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My Takeaways from TTIGF 2021

Trinidad and Tobago Internet Governance Forum is a yearly event that brings together persons interested in discussing topics related to our use of the internet. Every year since 2018 I religiously tune in and make notes so that I can share on my blog. These are my takeaways from the different panel discussions. These are paraphrased in my words.

DIGITALIZATION – The Multistakeholder Approach

  • The pandemic is forcing us to advance the digital agenda locally
  • Digital transformation is a group effort, we all have our part to play
  • When going digital, a shared vision is important
  • Good communications is pivotal to team work and multistakeholder approach
  • Time to spend the money and just do it but how to decide what to spend on
  • Our education system is not working for us
  • Transformation is more than automation and putting things online, process reengineering is needed
Cybersecurity in the New Norm
  • Online is here to stay and we cannot decide to stay away as a way of dealing with online threats
  • Outdated devices and software and misconfiguration are seen plenty with online attacks
  • Make sure disaster recovery planning includes cyber threats
  • Phishing, malware and botnets are some of the main threats
  • Education is key to treating with cyber security
  • Collaboration is another key to treating with cyber security
TECH & EDUCATION – Revolutionising Education for a Digital World
  • Critical thinking and innovation needed in a digital world
  • What are the vision and goals for our education system
  • Bottom up roots up change is needed and not just the application of technology
  • Collaboration and team work needed more than individual work and competition in education and learning
  • We need technology education that teaches concepts more than specifics to deal with quickly changing technology
  • Creativity and agility are keys to success
DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • Collaboration and creating an enabling environment are keys to digital entrepreneurship uptake
  • We need to overhaul the banking systems to facilitate ecommerce
  • We need more persons to speak about their experiences and see what is possible
  • We need to be thinking outside the box
  • The call for remote workers to come and live in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean is a great idea and creates meeting ground and ecosystem
  • Think about the problems we can solve and at scale

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