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10 August 2020 / Stewart Kelly
Categories: Features , Profession , Covid-19 , Technology
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Ground control: global investigations & intelligence

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Stewart Kelly of Ground Truth Intelligence outlines the benefits of a transparent corporate intelligence service

In brief

  • The intelligence and investigations sector has barely changed in 50 years—and clients are yearning for change.
  • Client frustration towards the traditional model.
  • The three main problems with the existing model are: cost, quality and risk.

The intelligence and investigations sector has changed little since Jules Kroll invented it almost 50 years ago. The basic structure relies on opacity: unclear information provenance, vague reporting, high fees.

Users of corporate intelligence services, such as law firms and in-house legal counsel, usually struggle to tell the difference between the dozens of service providers who pitch for business. Ground Truth Intelligence was formed to offer clients a genuine alternative to the status quo model.

For clients who just want a report—a stamp of approval to get through a compliance process —the status quo model works well. But for those who want to use the information, and for whom the substance really matters, it can be intensely frustrating. It is also frustrating for people in the

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