Track24 has recently featured in a Times article which explores the increasing risks facing companies that are involved in emerging global markets.
Companies are increasingly looking for sustainable methods of stand-off security (SSOS) to safeguard their personnel from the risks that are inherent from working in such markets. As a result the use of security tracking and risk management solutions has become an essential tool for companies operating in these regions.
The Times
January 6, 2010
When the job puts your life on the line
Emily Ford
…As the case of Peter Moore, the IT consultant released last week after being held hostage in Iraq for two and a half years demonstrated, it is not only high-profile political targets or VIPs worth millions who are at risk of being abducted, but ordinary executives.
Many companies eager to move into emerging markets send employees into hostile environments, from oil and gas companies exploring the Niger Delta to retail banks setting up in Kosovo. Threats can change almost daily: while the security situation in Colombia has improved dramatically, Venezuela is increasingly unstable, Mr Bullivant says. Meanwhile, the growing telecoms industry in North Africa is having to deal with heightened terrorist activity.
A burgeoning corporate security industry is springing up to meet the demand. Revenues at Track24, a company that provides high-tech panic alarms and satellite tracking devices for corporate executives, governments and NGOs working in hostile environments, have risen steadily over the past six years.
Tim Grant, chief executive of Track24, says: “Companies are globalising, looking for contracts in new places that are often either unfamiliar or there is an element of threat. As an executive, you are an obvious target.”
His clients have encountered extortion, abduction and low level criminality such as theft, a big issue in emerging economies. While companies understand the risks, they often do not know how to deal with them, Mr Grant says. “They hand out a mobile phone and say ‘call in once a day’.” This can prove problematic. Often no one realises that an employee is missing until he or she fails to turn up at the embassy the next day….
To view the complete version of this article, please click here.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Crisis Management - Are you ready to take action?
Crisis Management is something that alot of us hope we never have to do, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't take the time out to plan and train for the unfortunate eventuality that it might happen.
Crisis Management often sits along side risk management when it comes to the health and safety of our workers, troops or colleagues. Whilst risk management identifies the potential threats presented by an environment in every day life, Crisis Management is the operation in picking up the pieces should the worst happen.
A crisis management plan should be easy to execute with the right tools on hand. For example, communications infrastructures need to be in place and if required GPS tracking facilities might be needed depending on your environment.
A central base or command post should be readily available to act as a communications point where instructions are send to the teams on the ground (or in the air).
Well planned, thought out Crisis Management can make or break a hostile situation.
Crisis Management often sits along side risk management when it comes to the health and safety of our workers, troops or colleagues. Whilst risk management identifies the potential threats presented by an environment in every day life, Crisis Management is the operation in picking up the pieces should the worst happen.
A crisis management plan should be easy to execute with the right tools on hand. For example, communications infrastructures need to be in place and if required GPS tracking facilities might be needed depending on your environment.
A central base or command post should be readily available to act as a communications point where instructions are send to the teams on the ground (or in the air).
Well planned, thought out Crisis Management can make or break a hostile situation.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
The difference between Crisis Management and Risk Management
Many people often ask what the difference is between crisis management and risk management.
Crisis Management is the term that describes a process, or collection of processes that are put in place to handle an unexpected event that threatens to harm an organisation, a business, an operation or an individual / group of people. A crisis normally occurs without prior warning, and therefore it is paramount that plans are put in place that can be executed swiftly to either a) put actions in place to remedy the situation or b) decrease the impact of the crisis so that normality can be restored over a short period of time.
In contrast, risk management is an ongoing process in which potential threats are highlighted and solutions are put in place to avoid these risks. Risk Management tends to be more proactive, where as Crisis Management is reactive.
Unfortunately, no matter how good your risk management procedures are, there is always a requirement for any business, military group or organisation to have a crisis management plan put in place.
Crisis Management is the term that describes a process, or collection of processes that are put in place to handle an unexpected event that threatens to harm an organisation, a business, an operation or an individual / group of people. A crisis normally occurs without prior warning, and therefore it is paramount that plans are put in place that can be executed swiftly to either a) put actions in place to remedy the situation or b) decrease the impact of the crisis so that normality can be restored over a short period of time.
In contrast, risk management is an ongoing process in which potential threats are highlighted and solutions are put in place to avoid these risks. Risk Management tends to be more proactive, where as Crisis Management is reactive.
