Get to Know Ryan Duquette
An investigator for more than 20 years, Ryan Duquette spends his days protecting people and organizations from cyber risks. This former police officer’s passions include guiding people through crises and connecting the proverbial digital puzzle pieces together to figure out “who done it.” Ryan spoke to us from his office in Toronto, giving us the inside scoop on what he does, why he does it, and what’s happening in the world of digital forensics.
What led you to digital forensics and cyber crime investigations?
When I was in university, I inadvertently transferred a virus on a floppy disk from a university computer onto my mother’s workplace computer, ultimately destroying her customer database and workplace files. I still get grief about that incident!
This experience ultimately led me to a career in law enforcement, spending most of my years working within the Fraud Bureau and the Technology Crimes Unit. I conducted hundreds of investigations into many types of crimes and situations. From there, it was a natural move to digital forensics.
What do you love most about your role?
Often, I get called in to assist with matters where our clients don’t know what happened or what to do next. They need help, and I greatly enjoy working with clients to get them the facts and help them make an informed decision.
What are some trends within the field of digital forensics?
Digital forensics is the scientific examination of digital devices. We conduct digital forensics on devices for a range of situations, such as data breaches, intellectual property theft, fraud, workplace investigations, online defamation, and more.
We certainly saw an increase in many of these investigations during the early days of COVID-19 when the world worked from home, during downturns in the economy, and during the Great Resignation. One trend that will continue will be the use of the cloud and internet of things devices. The evidence analyzed during a digital forensic investigation is no longer contained on devices such as computers or mobile devices so investigators need to be trained and educated on how to collect and analyze evidence from various sources.
What do you want people to know about you?
I’m comfortable working with anyone, from the executive team to frontline employees, and in one-on-one client meetings or with large audiences. I have a knack for explaining technical matters in an easy-to-understand manner and I’m a natural problem solver. I also love mentoring people and enjoy seeing others succeed.
And while the ever-changing technology landscape is fascinating, I like nothing more than turning off my devices and building something cool in my woodshop.