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Technology is important to our country's future
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
The wrangling over the recent Internet outage between Cable and Wireless and TeleCayman serves to illustrate how vitally important efficient state of the art technology is to this country's economy.
Whatever lessons are learned by the companies involved, the most important one has to be that this country is dependent on being able to stay in touch with the rest of the world twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
The offshore sector can only function here because of sophisticated, advanced trouble-free communications technology. And when that technology fails for whatever reason, then the sectors in turn that depend on interrupted communications driving Cayman's economy is at risk of losing millions of dollars.
It also brings into focus the many issues surrounding the whole issue of technology here.
It is clear that in the future we will need more options, more backup and more diversity when it comes to technology and indeed an educated technologically savvy workforce to manage it.
As the education system here undergoes changes, now is the time to start implementing Information Technology as part of the schools curriculum from the very early school grades.
In order to ensure that every child in this country leaves school not just literate with computers but with an intricate understanding of communications technology we need to ensure every child has access to the latest computer technology.
The first step in that direction is to eliminate the customs import duty currently imposed on computers, such that has been done in may countries in the Caribbean, to encourage parents to buy children this essential learning tool for the modern world.
The next step is to ensure that Cayman not only catches up with the rest of the world when it comes to technology but becomes a centre of excellence for computer knowledge.
It has been reported that the next principal of University College of the Cayman Islands, (UCCI) is going to be a computer expert. If this is the case, it would be interesting to observe if the university will pursue ways of developing sophisticated computer science and Information Technology degrees as well as post-graduate courses in the various new associated technological engineering curricula essential to the goal of self-sufficiency in this area.
It should also be remembered that it was former Cabinet Member of the Government, Linford Pierson who worked incessantly to bring about liberalization of this country's Information communications - including the pioneering services of Brac Informatics Centre which is now a very essential service provider for the Government and several of the country's top offshore management and financial firms.
Furthermore, without Cable and Wireless' decades on investment here in infrastructure, Cayman Net News could not have provided the world with news of the state of our country back in September of 2004 to the over 500,000 who visited our website, following the landfall wrath of Hurricane Ivan.
We need to know that in the future there will be people here who can anticipate the needs of the offshore financial sector and know how to get it and supply it.
We cannot afford to have technology that has holes or weaknesses. The break in Internet service last week was damaging and although the MAYA 1 cable has proved to be reliable, it is essential that further and more sophisticated technologies are constantly utilized to ensure that the Cayman Islands stays live and in touch with the rest of the world at all times.
The future belongs to telecommunications and we need to ensure that we don't ever get left behind.
The importance of wireless technology will increase over the coming years and we need to ensure that this country keeps apace.
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