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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

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