Rates

Ask a professional in virtually any field how much their services cost and the answer will be the same: "It depends."  It is not possible to estimate cost without understanding at least the basics of the situation.  Here at Southwest Digital Laboratory we offer initial consultations and estimates without charge, but we will need to ask enough questions to gain a clear understanding of the work involved.

We can provide you with some basic information on our standard rates and billing procedures.  Our standard billing rate is one hundred dollars per hour.  We have a one hour minimum on any job.  If the work takes place in the field, hours are billed based on time out of the office (including travel time).  If the work is done in our El Paso laboratory we will only charge for hours worked by a technician (not for hours of unattended computer time).  We can also bid on fixed price contracts, batch work, or ongoing service contracts. We do offer discounts for repeat customers, law enforcement, and non-profit organizations. NOTE - Our actual rates for a project may be higher or lower than our standard rate, and will be specified at the time of engagement.

Billing for a job is done on a time plus expenses basis, and payment is expected at time of job completion.  We accept purchase orders, purchasing cards, credit cards, and company checks.

Our Policies

Law Enforcement Cooperation Policy
If, during or incidental to our work for any client, we encounter any data or images which appear to be related to terrorism, child pornigraphy or other criminal activity, we will report our findings to the proper law enforcement authorities immediately.  In such a case our ethical responsibility to report illegal activity shall supercede any other policy involving privacy or disclosure.

Privacy Policy
We never voluntarily disclose or share any information about our clients with third parties.  In the unlikely event of a breach in security for our customer data the affected parties will be notified immediately.  If we collect any data online it will be used only for the purpose indicated when it was collected.  We do not store client financial data or billing records online.

Security Policy
Our internal security program will meet or exceed the best practices for any industry in which we are involved.  We will adhere to the Secure Commerce Protocols as they apply to our operations.  We will select secure and secuity minded vendors as our service providers.  Our El Paso forensics and data recovery laboratory, as well as our administrative offices, are access controlled with strict policies governing visitors.

Disclosure Policy
Southwest Digital Laboratory will not disclose any client relationships to any third party without approval of the client.  We do not use past clients for references unless they give us permission. 

Information Retention Policy
When a job is complete we retain the work product and any intermediate files on our server for 30 days.  After 30 days all work product related to a job is deleted using a data destruction procedure that deletes the data beyond recovery.  Each client is responsible for their own data retention and information security once the work product is delivered to them.

Legal Information and Disclaimers

Copyright
Unless otherwise indicated all information on this site is:
    © Copyright 2006,2007 by Southwest Digital Laboratory.
    All rights are reserved.  Duplication or unauthorized use is prohibited.

Disclaimer
Nothing on this site should be construed as professional advise or a product endorsement.  Engage the services of a professional, such as Southwest Digital Laboratory, to address your specific situation before taking any action.   Nothing on this site should be considered an agreement to provide service.  Please contact Southwest Digital Laboratory at 915-544-2034 to request a formal proposal.  Nothing on this site should be considered a warranty, guarantee of performance, or as a claim that any mentioned product or service is suitable for your specific situation.

Organization
Southwest Digital Laboratory is a division and trade name of Neal Technologies Corporation, a Texas corporation.  The mailing address for our parent corporation is 4221 Norfolk, El Paso, TX, 79902.