Understanding Folders in DEMS
Organizing evidence is a core component of digital evidence management. Every piece of digital evidence uploaded to the portal must be appropriately stored and easily accessible when needed. VIDIZMO's Digital Evidence Management system allows you to take full control over your digital assets by creating logical folders and subfolders. Folders help you keep your files organized and separate, ensuring documents, videos, and other evidence are not all stored in the same location.
Concept
Folders in VIDIZMO function similarly to physical folders. Different formats of evidence can be organized and stored in folders. Additionally, folders may contain subfolders or evidence. Folders are also referred to as simple file directories due to the way they arrange and store data, providing convenience for organizing evidence. Managing evidence within folders also helps in organizing cases more effectively.
Digital Evidence Management
The Evidence Library combines all cases, folders, and evidence in one place. You can view your content sorted by format so that cases, folders, and evidence remain organized. The folder structure in Digital Evidence Management supports up to N-Level nesting. Each evidence item and folder exists as a separate entity with only a single parent or no parent.
Folder Creation
VIDIZMO allows you to create a hierarchy of folders within or outside a case as required. You can create subfolders within main folders or cases as needed. For instance, a folder called "Employee Record" might contain folders called "2018", "2017", and "2016". The goal is to have every file in a folder rather than having a list of unorganized files.
Case/Folder Hierarchy
The Evidence Library includes a tree structure dropdown that allows you to explore and navigate to your cases, folders, and subfolders directly up to N-Level. Selecting any folder or case directs you to that item, displaying all the evidence and subfolders it contains.
Moving a Folder to a Desired Location
VIDIZMO enables you to move large folders, including folders with thousands of evidence items and folders with many subfolders, to a specific location within the portal. If you want an evidence item or folder to be part of another case or folder, you can move that item to any desired location. Using the move functionality, single or bulk evidence items and folders can be moved into folders, cases, or a folder within a case. The moved evidence or folder no longer exists at its original location. The move functionality allows navigation up to N-Level folders.
Folder Inspection
In VIDIZMO's DEMS, you can inspect a folder for further investigation while browsing its contents. A folder contains pieces of evidence such as documents, images, videos, recordings, and subfolders. Folder inspection allows you to zoom in and zoom out, annotate, and rotate images that exist in the folder. Subfolders can also be explored during folder or case inspection.
Archive and Lock
Archiving is the process by which inactive folders, cases, and evidence are securely stored for long periods of time. Archived media may or may not be used again in the future, but should be stored until the end of its retention schedule. Archived, inactive content can be unarchived and made readily available if required. Until then, you cannot play back the archived media. Locking a folder restricts you from archiving any evidence, case, or folder within it.
Chain of Custody
You can view the chain of custody of a folder, which allows you to see when the folder was created, updated, deleted, or restored. The subfolders and evidence added, deleted, and moved in the folder are also logged. You can monitor the chain of assignment of a folder, which includes when access rights were assigned, updated, revoked, or shared via link. You can also download the complete audit trail of the selected folder in either PDF or CSV format.
Flagging a Folder
To notify the concerned authorities when evidence may undergo changes within its lifecycle, a notification system sends automatic email notifications whenever a specific activity takes place on a folder. VIDIZMO Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) offers an Alert Generation feature for folders.
Using VIDIZMO group permissions, authorized portal users can assign permission for flagging a folder to a group of Viewer or Contributor portal users. This permission allows them to flag folders and receive alerts against the subscribed events.
Child Items in Folder/Case Details
VIDIZMO allows you to view the child items present in a case or folder details.
Search
VIDIZMO allows you to search contents within the context of a folder or case.
Delete and Restore
When a folder is no longer needed, you can delete it along with all the sub-content available in it. The deleted folder can also be restored. While restoring, if the deleted folder was part of a case or folder, it is restored in that same location. If the parent case or folder no longer exists, you are asked to select a location to restore the folder.
Restriction on Name
The title of each evidence item, folder, and case must be unique to facilitate quick retrieval and to avoid confusion. VIDIZMO restricts you from adding two evidence items of the same format at one location. The same restriction applies to cases and folders. To maintain uniqueness, an iterator is added by default to any newly added file at the same location.
Quick Access
Folders can be added to the Quick Access section, similar to evidence and cases. This provides ease in content accessibility and helps you analyze and manage folders directly from the Evidence Library.
Limited Share
Limited sharing a folder allows you to share the folder with users and groups within or outside your portal for a limited duration and number of views. Limited sharing a folder or case gives viewing or editing rights not only on that case or folder, but on all sub-items present up to N-Level of nested folders. Any license created on a folder is inherited by child items automatically. Deleting or editing a limited sharing license of a parent also deletes or edits the license from child items.
Drafting a Folder
If you do not want to make a folder instantly available to users, VIDIZMO allows folders to be saved as a draft and published later. This allows you to revert to its unfinished settings and publish it on the portal when needed.
Auto Scrolling
Auto scrolling replaces traditional pagination in the Evidence Library. Instead of selecting a button each time the limit of visible items is reached, new items continue loading as you scroll, providing an uninterrupted browsing experience. Previous items remain visible while new items load.