Unfortunately, no matter how good your risk management procedures are, there is always a requirement for any business, military group or organisation to have a crisis management plan put in place.
Friday, 19 February 2010
What is Crisis Management and how does it affect remote workers?
By definition Crisis Management is the practice that comes into force to either react to or prevent a major event that could end with devastating effects.
There is nothing that resembles a crisis more than the potential loss of life. This is sadly something that is all too familiar when you think of scenarios such as military operations, air force incidents and remote workers who have to cope with hostile environments when working trying to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Crisis Management is all about planning. It’s about making the necessary arrangements on how to react should the worst occur. Where possible it’s about preempting situations and being one step ahead of anything that might happen. For remote workers it’s about securing the environment and allowing them to go about their job without having to think about ‘what might happen next’.
Convoys, especially those in remote locations, are totally vulnerable to attack, either through desire of theft or just pure disruption to aid or rescue efforts. This makes driving a convoy a high risk job and crisis management solutions may allow for the convoy to be tracked. This means that a central management base are aware of the location of the convoy at all times and can either react to crisis or offer proactive assistance through redirecting the convoy to avoid conflict.
Remote workers don’t just have to be working in war zones. Another example of a remote worker might be mountain rescue. In such a scenario crisis management training and planning is absolutely essential as natural disasters could happen at any time. GPS technology is of vital importance to mountain rescue teams as it allows for rescue workers or guides to be monitored at all times with minimal disruption.
GPS technology plays a huge part in Crisis management in today’s world, mainly due to its powerful communication and tracking capabilities. Through small, discrete hand held devices remote workers can stay in close communication with support teams back at base or on the ground. Crisis Management teams can become a second set of eyes that have a total overall view on what is going on.
There is nothing that resembles a crisis more than the potential loss of life. This is sadly something that is all too familiar when you think of scenarios such as military operations, air force incidents and remote workers who have to cope with hostile environments when working trying to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Crisis Management is all about planning. It’s about making the necessary arrangements on how to react should the worst occur. Where possible it’s about preempting situations and being one step ahead of anything that might happen. For remote workers it’s about securing the environment and allowing them to go about their job without having to think about ‘what might happen next’.
Convoys, especially those in remote locations, are totally vulnerable to attack, either through desire of theft or just pure disruption to aid or rescue efforts. This makes driving a convoy a high risk job and crisis management solutions may allow for the convoy to be tracked. This means that a central management base are aware of the location of the convoy at all times and can either react to crisis or offer proactive assistance through redirecting the convoy to avoid conflict.
Remote workers don’t just have to be working in war zones. Another example of a remote worker might be mountain rescue. In such a scenario crisis management training and planning is absolutely essential as natural disasters could happen at any time. GPS technology is of vital importance to mountain rescue teams as it allows for rescue workers or guides to be monitored at all times with minimal disruption.
GPS technology plays a huge part in Crisis management in today’s world, mainly due to its powerful communication and tracking capabilities. Through small, discrete hand held devices remote workers can stay in close communication with support teams back at base or on the ground. Crisis Management teams can become a second set of eyes that have a total overall view on what is going on.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Africa Tracking Solutions save lives
In a hostile world, crisis management and tracking solutions have become very popular in countries where remote aid workers and military personnel put their lives on the line every day.
We take our safety for granted and when on foreign land it is all too easy to let our guard slip. If you are a remote worker in Africa, perhaps on working an aid project, wouldn’t you prefer to have the peace of mind that someone was able to locate your exact position 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? Africa Tracking offers that little bit of extra intelligence could be the fine line between losing and saving your life, should you enter an area of hostility and conflict.
GPS Tracking and Crisis Management solutions are now so discrete that you often can not tell if someone is wearing one. They now also build GPS tracking solutions into communication devices such as hand held mobile phones. Vehicle tracking solutions enable fleets (or even one off vehicles) to be fitted with tracking technology to ensure that a central command post can monitor the whereabouts of the unit at all times.
Crisis Management in Africa is all about being proactive, not reactive. It’s about avoiding life threatening situations. By monitoring locations, Central command posts are able to alert and warn personnel on the ground of potential conflict and re-route them to safety
In a remote country, like Africa, where large parts of the land are desolate, GPS tracking solutions can come to the rescue if remote workers become stranded due to vehicle breakdowns or accidents. By quickly pinpointing their location a rescue team can be quickly dispatched and the worker or team brought back to safety.
