Sniffing out what you can’t see: digital evidence detection dog Ace proves her skills in a datacenter environment

A Most Unusual Day at FNT Software

Today’s blog post covers a most unusual aspect of IT, Datacenter, and Network Infrastructure Management – one that even for our colleagues at FNT, who have witnessed and experienced an exceptionally broad range of peculiarities in their professional lives, was a completely new experience.

It all began at NETFORUM 2025, held on September 10–11, 2025, at the Festspielhaus Bregenz and hosted by Datentechnik Moll. Among the many highlights in the event program was a live demonstration by Martin Wernet, founder of Schwarzwald Dogs, and his remarkable partner, Ace – a three-year-old X-Herder (Belgian–Dutch Shepherd Dog).  

The Unlikely Connection Between Canine Senses and Cybersecurity

Ace is no ordinary working dog. She’s a digital evidence detection dog, specially trained to locate hidden digital storage and espionage devices such as USB drives, microSD cards, mobile phones, or spy cameras. Her training enables her to detect trace odors emitted by the compounds used in electronic components. A skill that has already proven invaluable in high-stakes environments like offices, airports, hotels, and even yachts, where data theft or espionage threats are a real concern. 

During a conversation at NETFORUM, Martin shared that Ace had never faced the extreme sensory challenge of a datacenter. The air there is dense with local heat spots, features metal and plastics smells, is ripe with circulating particles and the faintly ozone-like odors from servers, switches, PDUs, and storage systems – conditions that could easily mask the faint scent signatures of espionage electronics. Curious to find out whether Ace’s skills would hold up under such demanding conditions, Martin asked if FNT could provide access to one of our datacenter rooms for an experiment. 

Since FNT Software delivers leading IT, Datacenter, and Network Infrastructure Management solutions, including advanced DCIM capabilities, we were more than happy to support his request.

The Challenge: Ace vs. the Datacenter

Under Martin’s expert guidance, we prepared a realistic test. Twelve small digital devices – spy cams, listening bugs, burner phones, and USB sticks – were hidden throughout the datacenter room. Following strict handling instructions to avoid scent contamination, our team used long tweezers to place each item in carefully chosen spots:

• Between servers and storage units
• In rack doorframes and narrow slits
• Under dividers and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
• And even in a closed drawer tucked into a corner

Hidden spycams, burner phones, micro SDs and listening devices at different places in the datacenter infrastructure in close proximity to other digital equipment.

Each hiding place was documented, just in case Ace failed to find them all.

When the stage was set, Martin entered the room with Ace. Calm and focused, she began her systematic search, guided gently through the aisles of humming racks and flashing LEDs. Despite the challenging environment, Ace moved with quiet precision – nose to the ground, tail still, completely concentrated.

Left: Ace sniffing intently along the racks. Right: Signaling a find Ace sits down, wags the tail, freezes and stares intently at the detection spot.

Then came the first signal: Ace suddenly sat down, tail wagged once, then froze, eyes fixed on a specific rack slot. Martin smiled – the unmistakable alert of a successful find.

Being navigated through the aisles she sniffed at rack after rack, the frames, the humming servers cable loaded switches and storage devices she continued. One after another, Ace located the hidden devices. Her detection rate was astonishing. Out of twelve concealed items, she found eleven – each discovery rewarded with a well-deserved treat and a cheer from the FNT team.

What We Learned

For Martin, the test was a major milestone. He now knows that Ace’s keen sense of smell and focused training can perform even in the highly technical and scent-rich environment of a datacenter – an environment few detection dogs have ever been tested in.

For us at FNT, it was a fascinating and delightful experience. Supporting Martin in this unique experiment was a small contribution to a larger goal: strengthening awareness of physical and digital security intersections in modern IT environments.

We were deeply impressed by Ace’s calm professionalism and effectiveness – and by Martin’s dedication to advancing an innovative form of technical counter-espionage support. Our datacenter team, in fact, was so taken with Ace’s personality that they half-jokingly offered to adopt her on the spot.

A Service Worth Recommending

We can wholeheartedly recommend Schwarzwald Dogs and Martin Wernet’s digital detection services to any organization seeking to enhance its protection against data theft, espionage, or unauthorized device placement.

Because as Ace’s visit showed us, even in an environment built on data, cables, and servers – sometimes the most effective security tool has four legs, a sharp nose, and a wagging tail.