More than $10M in gifts and prizes from Flow

Free minutes to make international calls, Free cordless phones, Free movies,  prizes of Laptop computers, 46” TV’s and a $400,000 Caribbean vacation. These are only a few of the millions of dollars of value in great savings, free gifts, free upgrades, special offers and prizes that broadband service provider Flow is giving customers. These offers are available from now until the end of the year as part of the company’s Christmas promotion.

The broadband service provider’s main objective is to give some relief to consumers’ tight budgets by providing huge savings plus free gifts for signing up to any Flow service between October 23 and December 31. The promotion themed 'Get Happy Get Flow' is designed to deliver smiles to every new or existing customer, with more than $9m in free gifts and over $1m in prizes. Every customer who signs up for Flow services during the promotion gets an instant free gift, ranging from (21) Free movie channels with Cable TV service, Free Cordless Phones and Free International minutes for telephone service sign ups, or a Free wireless and speed upgrade for those who chose Flow’s Internet service.  

“Increasingly consumers need and demand value and continue to seek ways to enhance and enjoy their lives. We believe that our special offers provide exactly that and will make all our customers very happy  for this holiday season,” said Donovan White, vice president sales and marketing for Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow. “It is important to us that we always show appreciation to our customers, and our weekly prizes and free gifts are our way of saying thank you for choosing Flow.”

All new and existing customers have a chance to win weekly prizes of either a 46”Samsung LED TV with 1 month of free cable TV service or a 15.6” HP laptop with one month free internet service. At the end of the promotion, a lucky customer will win the Grand Prize of a Caribbean vacation to any one of the 8 Caribbean countries where Flow operates.

“Yes!” said White with pride and glee. “Flow is kicking off the Christmas celebrations early. Jamaicans love Christmas, and we are making it easier for consumers to use our broadband technology to enjoy the best and happiest Christmas.”

Flow & Burger King have teamed of for a national Christmas Gift Drive to help put smiles on the faces of children in state care during their annual Christmas Treat on December 4.  Jamaicans who want to get involved can leave a gift at any Flow store from now until December 2. 

Traditionally, Christmas has always been a time for giving and sharing.  With the holiday season steadily approaching, companies like Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions and Burger King, are coming together to make gift giving, this season more meaningful.

Both organizations have joined forces for an annual Christmas Treat to fete 200 children, who are currently in state care from Kingston and Spanish Town, at Hope Zoo on December 4.  The two organizations have been partners for this activity since 2011.  This year, both organizations are encouraging Jamaicans to come on-board and help spread some more Christmas cheer through a special national “Gift Drive”.

For the gift drive, people are being encouraged to pick up an extra toy for a child when making their Christmas purchases and drop them off at Flow stores up until December 2. Volunteers will wrap each gift and make a special delivery to the children.    

Speaking about the idea for the gift drive, Nicole Campbell, Corporate Social Responsibility Speciality at Columbus said “The feedback we have received over the years has been very positive and most people generally want to know how they can get involved.  So we think by launching this Gift Drive, and giving Jamaicans a chance to be a part of a meaningful cause, will help to make the Season a little brighter for hundreds of Children in Kingston and Spanish Town.”  Campbell added that gifts will also be donated to another Children’s Treat spearheaded by the St. Catherine Parish Council later in December.

The overall treat for the children will also include a tour of the Zoo, a movie in the gardens, games and activities and ‘Fun Meals’ provided by Burger King to add to the festivity.  Flow and Burger King Staff members will also be volunteering and bringing gifts for the children as well.

As for Burger King, Nicholas Mundell, Brand Manager of Sponsorships & Fixed Advertising, says that his company is happy to have partnered with Columbus Communications to share in this special Christmas Treat that will bring smiles and joy to the faces of 200 children and care-givers from several homes.

Mr. Mundell noted that “Each child and care-giver will get the chance to enjoy favourite combos from Burger King. Our mobile unit will be on location serving up “Fun Meals” for all the participants at the Christmas Treat. Our volunteers will also be there interacting with children to make the day a special one.”

Sabrena McDonald, Sales and Marketing Manager of Burger King also added, "Kids have always been at the heart of Burger King, dating back to the years of our Kids' Club. This collaborative treat is another way in which BK celebrates kids and also adds to our roster of community and charity projects supported throughout the year.  Christmas is a special time for sharing and feeling appreciated and our partnership with Columbus Communications for this Christmas Treat will do just that for these children.”

People wanting to be a part of this initiative can leave an unwrapped gift at any Flow store in Kingston, Portmore, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Mandeville and May Pen.  Campbell stressed that  every  donation is valuable, whether it be a toy, books, bags or clothes and will go a long way in putting a smile on the faces of children.