GPS Tracking and Crisis Management solutions are literally the fine line between life and death, the deciding factor between the success and failure of an operation. They give remote workers an added confidence in their environment that means they can concentrate on the task at hand rather than worrying about what might be around the corner.
GPS Tracking solutions are now more affordable than ever as satellite technology comes to the forefront of our lives. Thanks to this, Crisis Management solutions in Africa are becoming more of a reality and more lives are being saved.
We take our safety for granted and when on foreign land it is all too easy to let our guard slip. If you are a remote worker in Africa, perhaps on working an aid project, wouldn’t you prefer to have the peace of mind that someone was able to locate your exact position 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? Africa Tracking offers that little bit of extra intelligence could be the fine line between losing and saving your life, should you enter an area of hostility and conflict.
GPS Tracking and Crisis Management solutions are now so discrete that you often can not tell if someone is wearing one. They now also build GPS tracking solutions into communication devices such as hand held mobile phones. Vehicle tracking solutions enable fleets (or even one off vehicles) to be fitted with tracking technology to ensure that a central command post can monitor the whereabouts of the unit at all times.
Crisis Management in Africa is all about being proactive, not reactive. It’s about avoiding life threatening situations. By monitoring locations, Central command posts are able to alert and warn personnel on the ground of potential conflict and re-route them to safety
In a remote country, like Africa, where large parts of the land are desolate, GPS tracking solutions can come to the rescue if remote workers become stranded due to vehicle breakdowns or accidents. By quickly pinpointing their location a rescue team can be quickly dispatched and the worker or team brought back to safety.
GPS Tracking and Crisis Management solutions are literally the fine line between life and death, the deciding factor between the success and failure of an operation. They give remote workers an added confidence in their environment that means they can concentrate on the task at hand rather than worrying about what might be around the corner.
GPS Tracking solutions are now more affordable than ever as satellite technology comes to the forefront of our lives. Thanks to this, Crisis Management solutions in Africa are becoming more of a reality and more lives are being saved.
Monday, 15 February 2010
GPS Tracking Solution helping unsuspecting Geologists in Australia
When teams are out in the field, either on foot or in transport the safety and monitoring of personnel is the number one priority of any organisation. By using GPS Technology, combined with radio communications infrastructure, it is possible to track radio users with integrated GPS transmitters.
The handset, a Motorola Mototrbo, along with a central integrated monitoring software solution allows you to monitor unsuspecting personnel out in the field and be on call to assist should a potential danger or crisis evolve.
These are just two examples in a world where potential crisis is only a moment away. With GPS tracking and an alert system in place you can give your team in the field the re-assurance that they are only a moment away from requesting assistance, even in the most remote of locations.
This technology came into its own when a team of Geologists, working for a mining exploration team in the deserts of South Australia bedded down for the night. They then woke the following morning to find that a flash flood has marooned them, turning the hill they are camped on into an island surrounded by a lake that extends as far as the eye can see. Thinking that the flood will recede as fast as it started, they prepare to enjoy the unexpected break.
The only means of communication they had was their Motorola Mototrbo radio, with embedded GPS transmitter and a mobile cell phone. They were able to contact their HQ by sending an SMS text and they were located by the position transmitted by their handheld radio. Once the position was determined the crisis management team immediately dispatches a helicopter, and the stranded team were successfully found and taken home.
In this scenario, the GPS tracking solution was able to assist the team that had already ran into a Crisis situation, but it can also be used to prevent crisis management situations evolving. By monitoring troops in the field a central team can quickly advise the team of the ground of any suspecting natural or unnatural disaster they are about to walk into and advise them of alternative routes.
The handset, a Motorola Mototrbo, along with a central integrated monitoring software solution allows you to monitor unsuspecting personnel out in the field and be on call to assist should a potential danger or crisis evolve.
These are just two examples in a world where potential crisis is only a moment away. With GPS tracking and an alert system in place you can give your team in the field the re-assurance that they are only a moment away from requesting assistance, even in the most remote of locations.
