Primary Kit - Connect & Record

1. Connect

There's an old saying as far as military operations goes...

"No Comms…No Combat"

The ability to communicate is of vital importance, and undoubtedly the number one means in use today is the smartphone, in whatever guise it may be, for the individual professional at least.

In my terminology, some form of smartphone constitutes the 'primary device' whereas a 'secondary device' would be a laptop/notebook/tablet - more about that in future posts.

I'm not going to explore brands, or anything especially technical - much of this is personal preference - but just look at functionality...so long as the right boxes get ticked, it matters not who makes what.

First off...voice calls - enough said - the primary device should work on as many bands as possible and have all the necessary international calling features enabled...as I will reiterate throughout, you may not be expecting to leave the country, but your client might have other ideas...and to presume he or she will keep you constantly updated with their intentions, that often take even them by surprise, is unrealistic.

The ability to access the Internet whilst mobile is of immeasurable use - if anyone doubts this, just time-machine yourself back to when it wasn't possible...and all the stuff you take for granted now, took real work back then, with a great deal of current capability just not even possible at all. Same as for phone calls...international access must be enabled.

Text communications are arguably used more than voice calls these days, so there should be this capability obviously - but not limited to a sole means...eggs in one basket comes to mind...and neither should they be obscure hardly-subscribed platforms either. Some applications purport to offer a secure communication means – though anyone who knows what government-level entities are actually capable of will dispute such claims…ultimately good COMSEC revolves around what is said, not what devices are used as protection. Whatever text platform is used should be supported by good old SMS texting, that works without the need for a data connection. As an aside…texting, for tactical ‘right now’ comms? The epitome of an unprofessional operation. There’s a reason you shouldn’t text and drive…so if texting is the primary ‘on the ground’ comms-plan for a team task, well…you need to do better…

The processing power, and screen size, of modern smartphones does enable them to be used as a workstation of sorts with regards to producing reports, preparing briefings, processing documents and images, etc, and therefore all the relevant software/apps should be installed - obviously you're not going to be as productive as on a dedicated workstation, which is what your secondary device constitutes, but it is possible...even if it's drafting interim material during opportune breaks in the day, to be transferred to the secondary device later, for more concerted attention.

To this end, being able to create a 'Word' type document, that can be converted to a PDF for uncorrupted sharing is a base requirement, as is the ability to put together some form of basic 'PowerPoint' type presentation for briefing purposes - it's not rocket science by any stretch of the imagination...but beyond the abilities of some 'professionals' I encounter, who only maybe manage to install Spotify and Angry Birds...crucial for the effective execution of their high-level housesitting tasks...

I'll cover media use later - as part of '2. Record' but there should be some supporting software in place.

I mention above about an 'eggs in one basket' scenario, and it must be said that if your smartphone is 'your life' as I hear some saying, then you need to rectify this - at some point it will be lost, broken, malfunction, etc...and you will not be able to recover vital information from it without specialised assistance - so not only should there be a full electronic backup, updated on a regular basis, but there needs to be an old-fashioned, steam-powered, written-on-paper, record of essential contact details and suchlike 'somewhere' on your person...away from the phone you might lose.

Finally...connectivity. The means to access WiFi networks, and transfer data of whatever description easily to another device - Bluetooth, cable, memory card, flash drive, whatever...don't expect some small backwater print shop to have the same exotic state-of-the-art NFC gizmo as your prized device...look at hedging your bets and having as many options as possible...again, under 'Record' coming later, having some form On-the-Go 'OTG' data storage, such as a high capacity USB stick, is crazy-useful - not having it? Nowadays? No excuse.

It's worth adding, as a closer, that ultimately the onus will always be firmly placed upon functionality as the priority...but, in terms of being a professional entity possibly working for, and in the company of, other professionals - businessmen, high net-worth individuals, et al - appearance does factor as important.

So that comedy ring tone, the cover/case loudly advertising your beloved soccer team, and most importantly, being glued to your device for non-essential personal...stuff? Unprofessional...but commonplace.

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2. Record

Sticking with the technology angle, once again, the capabilities that now exist to take high-resolution still photographs, high-definition video and audio footage, and to be able to edit, integrate, and share such data? Incredible...again, time machine yourself back to when there was no digital imagery available...try that on for size - getting yourself all squared away to go on a 'routine' foot patrol, and then having to try and stash the issued Nikon SLR 'somewhere' that didn't draw too much attention...and then the entire ball-ache of developing and processing the film...nope...they were not the 'good' old days at all.

Having one device...the smartphone...that can handle all this, and more?

It's criminal to happen across people who don't know how to utilise the full potential of such a device, yet still think they are cutting edge in the world of specialist security because they've been on some exotic medic course learning how to perform procedures they'll never be permitted to do and administer drugs they'd be arrested for possessing...in situations they'll never be in...

Information is king...and professionalism revolves around preparation and organisation - being able to immediately and discreetly record still, video, and audio footage and then use such information straight away, or edit it to be even more useful, attach it directly to messages, embed it into reports, archive it into databases...all whilst sitting in a café, train, or car?

Priceless for those that are involved in being actually useful on the job...and who gravitate to better jobs, than those happy to be a token effort...or ornaments.

For specialised tasks, dedicated recording devices will obviously yield higher-definition/quality results, for example, no smartphone camera will ever match a full-specification DSLR for ‘proper’ surveillance work to handle challenging lighting conditions – they don’t have the sensor size nor the ISO range for starters – but for immediate access and convenience regarding getting an opportune shot…not to mention the almost-instant post-processing and disseminating capabilities…a high-end smartphone is a potent tool to say the least – if you know how to fully utilise it.

It's worth a mention that smartphones are so commonplace, they attract little attention compared to ?cameras, camcorders, voice recorders, and similar…they are in everybody’s hands walking down the street, and on every café table – that’s a lot of capability, hidden in plain sight.