Federal Computer Week has released a list of 10 hot companies to watch, which includes one Mac vendor, WiebeTech LLC. The list “demonstrates the persistence of security as a concern in the federal information technology community.” WiebeTech was praised as a company that had launched products with federal requirements in mind.
“The task of convincing reluctant prospects has not been an issue for WiebeTech, which makes a computer-docking product [the DriveDock and Baydock line] that permits fast access to hard drives,” FCW writes. “In fact, customers convinced the Wichita, Kan.-based firm to build a product geared toward government work, and some clients asked for a forensic version tailored for law enforcement officials who need to collect evidence from suspects’ computer hard drives.”
In October 2002 WiebeTech introduced a new version of its DriveDock device aimed at labs and law enforcement called the Forensic DriveDock. The US$249.95 DriveDock is a tiny peripheral that enables users to attach a raw hard disk drive mechanism to the FireWire interface on a Mac or PC. The Forensic DriveDock differs from the regular model by being write blocked, making it possible to read data but not accidentally overwrite it. This makes it ideal for laboratory and field analysis, according to WiebeTech CEO James Wiebe.
In February WiebeTech introduced the $299.95 Forensic NoteBook DriveDock, a FireWire bridge built for forensic analysis of notebook data storage devices and targeted to the law enforcement and criminal investigation markets.
And in July WiebeTech rolled out the BayDock, which lets you install one, two or four removable drives within one enclosure with each drive supported by an independent FireWire 400 bridge. What’s more, each bay can be equipped with an “InfoTray” intelligent LCD indicator that offers immediate visual access to drive health information, such as temperature, time in use and other data. User configurable or preconfigured versions of BayDock are available with capacities up to 1.2TB with all configurations available with or without the LCD indicator. Prices range from US$139.95 for a single user configurable BayDock to $3,995.00 for a 1.2TB Quad BayDock preconfigured with InfoTray intelligent removable bays, individual FireWire channels, and capacities of 300GB per bay.