MBR SEPTEMBER ALL LR

Malta Business Review
DRONES
eCOMMERCE
Malta Business Review
Launch of the FastTrak initiative
and the revised eCommerce Strategy
Martin Lanni, CEO of Quantum Aviation,
on why drones are a risky business
Drones are becoming
an ever more common
part of modern
life but should you
be wary of them?
Martin Lanni, CEO of
Quantum Aviation Ltd,
a British company
providing airspace
security and maritime
aviation services and
consultancy which has
worked on the London
2012 Olympic Games
and numerous counterterrorism
projects, sets
out everything you
need to know...
The anti-drone market is taking off at quite
some rate. It’s not an exaggeration to state
that if you care about your security in any
way, there’s a very good chance that you’ve
considered or will soon consider adding the
threat of drones into your risk assessments.
If you're responsible for a superyacht or
luxury property then you should be aware
that drones are taking your picture, checking
where you park your cars and noting when
you leave the house. The very nature of these
fabulous boats and houses draws attention
- desirable or otherwise - which is precisely
what owners usually want to avoid.
What’s your appetite for risk? Are you averse
or tolerant? How does your assessment
process consider the likelihood and severity
of a drone threat? The objective target for
incidents should be zero, of course, but
in reality creating a situation where the
risk is ‘tolerable and as low as reasonably
practicable’ is a working solution. Many
organisations claim to be risk averse, but it’s
likely that while there may be a line on a risk
assessment, little practical mitigations are
actually in place for a number of threats. This
is not a criticism, merely an observation of
the budget-driven reality of security. Resource
prioritisation is the perpetual burden of any
manager and security is no different.
From a practical perspective, what means
are available to protect you against drones?
Regulation plays a big part. This both
manages the benign drone operator, be they
hobbyist or commercial, and helps restrict the
availability of unregistered drones. Regulation
helps prevent a benignly intended but
incompetent operator accidentally infringing
your privacy. However, the malignly driven
person is unlikely to be dissuaded by rules.
Burglars know that breaking into a house is
against the law but still they burgle. Drones
are a paparazzi’s dream. Much easier than
lurking in the undergrowth with a massive
telephoto lens.
Thankfully there are options beyond mere
regulation. We see a lot of ‘solutionising’ in
this industry. Buy some equipment and then
work out what to do with it. This is letting
the tail wag the dog. At Quantum we prefer a
requirements driven approach. What actually
is your problem? You may not know exactly
so do a risk assessment and get professional
help.
Of course, this comes with its own dangers so
remember the cliché ‘if you think professionals
are expensive, you should see what an
amateur costs’. Do your own due diligence
on anyone purporting to be an ‘expert’. Are
they really experienced in the field? Can they
prove it? The anti-drone industry, like any
other, is full of snake oil salesmen. Before
you commit to a product, check if it’s really
in production and out there getting used,
there’s a proliferation of beta systems – you
don’t want to be surprised the system works!
Quantum use a blend of sensors to protect
a project – every situation is different and
demands a bespoke approach. Call us. We’ll
be happy to help. MBR
Visit quantumaviation.co.uk
Creditline: Boat International
Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri
launched the FastTrak initiative and the
publication of a revised eCommerce Strategy.
Silvio Schembri explained that the aim of
both initiatives is to raise awareness on the
use of social media by businesses - not only to
facilitate administrative practices but also to
ensure an efficient channel of communication
with the consumer, keeping in mind that 70%
of the population use the internet to seek
information before purchasing a product.
“Social media facilitates closer proximity
between buyer and seller”, explained
Parliamentary Secretary Schembri, while
pointing out that a number of microbusiness
owners are now interacting with
their clients via Facebook. Yet, there still
remains room for improvement in order to
enhance competitiveness between and for
the businesses - the greater contributors to
Malta’s economic growth.
“In this context, we are launching these
free training sessions to help businesses,
particularly the self-employed, to boost their
economic activity”, added Silvio Schembri.
The Malta Communications Authority,
with the support of the Malta Employers’
Association (MEA), and the Malta Chamber of
SMEs (GRTU), will offer free training sessions
on Digital Marketing with a special focus on
online presence and social media. FastTrak will
offer retailers the opportunity to learn how to
enhance communication with customers and
how to adopt an appropriate strategy for their
business while knocking down the barriers
that stop retailers from using social media in
their business activity.
This complements other initiatives that
MCA took since the launch of the National
eCommerce Strategy in 2014 which was
updated after a public consultation. The
revised eCommerce Strategy emphasizes the
need that businesses should now embrace
the digital shift that is transforming the retail
industry.
Businesses interested in attending these
training sessions are invited to visit MCA’s
website, www.mca.org.mt and complete the
FastTrak application form. MBR
Source: The Parliamentary Secretariat For Financial
Services, Digital Economy And Innovation
40 41
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