Feral Jundi

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Industry Talk: Hawque And The Uberization Of Private Security

Filed under: Industry Talk,Mobile Apps — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 4:14 PM

Today I stumbled on a pretty interesting concept that could have far reaching consequences in the private security contracting world. Hawque is a share economy style business that plans on connecting the security contractor directly with the customer via an app. I have to imagine there are others that are getting into this game, but Hawque is the one that came up on my radar.

I should note that even Uber is getting more involved with security. In South Africa, they have just partnered with Aura, a security technology service that would allow drivers to connect with the closest private security response vehicle via a nationwide network of security and medical partners. Uber drivers just hit an SOS button on a mobile app, and the call goes out to the closest responder. This security partnership is also necessary because of the violence between the meter taxi industry and drivers of ride-hailing services. Yeah, it is that bad in South Africa..

What is neat about the Uber/Aura partnership is that drivers can also connect with South African Police Services and emergency services if they want. I think that it is smart to have as many resources as possible, and in South Africa, there is police and private security all over the place.

Now as far as the legal aspects of this and how it could work in other countries, who knows. I know that Uber has a legal army in order to deal with all the pitfalls of this kind of business. They are constantly being sued for something. I am sure Hawque is aware of this aspect of share economy businesses and I will be very interested to see where it goes.

What is neat for our industry is that share economy style security businesses need competent folks. In Hawque’s video commercials, they advertise that Hawque security specialists will make more money because they do not have a middle man or a security company in charge of them. Typically companies have a lot of overhead to manage security operations and HR, and the strength of share economy style businesses is that it basically takes that away. The security specialist is truly an independent contractor.

Below is a short video of what they are trying to do and how they are reaching out to contractors. The service is so new that there is no data available as to how it is doing. It will be something to watch, and it will be really interesting if it goes global, much like Uber did. You never know. –Matt

 

Website for Hawque here.

Facebook for Hawque here.

LinkedIn for Hawque here.

 

 

Launching This Month, On-Demand Private Security Platform Aims to Make Safety Easier and Cheaper
June 6, 2018
By Holly Beilin

A climate where individuals feel increasingly uncertain about their own safety has led to private security guards outnumbering U.S. police officers. The billion-dollar private security industry is estimated to grow by 33 percent in just the next two years, as the demographic shift towards urban environments stretches police departments’ resources — 2016 saw cities with populations over 25,000 averaging less than two public safety officers for every 1,000 residents.

That’s where Chris Rich, CEO and founder of Hawque, wants to step in. Following a home break-in that made him and his family feel vulnerable, Rich began to look into getting private security for peace of mind. However, he found it exorbitantly expensive and tedious.

That’s because the market is largely monopolized by third-party service providers. These companies employ the guards, contract with businesses and individuals and take the lion’s share of the profits, leaving most of these trained professionals with an average expected income of $9-$11 per hour.

Inspired by the on-demand economy, as well as the recent spate of startups that use technology to cut out middleman companies, Rich set out to develop a model that would do the same for private security. After talking to many in the industry, he began to conceive of Hawque, a platform that matches security professionals with clients on an on-demand basis.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Mobile Apps: Silent Circle

Check this out. Silent Circle is a subscription service that promises to deliver a secure and encrypted communications platform. Phil Zimmermann put this concept together and he is marketing this thing for security professionals with the help of some former Navy SEALs.

What I like about this service is that companies could actually set up accounts with contractors/employees using Silent Circle, and know that the communications between all parties will be secure. From the phone calls to text messages to emails–the entire communications system will be secure and extremely difficult to hack.

Families can also be a part of a separate Silent Circle account between the contractor and their loved ones/friends. This is great because today’s enemy’s and hostile governments all have a desire to hack into the accounts of folks involved with security operations throughout the world. They monitor everything from Facebook and Twitter accounts, to emails/phone calls etc. You have to assume all of that is happening, and to have any tools to help in the battle to secure your communications is a good thing. –Matt

 

 

Silent Circle

When a Silent Circle subscriber makes a phone call, sends a text or video chats with another Silent Circle member, that transmission is secured and encrypted end-to-end from the iPhone, Android, iPad or computer on our crystal-clear secure network. Silent Mail is an elegant and encrypted email solution, however, it utilizes server side key encryption not peer-to-peer. Our Silent Phone, Silent Mail and Silent Text products also allow you to call or send/receive emails to anyone in the world – any phone number – any email address, even to those not in our secure Circle (subscribers). Our products download from the Apple App Store, Android Play Store and from our website – simple, fast, secure.
Silent Network
We Designed It, We Custom-Built It & We Own The Network
Silent Circle Network provides encrypted communication tools that leverage cutting edge and simple to use apps and software. Here’s how we do it:
• Open Source Peer-Reviewed Encryption – Our founders are the inventors of the world’s most trusted encryption protocols: PGP, ZRTP, SCimp
• Multimillion dollar custom-built high definition network
• Geographic server redundancy – Servers located in Montreal and Toronto built with scalability for continued geographic expansion (Our Switzerland Network will come online Fall 2012)
• 100% dedicated network – No sharing
• Custom-built servers, PBXs and hardware – Ensuring security integrated through design
• E-Commerce, customer service, analytics and network monitoring software all custom built and designed to ensure security
• Device-to-Device Encryption – True peer-to-peer key negotiation with every communication session. Keys are destroyed at the end of every call eliminating the possibility of retroactive compromise
• Interactive Voice Authentication – Visual and vocal encryption verification eliminating the possibility of MiTM (man in the middle) attacks and a short authentication string (SAS)
• Peer Reviewed Encryption and Hashing Algorithms
– Elliptic Curve Cryptography (P-384)
– Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256)
– Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-256)

