Bringing Drones to the Commercial World

Toy to tool has been a battle that drone professionals have been waging as they look to break into new markets.

Originally a fun gadget for weekend pilots, the tide has turned and drones are becoming a useful part of businesses across industry.

Randall Warnas, Global sUAS Segment Leader at FLIR Commercial Systems saw this shift happen in real time as early drone retailer in Las Vegas. Seeing firsthand how businesspeople were using drones to advance their companies’ offerings, Warnas built a customer base for the companies he has worked for.

“It was really going to a lot of industry specific shows, looking at a lot of industry specific show exhibitors who are investing in that space,” Warnas said, “I can look at a website and tell you whether drones are appropriate or not for a company.”

Education to consumers remains critical for Warnas and FLIR, and in an industry as fast-moving and innovative as drones, it only gets harder. In fact, Warnas says that with so much innovation occurring it can actually hinder some companies from pushing new products.

“People and organizations are so afraid to put something out that will become irrelevant in a short amount of time,” Warnas said.