized users receive an email notification and can log in to review data immediately.
Secure, role-based access is another critical best practice. This supports both privacy and compliance, giving organizations confidence that sensitive information is protected. Goeckel emphasizes:
“For the majority of the users, they’re only going to ever see or be able to interact with the evidence that you explicitly allow them to see or interact with.”
The Role of Training and Change Management
Technology alone is not enough. While easy-to-use platforms are an excellent option to encourage collaboration and quick turnaround times, organizations must also invest in training and change management. One of the most important aspects is ensuring HR and legal teams are comfortable with new tools and processes. Regular workshops, clear documentation and ongoing support can help bridge the gap between technical and non-technical users. Non-technical users will also feel empowered. “You can make sense of the data and find the data and the evidence that you’re looking for,” Goeckel said.
Nurturing a culture of collaboration where forensic experts, HR and legal professionals see themselves as partners in the investigative process will also lead to better outcomes and a more resilient organization.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Internal Investigations
The world and the workplace are constantly evolving and organizations must follow suit. Those that proactively address the challenges of internal investigations and adopt user-friendly, collaborative platforms which prioritize privacy and compliance, will be better positioned to protect their people and their reputation.
Hernandez sums up by stressing that teams need solutions that will help resolve investigations faster, by “not having to have your forensic team or your IT team tied up in managing how HR and legal teams are running the investigations.” The end goal is to close cases in a way that is fair, compliant and aligned with organizational values.
Internal investigations are no longer the exclusive domain of forensic experts. By embracing best practices and fostering collaboration, HR and legal professionals can take a more active role in the investigative process. This newfound ability ensures digital evidence is not only collected but understood and acted upon. The right combination of technology, process and culture can transform internal investigations from a source of friction into a driver of organizational resilience. The future of workplace investigations is collaborative, transparent and empowered by technology that serves everyone involved.
About Cellebrite
Cellebrite’s mission is to enable its global customers to protect and save lives by enhancing digital investigations and intelligence gathering to accelerate justice in communities around the world. Cellebrite’s AI-powered Digital Investigation Platform enables customers to lawfully access, collect, analyze and share digital evidence in legally sanctioned investigations while preserving data privacy. Thousands of public safety organizations, intelligence agencies and businesses rely on Cellebrite’s digital forensic and investigative solutions—available via cloud, on-premises and hybrid deployments—to close cases faster and safeguard communities. Explore how Cellebrite can accelerate your time to case resolution.