This technology came into its own when a team of Geologists, working for a mining exploration team in the deserts of South Australia bedded down for the night. They then woke the following morning to find that a flash flood has marooned them, turning the hill they are camped on into an island surrounded by a lake that extends as far as the eye can see. Thinking that the flood will recede as fast as it started, they prepare to enjoy the unexpected break.
The only means of communication they had was their Motorola Mototrbo radio, with embedded GPS transmitter and a mobile cell phone. They were able to contact their HQ by sending an SMS text and they were located by the position transmitted by their handheld radio. Once the position was determined the crisis management team immediately dispatches a helicopter, and the stranded team were successfully found and taken home.
In this scenario, the GPS tracking solution was able to assist the team that had already ran into a Crisis situation, but it can also be used to prevent crisis management situations evolving. By monitoring troops in the field a central team can quickly advise the team of the ground of any suspecting natural or unnatural disaster they are about to walk into and advise them of alternative routes.
GPS Tracking, Personnel Tracking and Crisis Management
The increase in popularity of GPS technology has meant that GPS tracking devices are now more popular and more affordable than ever before.
GPS technology now plays an important part for workers, both in the corporate world and remote workers serving the forces.
GPS can be used for many different tracking appliances, from Maritime Tracking, Military Tracking, Vehicle tracking and Personnel Tracking. Examples of where remote tracking might be useful include peace workers, aid workers, government workers in areas of conflict, military workers and maritime.
Remote workers, especially those that work in abroad, may find themselves in uncomfortable situations from time to time but by using personnel tracking devices their locations can be monitored at all times, and conflict can often be avoided by it happens. It’s all about being proactive rather than reactive. Aid workers often work in high risk environments for the benefit of others, often putting themselves in dangerous situations. Thanks to GPS tracking devices the risk can be reduced as the location of the workers can be monitored from central management bases.
Personnel Tracking devices aren’t just about tracking the location of the remote workers. They are also about being able to communicate with people in remote locations helping to aid with crisis management. This is why satellite technology is so useful, because no matter how remote the location they can still make contact through Satellite phones keeping in touch with the central base at all times.
Another example of where Personnel tracking might be used is search and rescue operations, especially in high risk areas such as mountain ranges. They might even be used for sporting events such as skiing or mountaineering. The uses of GPS tracking devices are totally flexible.
Satellites are ideal for both tracking and communication. The network of satellites that orbit the earth enable GPS devices to clearly communicate without having to rely on local cell towers (which is how mobile phones work). Occasionally, if the area is heavily built, or dense such as a rainforest then signal might be an issue. Sometimes, heavy cloud or adverse weather might also affect the GPS signal, but generally speaking GPS technology is the ideal way to implement a personnel tracking solution.
GPS technology now plays an important part for workers, both in the corporate world and remote workers serving the forces.
GPS can be used for many different tracking appliances, from Maritime Tracking, Military Tracking, Vehicle tracking and Personnel Tracking. Examples of where remote tracking might be useful include peace workers, aid workers, government workers in areas of conflict, military workers and maritime.
Remote workers, especially those that work in abroad, may find themselves in uncomfortable situations from time to time but by using personnel tracking devices their locations can be monitored at all times, and conflict can often be avoided by it happens. It’s all about being proactive rather than reactive. Aid workers often work in high risk environments for the benefit of others, often putting themselves in dangerous situations. Thanks to GPS tracking devices the risk can be reduced as the location of the workers can be monitored from central management bases.
Personnel Tracking devices aren’t just about tracking the location of the remote workers. They are also about being able to communicate with people in remote locations helping to aid with crisis management. This is why satellite technology is so useful, because no matter how remote the location they can still make contact through Satellite phones keeping in touch with the central base at all times.
Another example of where Personnel tracking might be used is search and rescue operations, especially in high risk areas such as mountain ranges. They might even be used for sporting events such as skiing or mountaineering. The uses of GPS tracking devices are totally flexible.
Satellites are ideal for both tracking and communication. The network of satellites that orbit the earth enable GPS devices to clearly communicate without having to rely on local cell towers (which is how mobile phones work). Occasionally, if the area is heavily built, or dense such as a rainforest then signal might be an issue. Sometimes, heavy cloud or adverse weather might also affect the GPS signal, but generally speaking GPS technology is the ideal way to implement a personnel tracking solution.