Meet the Magnet Forensics Training Team: Jay Murphy
Our Training team continues to grow, and we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to our newest Forensic Trainer: Jay Murphy. Jay is based in the United Kingdom, where he worked as an examiner in the public and private sectors as well as in academia as a Senior Lecturer on digital forensics and cyber security. Read more about Jay below!
Want to learn more about what courses are offered? Visit our Training & Certification portal for more information.
MF: Tell us about your life before becoming a Trainer.
JM: Prior to becoming a Trainer, I enjoyed a very rewarding career as a forensic examiner in both the private sector and public sectors. During this time, I also maintained a relationship as a guest lecturer from the University I graduated from, the University of South Wales. I found that I really enjoyed teaching through my time guest lecturing and decided to move over to Academia full-time, becoming a Senior Lecturer and eventually course leader at the University of the West of England (UWE) on their undergraduate degree for digital forensics and cyber security. During my time at UWE, I helped to develop and modernize their digital forensic curriculum and “situated learning”, i.e. bringing the real world into the classroom became the keystone of my teaching philosophy.
MF: What made you want to be a Trainer?
JM: I come from a family of educators and it’s true in my case that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! I found teaching digital forensics as a guest/full-time lecturer and mentoring interns and new members of staff at our forensic unit to be extremely satisfying. Helping people to understand things they aren’t quite sure about and seeing them grow in confidence and competency is very rewarding. As my time in academia progressed, I came to miss working closely with the amazing people on the front line of the field, and becoming a trainer is a huge step back to that.
MF: What type of training have you taken part in personally? What is your favorite part of the role?
JM: My journey started with an undergraduate Digital Forensics programme (BSc). Forensic examiners are lifelong learners—we have to be—and since leaving University, I have completed numerous industry courses and certifications as well. My favorite part about learning something new is sharing this knowledge with colleagues and students to help them in their personal development and understanding of a subject area. I quickly came to realize that this personal development was also so important to my competency and credibility as an examiner and ignited a passion for learning and teaching.
MF: What excites you the most about a new class?
JM: A new class is the perfect place to build your professional network and it’s the part I look forward to the most! I love to hear about how people approach similar problems or carry out their day-to-day tasks across organizations. For example, in a recent class, I was able to speak with some examiners who were from the UK’s counter-terrorism unit, the (heavily redacted!) insight they were able to provide into the challenges and approaches they take when working cases was an amazing experience.
MF: Do you ever learn anything from the students?
JM: All the time. As the field we are in is constantly evolving, it goes without saying that you aren’t going to know everything, all the time. As a trainer, I am lucky to spend so much time with people in our field and new knowledge is always welcome from students in class, especially during interesting discussions on an area that I am particularly passionate about.
MF: Is there a particular moment that stands out the most to you in your career in the classroom?
JM: As an educator, one of the proudest moments in my professional career was seeing my first cohort of students walk across the stage at their graduation ceremony at UWE. Having taken this group of students through three years of digital forensic education where they were ready to start their own journey as forensic/cyber security professionals was exhilarating. To be more specific, getting my first thank you message from a graduate able to secure a job in a digital forensic unit as a full-time forensic examiner was a touching and humbling moment.
MF: What do students get out of training in person that they can’t get on their own?
JM: Online/remote and on-demand training has come a long way in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic with high-quality offerings now being offered online. This being said, I personally feel that students can get so much more from in-person training. Being able to directly focus on training without the distractions of office and home life whilst being able to interact with your instructor to get help and clarification just isn’t the same as it is online. Taking an educational journey with like-minded people in the same/similar field really helps to build a sense of community as well. In-person training is also the perfect opportunity to build your professional network. I have also witnessed breakthrough moments in ongoing cases because of in-class discussions with examiners who had also experienced the same challenges during investigations. It’s amazing to behold!
MF: How prepared do you feel students are to use Magnet Forensics products after taking the training course?
JM: Due to the very practical nature of classes, students are easily able to consolidate their theoretical knowledge of the course before leaving and as a result, are well prepared. The scenarios that are used during training are very close if not identical to real-world situations and make the teaching and learning experience relatable and students prepared to deploy their newly found skills on real cases. There are also cumulative exercises to provide further understanding with free certification being the cherry on top!
MF: What is most unique about Magnet Forensics’ approach to training?
JM: The value and flexibility that Magnet has on offer when it comes to training are unparalleled in my opinion. There is a saying when it comes to training in our industry “Drinking through a fire hose”, i.e. you must take in a lot of information in a short period of time.
As an educator, this does not sit right with me. What sets Magnet apart is how its curriculum is so manageable to digest and consolidate with beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses across both mobile and computer-based domains, without information overloading the student. With free certification and renewals as well, it’s refreshing to see when budgets have never been so constrained! The training Magnet provides is also both practical and engaging and as a result, you can normally count the PowerPoint slides used during teaching on one hand!
MF: Why do you think certification is important to examiners?
JM: One of the first questions an examiner is asked in court is what credentials they have. What makes them competent to be a part of this investigation and testify as an expert witness? I feel that certification is a key part (not the only part!) of answering that question. Personally, when faced with that situation certification contributed to my confidence to stand by my competency and the evidence that I was about to present.
MF: How do you manage to keep up on the latest trends in digital forensics?
JM: I have been able to keep up to date with trends in the field by maintaining close ties to my industry contacts during my time in academia. I also find using professional social media platforms very useful for keeping up to date with things and tuned into what is happening in our Industry. Professional development and being engaged with continuous learning whether through courses, playing with tools, reading white papers and articles, or even listening to a podcast when I am cooking dinner or mowing the lawn are my favorite ways to stay current.
MF: What trends do you see coming down the pipeline in digital forensics?
JM: I feel that the proliferation of AI-enabled technology and the age of disinformation that we live in will see the field of digital forensics enter a renaissance period for both practitioners and perpetrators, and when we emerge the landscape will be hugely different from what it looks like now. I am excited to see that Magnet is already taking huge steps and leading the way to empower investigators by embracing the use of AI in its products by providing meaningful and innovative features to combat disinformation and the unethical use of AI (deepfakes and AI-generated CSAM) to help Unlock the Truth and Protect the Innocent. I cannot wait see to what the future holds for AI and digital forensics.