DataWalk: The Enterprise-Class Alternative to i2
for Modern Investigations

While i2 has long been a familiar tool for link analysis, modern enterprise investigations demand a more powerful, scalable, and collaborative platform. DataWalk provides a superior, enterprise-class alternative, engineered to handle the volume and complexity of today's data while delivering advanced analytical capabilities at a lower total cost of ownership.

What defines an enterprise-class i2 alternative?

The term "i2" can refer to a wide range of capabilities. For organizations simply creating manual link charts, a basic drawing tool may suffice. However, for enterprise-level intelligence and investigations, the requirements are far more demanding. A true enterprise solution must securely manage and analyze vast, disparate datasets, facilitate seamless team collaboration, and provide a comprehensive suite of analytical tools that go beyond simple visualization.

An effective alternative must move beyond the limitations of desktop software to a centralized, scalable system. This is where platforms like DataWalk distinguish themselves from legacy tools, offering a fundamentally more robust approach to data analysis for government agencies and commercial enterprises.

How does DataWalk's architecture provide a modern advantage?

DataWalk is a fully integrated, enterprise-class system built on a modern technology stack. Its server-based architecture is a primary differentiator, enabling immediate and secure collaboration on data, analyses, and reports across an entire organization. All work product is centralized, eliminating the data silos and version control issues common with desktop-based tools.

Furthermore, DataWalk utilizes a web-based interface, which completely removes the need to install and manage client-side software on individual analyst workstations. This simplifies deployment, reduces IT overhead, and ensures every user has access to the latest capabilities. The underlying scalable repository can easily handle billions of records, storing and automatically generating connections between all data elements. You can learn more about the core DataWalk technology that makes this possible.

How does DataWalk unify and analyze disparate data sources?

A key challenge for any analyst is integrating data from multiple sources. DataWalk provides powerful facilities for automatically ingesting data from internal and external systems, including databases, public records, spreadsheets, and external intelligence feeds. This data is organized into a unified data model, structured around intuitive concepts like people, events, vehicles, and phones, rather than technical database tables.

This approach breaks down data silos and allows analysts to see connections across all their information in a single, coherent view. This integrated data foundation is the basis for all subsequent analysis, ensuring that insights are drawn from a complete and holistic picture of the available intelligence.

What analytical capabilities does DataWalk offer beyond basic link analysis?

While DataWalk provides a robust and intuitive facility for link analysis with integrated maps and social network analysis, its capabilities extend far further. It is a comprehensive investigation software platform designed to accelerate the entire analytical workflow.

DataWalk includes advanced features such as sophisticated visual querying, automated entity extraction from documents, address and PDF parsing, and flexible reporting. Unlike tools that are limited to one type of analysis, DataWalk empowers users to seamlessly pivot between link charts, geospatial mapping, and tabular views to uncover insights that would otherwise be missed. This multi-faceted analytical environment is a core component of the platform's power.

Why is DataWalk considered a superior enterprise solution?

DataWalk is not just a tool; it is a full-stack solution for data analysis. It combines a scalable data repository, a powerful analytical engine, and an intuitive user interface into a single, cohesive platform. This integrated design delivers superior performance, scalability, and ease of use compared to assembling a solution from disparate components.

For organizations looking to move beyond the constraints of legacy systems like i2, DataWalk offers a modern, collaborative, and cost-effective path forward. It is engineered to solve today's complex, data-intensive challenges, providing the capabilities that law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and commercial fraud teams need to succeed.