Protecting sensitive media evidence with cloud security you can verify

Digital investigations are drowning in data. But every file, every record, and every byte still needs to be analyzed, authenticated, and preserved in strict compliance with legal requirements. Any lapse in management or storage can compromise your entire case.

Managing your data is becoming increasingly complex when roughly 400 million terabytes of data are generated daily, with video responsible for over half (53.72%) of all global data traffic. Video evidence is present in nearly 80 percent of crimes, and it is becoming increasingly rare to see a court case without it. Agencies must manage digital evidence with security, efficiency, and accountability.

Cloud providers do more than promise security and scalability: they prove it. Independent certifications such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, NIST, and FedRAMP offer critical security assurances to a wide range of users, including law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, courts, and the public. This verifiable compliance ensures stored evidence can withstand legal scrutiny and maintain integrity throughout the judicial process. These certifications aren’t just technical checkboxes—they’re promises that data is protected with the highest integrity.

As the volume of digital evidence continues to grow dramatically, cloud-based evidence management offers the safety, scalability, and flexibility needed to manage and preserve data without disruption.

What happens when on-premises solutions fail?

On-premises systems were once the only option available for storing data. Today, they pose significant costs and administrative burdens, as well as unnecessary and avoidable risks. Some agencies are still using USBs, HDDs, or even optical disks to store digital evidence. These media weren’t built for long-term storage and can fail without warning—especially when dealing with massive amounts of data. The consequences of lost data can be severe. One lost file or broken chain of custody can compromise prosecutions and give defense attorneys grounds to challenge cases. Such liabilities grow with every day of continued use:

• Limited scalability and inefficiency: On-premises systems struggle to handle the growing volume of digital media. Agencies might be forced to over-provision storage, tying up capital in underused hardware, which can mean IT teams are burdened with ongoing maintenance rather than supporting investigative work.
• Hardware failure and environmental vulnerability: Physical servers can fail due to heat, dust accumulation, floods, fires, power surges, or a host of other issues. Without redundancies, a single point of failure can destroy terabytes of evidence in an instant and halt active investigations.
• Inconsistent backups and delayed patching: Maintaining a reliable backup strategy requires substantial IT resources. Delayed firmware or security patches can leave servers exposed to cyberattacks, ransomware, or accidental data corruption.
• Loss, theft, or unauthorized access to portable media: USB drives and portable storage might be used for convenience but can be easily lost or stolen or may be easily accessed by unauthorized parties if lacking strong encryption. Each incident not only compromises evidence integrity but can also trigger mandatory reporting obligations and create serious legal liability.
• Barriers to effective collaboration: Traditional storage systems aren’t necessarily optimized to share evidence with external partners. Law enforcement, prosecutors, or defense attorneys may struggle to access files due to incompatible formats, limited bandwidth, or lack of robust computer systems to open complex digital forensic reports efficiently. This can slow down casework, create unnecessary back-and-forth, and undermine efficiency.

On-premises storage might be an acceptable solution for some organizations, but risks exposing agencies to avoidable operational, legal, and financial problems. Modern investigations demand a more resilient, scalable, and secure solution—often making cloud-based evidence management not just a convenience, but a necessity.

Secure cloud storage for digital evidence

Cloud infrastructure offers a level of service most agencies simply can’t replicate on their own. Evidence in the cloud is encrypted at rest and in transit, access is strictly controlled through role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication, and audit trails are automatically maintained. Software updates are provided regularly, and data can be replicated across multiple facilities. Some of the most significant advantages of cloud storage include:

• Scalable, efficient storage: Cloud storage dynamically adjusts to growing volumes of digital evidence, allowing agencies to pay only for the capacity they use. IT teams can focus on supporting investigations rather than maintaining infrastructure.
• Secure access and protection against loss: Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and access is controlled through role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication. This eliminates the risk of lost, stolen, or improperly accessed portable media, protecting evidence, and ensuring legal compliance.
• Resilient infrastructure: Cloud platforms replicate data across distributed facilities, protecting digital evidence from hardware failure, environmental hazards, and single points of failure. Redundancies can significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic loss compared to on-premises solutions. Investigations continue uninterrupted even in the face of power outages, floods, or system crashes.
• Automated updates: Cloud services handle security patches and firmware updates automatically, reducing the risk of cyberattacks, ransomware, or accidental data corruption.

Cloud systems are designed to endure failures that would cripple on-premises infrastructure, helping to make sure investigations remain secure, compliant, and operational.

The need for leadership

Storing digital evidence in the cloud isn’t new. From Office 365 and email systems to body-worn cameras that automatically upload video to secure cloud storage, cloud adoption is already embedded in modern investigations. Critical operational systems such as computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS) also run on cloud platforms.

Extending this trust to the storage and management of digital evidence is a logical evolution. Agencies can apply the same proven security, reliability, and compliance standards to protect investigative data, ensuring digital evidence remains protected, accessible, and fully defensible in court. Leaders need to recognize that every day without cloud adoption may only increase operational risk.

To explore how your agency can securely manage digital evidence in the cloud, contact Magnet Forensics. Our cloud-based solutions combine security, scalability, and compliance. With the right partner, leaders gain an Investigative Edge in protecting the integrity of investigations, building community trust, and furthering the pursuit of justice.