14th April 2019

CaribNOG internet conference commences this week in Barbados

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By Caribbean News Now

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Technical experts from the global internet community and other stakeholders from across the Caribbean and North America are convening in Bridgetown, Barbados, for the 17th regional meeting of the Caribbean Network Operators Group, called CaribNOG 17.

The meeting will focus on a range of cybersecurity and network resiliency issues that are central to the development of a more open, resilient and secure internet. The conference targets network administrators, information technology managers, computer engineers and security professionals from across the region.

The keynote at this month’s meeting, delivered by Edward McNair, executive director of the North American Network Operators Group (NANOG), will focus on the crucial role that network operator groups play in supporting the human network needed to facilitate physical network development. McNair is also the co-founder of Kaskadian, an agency that provides branding, marketing and sales support for start-ups and new businesses.

Program director of CaribNOG, Stephen Lee said, “Network operator groups serve the critical function of enabling the human connections that undergird the development of computer networks. In 2019, CaribNOG is focused on deepening those human connections, both within the region and beyond.”

Other presenters and panellists include several international experts who are expected to address a range of issues including security, cloud services, internet exchange point implementation, and the deployment of next-generation Internet Protocol, called IPv6. Among the presenters are Brent McIntosh (Columbus Communications), Owen DeLong, Jon Worley (ARIN), Matthew Wilder (Telus), Steve Feldman (NANOG), Edward Winstead (ISC) and David Huberman (ICANN).

CaribNOG 17 immediately follows the next public policy and members meeting of the American Registry of Internet Numbers, called ARIN 43, which takes place at the same venue from April 7 to 10, 2019.

A longtime supporter of CaribNOG, ARIN provided a fellowship program to support persons interested in participating in the ARIN 43 and CaribNOG 17 meetings. The ARIN fellowship program offered the opportunity to attend the meetings at no charge, as well as hotel accommodation, round-trip economy class airfare and a stipend.

“ARIN has a long track record of supporting internet development initiatives in the Caribbean outreach program,” said Bevil Wooding, CaribNOG co-founder and Caribbean Outreach Liaison at ARIN.

The Barbados chapter of the Internet Society is providing local coordination services for the high-profile meeting. It is also supported by the Internet Society, as well as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry, Arkitechs, Packet Clearing House and RL Mark.

CaribNOG is a volunteer-based community, primarily drawn from the professionals who design, build, use, maintain and safeguard the region’s computer networks. Like many other network operator groups around the world, CaribNOG is dedicated to advancing members’ technical capacity and developing stronger networks in the region.

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