Company website here.

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Phil Zimmermann’s Silent Circle Builds A Secure, Seductive Fortress Around Your Smartphone
By Neal Ungereider
October 5, 2012
The cryptography legend is teaming up with two ex-Navy SEALs to offer encrypted phone calls, video conferencing, and text messages with no learning curve whatsoever. The target market? Businesspeople and government employees traveling abroad.
In the 1990s, cryptography pioneer and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) creator Phil Zimmermann faced federal criminal investigation. His encryption software was so strong, it was charged, there was fear it violated arms trafficking export controls.

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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Mobile Apps: The Tactical Radio Mobile App?

This is one of those posts where I thought, why hasn’t anyone in the tactical industry or law enforcement industry developed a mobile app that can convert your smart phone into a 2 way radio? Because according to this article, private industry has already created three mobile apps that turn your phone into a basic 2 way radio.

So for this post, the idea is basic. Create a similar 2 way radio mobile app, but ‘tactify’ it. lol Get it encrypted and secure, and give it functions that would be applicable to military/police/contractor uses. Or just have basic switches on the mobile app that allow a user to customize the app to suite their needs.

The top mobile app for turning your smart phone into a basic 2 way radio according to this article below is Voxer Walkie-Talkie. If you would like to play around with it, and maybe use it for hunting or none tactical purposes, here is a link to check it out. Here it is on iTunes, and below is the description of what it does.

Description
Featured by Apple in 50+ countries
Turn your phone into a Walkie Talkie.
Don’t waste time on phone calls and voicemails.
Voxer® is a Walkie Talkie app for smartphones. Send instant Audio, Text, Photo and Location messages to one friend or a group of your friends. Your friends can listen to your message while you talk or check it out later.
-LIVE WALKIE TALKIE
-Cross Platform Messenger
-VOICE, TEXT, PHOTOS and LOCATION
-GROUP CHATS
-EVERYTHING is FREE
-No annoying advertisements
-Works over WiFi, 3G and any other data network
-Get notifications for new messages
-Create messages even offline
-Play voice messages faster
-Connect with Facebook friends on Voxer
Voxer turns your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch device into the ultimate Push To Talk (PTT) real-time Walkie Talkie.

The other thing I was thinking about with a Tactical Radio Mobile App is that companies could save money by not having to buy expensive handheld two way radios. They could just depend upon an internet connection locally or 3G/data networks, and have a team work off of that. So instead of depending upon a repeater, you are depending upon a diversified array of ‘repeaters’. Or you could have this as your back up to your pre-existing communications system.

Another angle is to create a Garmin Rhino style mobile app. Something that turns your smart phone into a basic Garmin Rhino, complete with blue force tracker style capability and two way radio functionality.

On the downside would be battery life. So along with the mobile app, you would probably have to get hardened cases with extra battery juice installed, to further extend the radio’s life and durability through a shift. Although I think the market has plenty of sources for this type of thing. I would think a power source that would give your phone enough juice to last a 12 hour shift would be acceptable. Rechargeable would be necessary as well. Pretty neat and I hope someone out there is able to take this idea and run with it. Maybe do a kickstarter for it? –Matt

 

 

Smartphone? Presto! 2-Way Radio
By DAVID POGUE
September 5, 2012
Cave drawings, smoke signals, letters, Pony Express, telegrams, phone calls, text messages. From the dawn of civilization, man has experimented with different modes of communication, each with pros and cons. Smoke signals, for example, contribute to far fewer car accidents than text messages. Text messages, on the other hand, leave much less soot.
You might think that we’ve exhausted every variation on electronic communication — text, audio, video — but you’d be wrong. A new one is quietly winning over millions of gadget fans. They’re free apps with names like Voxer, HeyTell and Zello, and they really do mess with the rules of the game.
Nobody’s settled on a good name for this communications category. But if we call them voice-texting apps, or walkie-talkie apps, you’ll get the idea.
They work on iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, Android phones and Windows phones. You open the app, tap someone’s name, hold down the big Talk button and speak. A second after you start talking — yes, even before you’re finished — your voice bursts to life, extremely clearly, on your friend’s phone, wherever it may be in the world.
Your buddy can respond to you by pressing his own Talk button, and the conversation is under way.
Now, before you roll your eyes — “These youngsters today! Why do they need so many different ways to talk!?” — consider all the ways these apps improve on existing modes of chat.

