Article published in Intelligence Online 634.

A GPS tracker the size of a portable telephone permits Crisis Consulting to keep a constant track of expatriate workers’ whereabouts.

The principle - Weighing just 170g and a measuring a 10cm by 5cm, the new tracker from French security company Crisis Consulting has been developed to allow employees working in isolated and unstable zones to send a message instantly to their headquarters if they are in danger. Contrary to similar products already on the market (see opposite), Crisis’ tracker allows two-way communication, which helps to avoid false alerts. It also enables GPS localization. The device works with the Iridium satellite telephone network, the only service which offers worldwide coverage. It also works at sea and on board aircraft.

Crisis, headed by Stephan Malvoisin, developed the device which is equipped with a secure emergency button, but the tracker was built out by a U.S. partner whose identity Crisis refuses to divulge. To avoid inciting would-be kidnappers, the firm is also discreet about whom its clients are.

Remote tracker - Other than the device, Crisis, which developed its first tracker system six years ago for Lehman Brothers, also markets to its clients a 24/7 tracking service. Communications between the tracker and Crisis’ servers are encrypted. As soon as the service receives an alert, the group notifies the client’s security service via e-mail, giving them the GPS location of the employee who sent the alert. In certain cases, Crisis also takes care of notifying the local authorities and the diplomatic services.