Inaugural CyberSmart Conference Slated for February 11-12

The Ministry of National Security’s inaugural CyberSmart Conference will be held from February 11 to 12 at the AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston.

The conference, to be held under the theme ‘Stay Safe in Cyber’, is being staged for members of the business community as well as public-sector entities.

Senior Director of the Cyber Intelligence Policy and Incident Response Branch, Trezawnah Gordon, told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Thursday (January 30) that the Ministry regards the conference as an important component in its cybersecurity regime.

“A lot of the different sectors or entities that treat with cyber operate in silos. This is one of the main challenges that we’re seeking to remedy by having this conference. It will take a multi-stakeholder approach to cyber discussions. We’re having members from the private and public sectors, from academia, and even NGOs (non-governmental organisations),” Ms. Gordon said.

This groundbreaking event will bring together key stakeholders to discuss the most pressing issues relating to cybersecurity and cybercrime.

It will feature expert speakers from the local public and private sectors, as well as international and regional presenters.

“We have speakers from the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Office of the Prime Minister (OPM)… [whose representative] will speak on the draft Cyber Security Act, and Ministry of National Security. From the region, CARICOM IMPACS and the Organization of American States (OAS) [representatives will be] offering insights into cybersecurity challenges across the Caribbean and the Americas,” Ms. Gordon said.

Leaders in global technology firms, such as Google Cloud, CrowdStrike, Darktrace and Alto Intelligence (Spain), among others, will also be making presentations.

From academia, representatives of the University of Technology (UTech), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Florida International University (FIU) will focus on capacity building and bridging the cybersecurity skills gap.

Ms. Gordon said the Ministry is targeting 300 people to attend the conference.

She pointed out, however, that based on their preliminary registration information, they will exceed the target.

For her part, Cyber Security and Intelligence Policy Analyst from the Ministry, Jonelle Ramlal, shared details of the conference registration process.

“There is a registration link. You can register at mnscybersmartexpo.com. The conference will start at 8:00 a.m. each day,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Gordon anticipates that, “at the end of these two days, we hope to see a more connected and coordinated cyber ecosystem, ready to tackle current and future challenges”.