Ict Pulse Podcast

In February 2021, Trinidad and Tobago film and television distributor, FILMCO, announced the launch of a new Caribbean streaming platform, FILMCO2Go, which is streaming Caribbean films and TV shows to the world! We speak with FILMCO2Go Co-Founder, Mariel Brown, about: FILMCO2Go; The Caribbean TV and film industry; and What it is like to run a creative tech business in Trinidad and Tobago.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Gerard Best and Amit Uttamchandani, the panel discusses disinformation, misinformation and fake news, including: whether social media or the content delivery platforms are the blame; the importance of scepticism; and why regulation is not enough.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Project Management, Information Management Professional, and long-time contributor to ICT Pulse, Liselle Ramcharan-Briscoe, continues the data adventures she started with us in 2018. by sharing with us: what new data adventures she has been experiencing; key software engineering, information management and/or even project management trends that she has been observing over the last few years, plus the impact of COVID-19 on those areas; and what are some of the biggest challenges businesses are experiencing these days, especially with regard to information management.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In our April instalment of our series exploring technology-based social enterprises, we are highlighting Link Your Purpose, a career development platform and social enterprise, based in Jamaica. In speaking with the CEO of Link Your Purpose, Lanisia Rhoden, we discuss: how Link Your Purpose is leveraging technology; how it balances sustainability versus profitability; and its scope for growth in the Caribbean and internationally.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Although we have all played video games, video games developed by Caribbean developers appear to have little or no visibility. Moreover, there is no video game development industry in region to speak of, and the underpinning ecosystem remains underdeveloped. Jamaican video games developers, Glen Henry and Graham Reid, discuss the current situation, including: The economic benefits for Caribbean countries; The region’s strengths and weaknesses; The business of video gaming development; and What individuals who want to get into game development ought to do.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Melissa Farara and Oshane Bailey, the panel discusses: What will it take for the Caribbean to become the next Silicon Valley? And what should be the starting point for regulators/competition authorities in this digital age? Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this episode, and with digital economy strategist, Tracy Hackshaw, we get an update on the Internet Governance issues that being discussed internationally, many of which are likely affect how we perceive and use the Internet in the future. We also discuss the state of the Caribbean digital economy, and what should be the priorities of the region going forward.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Locally-owned social enterprises are not common in the Caribbean; and ICT-based ones are even rarer. Tech entrepreneur Eldon Marks of the social enterprise, Nexus Hub, which is based in Guyana, gives us an update on the business since our last conversation in 2019, and why tech entrepreneurs ought to be more social impact-focussed.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In the first instalment in our Expert insights series on cyber threats and security for 2021, and with Sean Slattery of Caribbean Solutions Lab, he discusses, among other things: the changes in the threat landscape that occurred in 2020; key vulnerabilities due to remote working and working from home; the impact of the pandemic on the role of IT/cybersecurity personnel; and three things organisations should be doing in 2021 to improve their network/IT security.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this our February 2021 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Gisselle Ramsaran and Vincentius (Vincent) Kenswil, the panel discusses: how can we transform to a CARICOM-wide educational system using the ICT Technology? And, how to manage business operations whilst adopting technology?   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Banj, a co-working space and Google powered accelerator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is the second tech-based business we are focussing on in our series on technology-based social enterprises. We chat with company Founder, Marc Alain Boucicault, about: what drove him to set up Banj;   the social impact Banj is having in Haiti; the big dreams he has for Banj and for Haiti; and the advice you would give tech start-ups that also want to be social impact-focussed.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

If there is every a time we, in the Caribbean region, need the CARICOM Single ICT Space, it is now, as the world continues to navigate its way through COVID-19. In this episode, we are re-joined by Jennifer Britton, of the CARICOM Secretariat, to give us the scoop on the latest achievements and developments, as well as to (hopefully) give us some indication of how close we might be to (finally!!) realising the Single ICT Space.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

With lockdowns and curfews the norm since 2020 due to COVID-19, business and economies worldwide have suffered. In this episode we check back in with one of the tech businesses we featured in 2018: Caribbean Transit Solutions, a location and logistics-based services, headquartered in Barbados. Co-Founder, Khalil Bryan, gives us an update on the state of the company and on his entrepreneurial journey to date.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

On this the latest episode of our ‘Know Your Neighbours’ series, we explore the telecoms and ICT space of the resource-rich and culturally diverse twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with Simon Fraser of the Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society. Below are some of the issues discussed with Simon during our conversation: How developed are telecoms and ICT in Trinidad and Tobago; How accessible are telecoms and ICT services across the country; Whether services are affordable, and how the rates payable in Trinidad and Tobago compare with those in the Caribbean region and in North America; To what degree are the public and private sectors in Trinidad and Tobago leveraging ICT.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

We are launching a new theme for 2021: social impact-focussed tech businesses. In this our first episode of the series, we are highlighting Farm Credibly, a digital co-operative for farms in Jamaica. We speak with its Co-Founder and CEO, Varun Baker to find out, among other things: What does it mean to be a digital co-op for farms? How Farm Credibly manages the risks typically associated with lending to the farmers? What are some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) or markers of success that are important to Farm Credibly? How easy might it be to expand Farm Credibly to other countries?   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this our January 2021 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Bianca Welds and Lendon Telesford, the panel discusses digital transformation. In light of the accelerated efforts to leverage technology that occurred in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now that we are in 2021: where do we see the future of digital transformation for Caribbean organisations and businesses this year; and  have all of the movements that supposedly have been made towards digital transformation, have they truly been fostering transformation? Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this our final Community Chat and final episode for 2020, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Telojo (Telly) Valerie Onu and Carlton Samuels, the panel discussed the ICT/technology trends and developments that were evident across the Caribbean region in 2020, and what might be in store for 2021. Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Globally, considerable growth is being projected for the business process outsourcing (BPO) segment of the wider outsourcing market – by as much as 8% year-on-year. Kirk Laughlin of Nearshore Americas discusses, among other things: how the Caribbean outsourcing industry fared in 2020; the segments the region ought to focus on in trying to move up the value chain; and key trends that are emerging and are likely to shape the industry for years to come.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

Although the term, ‘the future of work’, suggests something that is to come, what is happening in today’s workplace is shaping that future. In this our final exploration of the topic, the future of work, for 2020, Dr Maurice McNaughton, of the University of the West Indies, shares his thoughts on among other things, how tertiary-level institutions can better prepare students for the future of work; how Caribbean countries can prevent the skills gap from widening; the changing focus on work-life balance and quality of life; and what should be the priorities of developing states as it relates to the future of work.   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!

In this our November 2020 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Tunde Mottley and Matthew Cowen, the panel discusses whether our size, complexity, lack of investment and poor data preclude the Caribbean region from truly innovative disruption in business, and are Caribbean countries confusing ‘smart' with ‘digital’?   Show notes and links to some of the things mentioned during the episode can be found at www.ict-pulse.com/category/podcast/ Do subscribe and leave us a review!