DroneStars B.V., a Dutch technology partner, develops and provides solutions that enable drones to be controlled remotely—safely, reliably, and in compliance with regulations. Its clients include government agencies, security organizations, and companies that use drones for inspections or events. For these organizations, secure data transmission is essential, as is compliance with European laws and regulations.
DroneStars wanted to eliminate manual work and fragmented cloud components. Their goal: to enable drone control via 4G without relying on software hosted in China. At the same time, the solution had to be scalable, manageable, and fully ISO 27001-compliant.
The challenge: limited range and dependence on non-European software
Traditional radio-frequency drone control has clear limitations. Especially when used inside vehicles or buildings, the range is limited and the connection is prone to interference. For applications where discretion and reliability are paramount—such as surveillance or crowd control—this is simply unworkable.
The introduction of 4G control by DJI offered new opportunities. But the standard solution, which relied on Chinese broker software, raised serious concerns among customers who handle sensitive data. For DroneStars, it was clear: they needed a European, secure, and scalable solution. And that called for a different approach.
The Approach: From Vision to Zero-Trust Architecture on Azure
Macaw designed and implemented DJI’s Private Enhanced Connectivity service within Microsoft Azure. The broker layer runs in a segmented network on Azure Virtual Machines, built entirely according to zero-trust principles. Defender for Servers, Defender for Container Apps, and built-in DDoS protection ensure continuous security.
Deployments now take place via DevOps pipelines, allowing the environment to be rolled out largely automatically. What previously took weeks to complete manually is now a controlled and repeatable process. Only a few tasks, such as requesting and entering licenses, are still performed manually. In total, 90% of the deployment process is automated, resulting in significant time savings and a reduction in errors.
As a Cloud Solution Provider, Macaw assumes full responsibility for the Azure environment, from setup and security to management, monitoring, and ongoing development. The infrastructure is hosted entirely within the EU and complies with Dutch standards and ISO 27001 guidelines. Container artifacts are managed via Azure Container Registry and can be easily customized or expanded for new customers.
The result: ISO-compliant drone control within Europe, ready for growth
DroneStars now has an automated, secure cloud environment that enables 4G control of DJI drones without relying on infrastructure outside Europe.
Key results:
- 90% automation: Manual work has been virtually eliminated, with only a few necessary administrative steps remaining.
- Time savings: future rollouts can be completed in one to two days, compared to two weeks previously.
- Error reduction: , DevOps automation minimizes human errors.
- Scalability: the solution is immediately deployable for all future customers with similar environments.
- Reliability and compliance: is fully ISO 27001-compliant and hosted within the European Union.
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