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The International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists

PLA: Preparing for Lab Accreditation

PLA Course Overview

The IACIS “Preparing for Lab Accreditation” (PLA) course is a three-day course of instruction. This course is designed for examiners, supervisors, managers, and executives who have the responsibility to develop and implement policies and procedures within a digital forensic unit or laboratory in their efforts to obtain accreditation.

This course of instruction is designed to provide guidance on how any digital evidence lab can earn accreditation by understanding and implementing the accreditation requirements.  Topics include an overview of the accreditation schema and benefits of achieving accreditation, how to implement a Quality Management System that is in compliance with ISO 17025, developing laboratory SOPs and other related documentation, and understanding Validation\Verification\Performance Checking for equipment, methods, and software as it relates to digital evidence.

  • Understanding accreditation Certification vs. Accreditation
    • Certification vs. Accreditation
    • Benefits of accreditation
    • What standards must be met to earn accreditation
  • Understanding ISO 17025
    • Uniqueness of digital evidence
  • Accredited Bodies
    • Supplemental requirements
  • Quality Management Systems
    • How all the pieces fit together
      • Policies and Procedures
        • International Standards 
        • Supplemental Requirements of Accreditation Bodies 
        • Quality Manual Development 
        • Technical Manual (i.e., SOPs defining Technical Methods) 
        • Operations Manual (e.g., evidence management/equipment management) 
        • Training Manual
      • Resources
        • People (Training, mentoring, and establishing technical competency) 
        • Training Programs 
        • Facility Design and Security 
        • Forensic Hardware and Software
      • Performance measures
        • Internal Audits and Corrective Action 
        • Training Evaluation 
        • Outcomes of proficiency testing 
        • Customer feedback
  • Small Lab Challenges
    • Peer review
    • Job responsibilities
  • Validation\Verification
    • Laboratory methods
    • Software
    • Hardware 

Quick Details

Core Competencies / Details

There are six competency areas addressed in the PLA course

  1. Understanding Accreditation and its Scheme
  2. Understanding ISO/IEC 17025/17020
  3. Accredited Bodies
  4. Quality Management System
  5. Small Lab Challenges
  6. Validation/Verification of Processes and Forensic Hardware/Software

Download PDFPlease click here to download the official PLA Core Competencies document which includes details for each core competency.

IACIS ChairGuided by industry-leading professionals, including a distinguished IACIS Chair, the PLA course content stays consistently updated to reflect the latest cybersecurity and digital forensic best practices.

Apply knowledge towards:

CFCE IACIS Certification

CFCE

Certified Forensic Computer Examiner Program

CAWFE IACIS Certification

ICMDE

Certified Mobile Device Examiner

CMDE IACIS Certification

CAWFE

Certified Advanced Windows Forensic Examiner

Upcoming events Details of the next event for this course

Where and When is the PLA Course Offered?

IACIS offers the CIFR course at multiple locations, accommodating the varied schedules of our professional audience. For course dates and locations, please visit our EVENTS page.

How to Register for this Course

Existing IACIS members, simply log in with your IACIS credentials and go to the PURCHASE TRAINING page to purchase and register for the course.

For non-IACIS members, the membership fee is waived with the purchase of the training course; however, to register for the course you must complete a membership application at the time of purchase. Go to the PURCHASE TRAINING page to purchase and register for the course and complete your membership application.

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