Protecting Caribbean organisations against cyberattacks

Leading cybersecurity firm, Cloud Carib, will launch the latest in its series of educational webinars designed to help organisations in the Caribbean fill the data protection gaps needed to bridge legislative realities with the ever-evolving data landscape.

The virtual event slated for May 18, 2022, comes in response to widely published media reports that have thrust the issue of regional data breaches into the spotlight – the most recent of which included Trinidad conglomerate the Massy Group and regional logistics firm Aeropost.

In the past decade, the Caribbean has emerged as a hub for sophisticated cybercrime and ransomware attacks, with the number of reported cases increasing by a staggering 550 per cent, according to a 2021 report by Mandiant Advantage.

“In response to the number of Caribbean cyberattacks and breaches, governments across the region have stepped up their efforts to ensure the enforcement of data protection legislation,” explained Eamonn Sheehy, Cloud Carib’s Director of Public Sector.

“Before 2010, only four Caribbean and Latin American territories had implemented comprehensive data protection laws but over the past decade or so, that figure has grown
to 15 with countries all crafting their own versions of these bills,” he noted.

Sheehy is one of two panelists tabbed for the webinar which will target organisations in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and The Bahamas, and will focus on issues related to compliance, data processing and international best practices.

Joining him is Rishi Maharaj, a Trinida-based Data Protection Advisor with Privacy Advisory Services and former co-project lead on the final drafting, passage and partial proclamation of the 2011 Data Protection Act of Trinidad and Tobago.

Helping guide participants through the virtual experience is Jamaican finance journalist and author Kalilah Reynolds, host of the TV show “Taking Stock’, who will help navigate the realities of Caribbean Data Protection acts in key jurisdictions and give insights into what is being enforced.

Also collaborating with the Nassau-based technology firm is The Bahamas Data Protection Commission.

“With the ongoing digitisation of government services, it is believed that data protection would become a more topical piece among those utilising the services,” noted Bahamas Data Protection Commissioner Michael Wright.

“As there are ongoing training, development and education offerings, it is hoped that more of the data subjects, whose personal information we aim to protect, would be more at ease knowing that their knowledge of their civil liberties is being guarded by a regulator,” he said.

The upcoming session on data protection legislation is just the latest in a string of educational events planned by Cloud Carib this year. With previous events raising awareness on business issues like Ransomware, Cybersecurity and Human Error, Compliance and Data Sovereignty.

“Our mandate is to not only protect but educate” noted Cloud Carib CEO Scott MacKenzie.

“These events are meant to engage industry stakeholders in a way that provides real tangible solutions to the inherent risks that come with technological advancement.”

Those interested may register for the company’s upcoming webinar by visiting Cloud Carib on LinkedIn or Facebook @cloudcarib. (PR)