Keep the tools your method needs
Choose a focused application or Workbench to address the instruction. Keep specialist tools and independent checks where needed. A new platform does not have to replace every part of your method.
For private laboratories and independent examiners
The client's question.
Your independent examination
A connected workspace for civil disputes, employment investigations and independent review. Examine the material needed for the instruction and retain a clear route back to the source.
Targeting late Q4 2026 · Explore the workflow and check build support.
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Private forensic labs
Review a defined instruction
Private forensic work often begins with a narrow question: was a file copied, when did a document change, or does another report's interpretation fit the available records? A full processing run is not always the most useful first step.
Use Workbench for case review and a focused app for a particular record type. Compare one defined result with your existing laboratory method, using the same preserved source. This shows where The Acorn may help without changing every tool at once.
Pilot one complete instruction
Test a complete instruction on suitable sample material, including intake and handover. Check the output and any gaps. Note where another tool or a manual step is still needed.
Support independent review
Keep the records and notes behind each finding. A colleague should be able to check the method and test another explanation.
Illustrative case workflow
A departing employee. A client list. Was anything copied?
A solicitor instructs an independent examiner after a sales manager leaves. The employer supplies a returned laptop and a named client-list file. The instruction is to examine the final working week, not every personal file on the device.
Agree the question and preserve the source
Record the authorised date range, named documents and handling of personal material. Image the device with the source protected, and keep the case reference, hashes and acquisition record together.
Compare file activity and device records
Look for relevant file-system entries, shortcuts, recent-file records and USB-device history. Examine available cloud or message records separately. A USB connection near a file timestamp is a lead, not proof of copying.
Produce an answer another examiner can check
If the destination is available, compare the candidate files and their hashes. Separate file presence, access and transfer. Explain missing sources and plausible alternatives in a short, referenced report for the solicitor.
Fictional scenario for evaluating the workflow. Any genuine application captures use separate training material.
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Follow the evidence, not the assumption
Open a record to see the next check.
The same filename appears
A filename can be reused. Compare content, hashes, paths and context before treating two files as the same document.
A USB drive was connected
The connection does not identify every copied file. Seek destination evidence or other records of the transfer.
A cloud page was visited
A website visit is not an upload. Account audit records or the receiving service may answer the remaining question.
A useful evaluation
Plan your evaluation
- A representative civil or employment instruction
- Existing tools, source formats and output requirements
- A pilot with known results and acceptance criteria
- Peer review, retention and client deliverables
Can we use The Acorn for an independent report review?
Start with the proposition being checked and, where available, the underlying evidence rather than the report alone. The Acorn can provide another route into supported records; the examiner still compares methods, coverage and interpretation.
Will it fit our existing laboratory tools?
Keep your existing tools and test a specific handover: source format, version, exported records and references. Working alongside another product does not mean its software runs inside The Acorn or that its native case format can be imported.
How can it help with a tightly scoped civil instruction?
A focused app can inspect a particular database, document or artefact without starting a wider case review. Agree what the output needs to answer and when the available evidence calls for more work.
What should an evaluation cover?
Agree one representative instruction, known test material and acceptance criteria. Review coverage, repeatability, exports, examiner effort and peer review from start to finish. Record observed benefits and gaps before deciding where it fits.
The planned portable bundle
Take the workspace with you
The proposed portable bundle pairs The Acorn with a workstation, USB-C-powered screen, mini keyboard, mouse and carry bag.
Target specification: 24 GB RAM, AMD Ryzen Embedded, 6 cores / 12 threads, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD. Final components and compatibility are still being selected.
Explore the planned bundleTARGETING LATE Q4 2026
Pricing to be confirmed before launch
Provisional specification. Final VAT treatment, delivery, licence terms and availability will be confirmed before orders open.
Notify me + 10% launch offerNo deposit or pre-order is taken here.
Start with your requirements
Discuss a private laboratory workflow
Bring one recurring instruction and the tools you already use. We can plan a workflow demonstration and the checks a useful pilot would need.