BY GERARD BEST
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — A new initiative in Caribbean will focus on making the region’s computer networks better able to defend against natural disasters and cyberattacks.
The thrust is spearheaded by the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), a nonprofit corporation that manages the distribution of Internet number resources in Canada, the United States and several countries in the Caribbean. It is supported by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) and the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG).
“We want to ensure that we meet our community where they are,” said Bevil Wooding, Caribbean Outreach Liaison at ARIN. “By partnering with the CTU and CaribNOG, ARIN hopes to provide persons its service region with the opportunity to join a growing group of individuals and organisations committed to deepening technical capacity and strengthening the Internet across the region.”
Among the factors that prompted ARIN to enhance its support for the development of stronger networks in the Caribbean, are the growing number of reports of cyber-attacks and the increasing threat of climate-related weather events on communications and connectivity.
“As a Regional Internet Registry, ARIN plays an important role in helping the Caribbean’s efforts to develop a resilient networking environment. We have developed a series of training events to help network operators, governments, regulators and policy makers better understand how ARIN’s services can support improving network resilience,” Wooding added.
With its new “ARIN in the Caribbean” initiative, the Registry is set to place a special emphasis on outreach activities for countries in its Caribbean service area over the coming year and beyond.
Launched in February 2018, the series will be an important addition to the region’s technical capacity-building calendar. Training events have already been held in Grenada on February 6 and in Barbados on February 8, with additional workshops scheduled for Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica in the coming months.
Workshops will include sessions on how to access ARIN’s technical services and number resources. A range of other topics are also covered, including best practices for Internet policy and cybersecurity support.
