Online courses and tutorials have been around for some time now, covering a wide range of subjects from languages to business management. One popular area of study is information technology, brought about by the fact that we are living in the age of computers. Recently, one branch of information technology that has caught the interest of technically-inclined people is computer forensics.

Computer forensics is an emerging profession that is rapidly growing because of increasing computer-related crimes. While the demand for computer forensics specialists is high, there are only a few people today that can really claim expertise on the field because it requires specialized knowledge in computers as well as understanding of legal concepts and procedures of an industry that is relatively young. Through computer forensics tutorials, which are mainly videos, one can learn the necessary skills to become effective in this field.

In fact, you can even earn a degree on computer forensics through online courses. However, if you only have time for small amount of studying just enough to familiarize yourself with the basics of this fast-growing field of computer forensics, then video or online tutorials are ideal resources for you. Should you wish to move onto advanced levels after completing basic computer forensics tutorials, you will find many resources for your purpose.

With computer forensics tutorials, there is no need to attend a class in a physical location because you can take the lessons right at the comfort of your home. In addition, you can study at any time you are available so it does not conflict with other things you might have to do like work, for example.

Some examples of topics that are covered in computer forensics tutorials include an introduction to

computer forensics; incident response in criminal, civil and corporate investigations; the role and duties of the forensic investigator; computer crime laws; corporate policies and privacy laws; handling of evidence and documentation; setting up a forensics laboratory; use of forensics software; disk imaging; disk analysis; file analysis; log file analysis; OS-specific forensics; case study; concluding investigations; ethics, and many other topics and subtopics.

As you can see, the study of computer forensics is rather complex but the video tutorials that you will find online are divided into categories to make it easy for you to go through each chapter of the course at your own pace. These tutorials show step-by-step procedures of how investigations should be conducted from start to end. Some tutorials are available free while most require either that you purchase a CD or pay for membership or subscription in order to gain unlimited access to their online resources.

There are CD tutorials designed for single users and for multiple users so if you and a friend are both interested in learning about computer forensics, you can save money in buying just one CD. Before making a purchase, it is a good idea to try the demo versions of the tutorials so you can see if it would be worth your money to pay for the full CD versions. In addition, be aware of the seller’s policies on refunds, returns or replacements of faulty CDs.

You should also check out the authors of the CD, their background and experience to determine whether they are qualified to teach computer forensics. The ideal instructors are those who have proven experience and expertise in actual computer forensics investigations from working in the government, law-enforcement or private industry.

If you are considering starting a career in computer forensics, going through a series of quality tutorials is a very good first step towards your plans. At your comfort and convenience, you can gain the skills necessary to become a computer forensics specialist.