by Linda Straker with information from Gerard Best
- More of Grenadian workforce working from home
- Caribbean Internet webinar series address challenges that come with more online activities
- Series will look at impact of Covid-19 pandemic on Caribbean internet infrastructure
With more of the Grenadian workforce and other workers around the region and the world resorting to working from home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2 non-profit organisations have gotten together to help the Caribbean address the challenges that come with more online activities.
The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) and the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CNOG) have launched a series of webinars offering practical solutions, guidelines and best practices for using technology to minimise pandemic-related disruptions.
The weekly series, called “Covid-19 and the Caribbean Internet,” explores the evolving impact of the pandemic on Caribbean life, and provides IT managers, network administrators and IT support teams with practical tools and guidance for securing, optimising and scaling network infrastructure.
The Caribbean Internet webinar series is in collaboration with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC), the Internet Society, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
“Over the past few weeks, the global response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 has disrupted economies and societies in an unprecedented manner. Border closures, school and business shutdowns, and shelter-in-place orders have put new focus on information and communications technology generally and ICT infrastructure specifically,” said Bevil Wooding, executive director of CaribNOG and Caribbean outreach liaison at ARIN. “Organisations large and small are being forced to rapidly implement technological solutions to address the need for business continuity. Many technology workers on the frontlines of these efforts are being asked to make quick decisions and build out solutions with limited resources, or worse, with limited knowledge of requirements or risks.”
Wooding moderated the one-hour series opener on 9 April, titled “Managing Virtual Offices and Remote Workers: Business Continuity Consideration for Tech Workers.” The other featured speakers were Stephen Lee, programme coordinator of CaribNOG and chief executive of Arkitechs Inc., and Brent McIntosh, coordinator of the Grenada Internet Exchange Point.
Over the next few weeks, each session in the series will take a deeper look impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Caribbean internet infrastructure, network security, and electronic service delivery, telecommunications regulation, public policy and public safety. The group also plans to develop resources for the public service and other targets sectors including education and public safety.
The next event is scheduled for 17 April. Registration and meeting details are available on the CaribNOG website, www.caribnog.org.