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Monday, August 20, 2012

Mobile Apps: Theodolite–Turning Your Smart Phone Into A Precision Survey Instrument

Filed under: Mobile Apps,Technology — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 10:49 AM

Now this is cool and a big hat tip to Soldier Systems for putting this one out there. This mobile app basically converts your smart phone into an actual theodolite or surveying instrument.  Why is this cool? Because this device not only has application for cheap and quick surveying of land, but can also help in military operations where surveying, targeting, and reconnaissance is vital.

The other thing I was thinking about here is something like this could quickly help land owners settle disputes over boundaries. So instead of hiring a survey group to do this, two parties can just pull out their smart phones and confirm together where the boundary is between their properties. In the west where folks have all sorts of surveying assets to call upon, this is not too big of a problem. Although I could still see folks using such a thing to confirm or use as a preliminary survey tool.

But in poor countries with minimal resources, having an ability to determine borders and boundaries cheaply can mean the difference between life and death.  Many wars and conflict start because of boundary disputes between two parties. Especially in places with very weak legal systems, or non-existent legal systems.

The other thing I was thinking about here is the ability to take an app like this and download it into a ‘smart scope’. Or basically take an optic like an EOTech and design it so that it can put this data in the view if you want it–and all with the press of a button. Or you could cycle through your reticles for whatever application (like grenade launcher, machine gun, etc.). Anything that helps the soldier with targeting and making the optic useful.

I also like the idea of using this tool to help in setting up a remote site or combat outpost/FOB. From lining out the Hesco barriers, to setting up defensive positions and fire plan sketches–having a survey tool like the Theodolite mobile app is incredibly useful. –Matt

 

Theodolite is a multi-function augmented reality app that combines a compass, GPS, map, photo/movie camera, rangefinder, and two-axis inclinometer. Theodolite overlays real time information about position, altitude, bearing, range, and inclination on the iPhone’s live camera image, like an electronic viewfinder.??Uses are endless, and Theodolite is great for outdoor sports, hiking, boating, hunting, golf, sightseeing, photography, and navigation. The app is used in the field every day by surveyors, geologists, architects, engineers, military personnel, competitive sportsmen, and search and rescue workers.??Theodolite set a new standard for augmented reality navigation apps when it debuted in 2009. It has been featured numerous times in iTunes (including honors as a “Rewind 2010” app), and has been the #1 selling Navigation app in iTunes stores around the world.

Theodolite works on any iPhone or 4th generation iPod Touch with OS 4.1 or later.?Compass requires iPhone 3GS, 4, or 4S. iPhone 4 or 4S, or iPod Touch 4 required for gyro and Retina Display support.
Features
Ability to take geo-stamped and geo-tagged photos, screenshots, and movies from the app, with 2X and 4X zoom, buffered background image saves, plus an option to write custom notes on photos and movies. Integrated map with standard, satellite, and hybrid views, compass rose, and bearings. Manage location markers on the map and share with other users via SMS text messaging or e-mail. Optical-mechanical gyro/accelerometer calibration. Zero angle reference mode. A-B survey calculator for height, distance, heading, triangulation, position, and angles. Data logging. E-mail data export with KML. System-wide clipboard integration. Percent grade display. Six different optical rangefinders. Mils. Night vision lens filters. MGRS, UTM, and six lat/lon formats.For use on an iPad, check out Theodolite HD.

What’s New in Version 3.0
NEW! Movie recording, with optional screen/watermark overlays and multiple video quality settings. Three large-format stadiametric rangefinders (sniper/artillery/hunter style, showing distance multipliers, yards, or meters). Revised position formats with new decimal minutes option. Larger font sizing for photo data stamp watermark, with three color options. Onscreen indicator for magnetic declination errors. Bug fix to e-mail export URLs. Numerous performance improvements and tweaks.
Website here.
Purchase at iTunes here.

 

 

Friday, November 25, 2011

Mobile Apps: Palantir Mobile For Military And Law Enforcement

Filed under: Mobile Apps — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 3:36 PM

After checking out some of the videos on Palantir’s youtube channel, I came across these videos that talked about putting Palantir on mobile. I like that, and that puts a lot of capability in the hands of the guys out in the field. And notice the military and law enforcement applications? Very cool…..but what about a contractor application? lol

But on a serious note, tools like this could be very helpful to private industry as they operate in the various war zones of the world. There is so much open source data that could be tapped into in order to assist in the planning for operations. In order to take full advantage of that sea of data, you need tools like Palantir that can quickly process it for you and present it into a logical format that is easy to understand and interpret. It could save lives and help accomplish the mission.

Either way, check it out and let me know what you think? Everyone has smart phones now, and to not take advantage and fully leverage that capability is really missing the boat. If your company is interested in using this app, you will have to contact Palantir directly about it. –Matt

 

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