The following are some major disadvantages that make traditional case management methods unsuitable for modern investigative teams and their productivity.

It is antiquated

Case management software has come a long way since the era of paper binders and fax machines. In the old days, traditional case management software aimed to transition data from paper to digital format. However, in today’s ever-changing landscape, merely serving as a digital data repository no longer suffices.

It is manual

Traditional case management software promises to help digitize and improve your processes. But the unpleasant reality of most case management software is that it is driven by humans filling out endless forms and notes. Implementing a traditional case management solution often means overstretching your team members to endless manual processes and “inbox madness.” Not having an automatic workflow or reporting functions means you are stuck repeating everything your predecessor did, but just on a computer.

While some companies in the private sector continue to struggle with manual processes, many government agencies have taken a leap to advanced systems in serving the needs of the public. For example, recently the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recognized the trend to move data to cloud-based systems and enhance its functionality to support DOJ’s growing cloud adoption. In addition, Canadian’s National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3) recently chose Hubstream, a data-driven case management system, to protect citizens of Canada from cybercrime activities. These efforts simply demonstrate the needs for investigators and government agencies to step up their games in combating changllenges from cyber related investigations and crimes.

It doesn’t include all your data

Whether you call them cases, investigations, or matters, if all you need is tracking a list of cases with some notes and documents, traditional case management software has you covered. But investigative teams in the modern era deal with a far more significant data management problem.

Not only are teams receiving a deluge of incoming information from a wide range of sources like online services that crawl the Internet but they also need to manage a huge variety of related data from offline sources.

The offline data, which most likely are unstructured, has gained recognition lately. According to a study, combining unstructured or structured data with narrative-based stories may be the most helpful tactic in combatting crime. Traditional case management systems often fail to handle unstructured data types, which could be a crucial part of an investigation.

It can’t tailor to your specific requirements

Most traditional case management software makes claims to be “customizable”. Customization is important because your team always has some unique requirements that aren’t readily available as standard offerings. You need to be able to easily add new data types, new business rules or workflows - all at a rapid pace of change.

But the “customization” offered by traditional case management software is usually limited to adding a field occasionally or a new canned report. If you need to modify an existing process or be able to integrate new data sources – these software vendors may let you down. Furthermore, they may give you a high price tag for customization.

It doesn’t play well with others

Successful investigation and conclusive resolution are achieved through collaboration. In the days of fax machines, most investigative teams operated as a single unit within close geographic proximity. However, in today’s collaborative landscape, diverse individuals have unique requirements, necessitating the sharing of information and insights via cloud-based platforms or integrated email systems.

Traditional case management software may let you add users to the system manually, but it doesn’t help you improve collaboration. In this case, you will be back to deal with inbox madness while struggling to integrate data from offline sources.

It doesn’t connect the dots

Have you ever experienced déjà vu, where it seems like you’ve encountered the same person previously? This is where traditional case management fails to deliver. It can’t help you connect the dots across all your data and identify repeat offenders to get better outcomes.

How Hubstream Can Help You

Hubstream is a data-driven investigative case management software that lets you track, compile, analyze, and act on all case-related data. Moreover, it connects all the dots and prioritizes high-value targets (HVTs) for you. The myriad of features that Hubstream offers is extensive and flexible enough to let you hit the ground running with your investigations.

Leading global enterprises and government agencies have used Hubstream for their case management needs. While traditional case management tools can track and store data, Hubstream takes your investigation to the next level.