I'm starting a CF lab and need a solution for storage of current (1 to 2 years) electronic evidence. The evidence comes mostly in the form of external 2.5'' USB hard drive enclosures with the exceptional 3.5'' desktop enclosure, CD/DVD, thumb drive etc. We store all our documentation electronically in an evidence management DB and keep the originals in a folder separated from the ESI. I would like to bundle all evidence and associated documentation for a particular matter in one container without denying me full immediately access.
In past labs I've used a 72'' X 36'' locker type cabinet with 6 shelves. I’ve stored the ESI in one or more magazine holders, 2X deep and about 20X wide totaling roughly 240 containers (6 shelves) not accounting for larger drives. This turned out to be a good solution but waists a lot of space, doesn't preserve the physical documentation well, makes it hard to access the drives and is relatively unsafe.
Any ideas on how to improve the above solution would be greatly appreciated.