For the past 4 years, Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited has made numerous donations to charities on behalf of its clients. In addition to the treat at Hope Zoo, Columbus also lends support to the Clarendon Crime Prevention Children’s treat and the Montego Bay Street Church activity to provide meals for the homeless in the second city in December. 

Flow TV spends the weekend off the track with Warren Weir

Since his unexpected but brilliant performance at the 2012 London Olympics, Warren Weir has become a celebrity in his own right with a loyal fan base who follow his exploits on the track. This Sunday, his fans have a unique opportunity to get to know another side of the ‘Weir-wolf’ in the next episode of My Wknd, seen exclusively on Flow TV, Channel 100 or online at iVUtv.com.

The Olympic medallist takes ‘wkndrs’ behind the scenes on his off-season weekend. Weir invited the My Wknd cameras to follow him along on his weekend escapades and introduces viewers to his huge support system of family and friends.

My Wknd is a brand new series produced by e-Media Interactive for broadcast during Weekend Prime on Flow TV. The series gives viewers a  new perspective on the lives of local personalities and celebrities, taking them behind-the-scenes of a typical weekend. Sports, fashion and beauty, media and entertainment personalities open up and expose their fans to a never-before-seen weekend experience.

Warren Weir’s episode of My Wknd premieres this Friday at 7 pm during Weekend Prime on Flow TV, channel 100.

Flow brings the Christmas Spirit to Pavillion Mall

 It will be a fun and entertaining Friday afternoon in Half-Way Tree as Flow and Zip FM take the Christmas spirit to the Pavillion Mall this Friday, November 22.  As Jamaicans gear up for the Christmas season, they will most certainly welcome the values, prizes and gifts that the Flow team will deliver throughout the afternoon.

The excitement kicks off at 1:00pm with entertainment, prizes, giveaways, and other treats. Patrons have the opportunity to step into the Flow Foto Booth to take a photo which they can retrieve later and share with family and friends via the Flow Facebook page. Customers who sign up for any Flow service on location will receive a special bonus gift in addition to all the other free add-ons and chances to win the weekly and grand prizes that Flow is already extending as part of the Get Happy! Get Flow! Christmas promotion.

“As customers need and demand value and continue to seek ways to enhance and enjoy their lives, we are delivering just that for the holiday season,” said Donovan White, vice president of marketing and sales at Columbus Communications, operators of Flow. “It is important to us that we always show appreciation to our customers, and spending time with them at Pavillion Mall on Friday is just one of the many ways we are doing this during the holiday season.”

Up Close with Denyque on Flow TV’s My Wknd

Singer Denyque gives her fans the opportunity to get to know her better when they follow her through a typical weekend on the next episode of look the new television series My Wknd. Denyque’s episode premieres this weekend during Weekend Prime on Flow TV.  Viewers will enjoy a sneak peak into the adventures of the artiste at her WETSwim photo shoot, her day at Sun Coast Adventure Park, and a behind the scenes look at her rehearsals.

“If I’m not in studio, I’m usually just hanging out with friends or with family but I’m usually adventurous,” she said. The week’s episode focuses on Denyque’s business side, her fun side and the music side of her weekend.

Denyque Dontre, a soulful singer with an infectious personality, made her way on to the music scene in 2009. Since then she has earned her place among forerunners in the music industry with a steady release of pop-inspired hits. In July, Denyque showed her diversity with the launch of her swimsuit line WETSwim.

My Wknd is a local entertainment and lifestyle series produced by e-Media Interactive for broadcast exclusively on Flow TV Channel 100, and online on iVu TV. The series takes fans behind-the-scenes into a typical weekend of their favourite local personalities and celebrities. In each episode, the cameras follow the featured celebrity to their favourite hot spots, giving fans a sneak peak into where they eat, play, party, relax and how and with whom they’re doing it. Personalities from sports, fashion and beauty, media and entertainment will open up and expose their fans to an unbelievable weekend experience.

New episodes of My Wknd airs premiere on Fridays at 7 pm on Flow TV channel 100 with repeat broadcasts throughout the weekend as well as online at iVu tv.

Double Header Clash for Flow Champions Cup KnockOut

Football fans are in for a thrill when 4 top Premier League teams converge on the Drewsland Stadium for the double header Semi Finals of the Flow Champions Cup Sunday, October 13 starting at 5:00pm.

In the opening match, Arnett Gardens FC will vie for their first Flow Champions Cup title when they try to de-throne defending champions Tivoli Gardens FC in what promises to be a fierce encounter between intense rivals. The second semi-final match will see Harbour View FC challenging the home team Waterhouse FC in what also promises to be another exciting encounter.

Both games have stories of their own going into Sunday’s event.  Arnett have never conquered the senior all-island KO title andwill be seeking to defeat a very strong Tivoli Gardens team prepared to fight to defend their title. The story of semi-final two will undoubtedly be the missing trio of, Romario Campbell, Richard McCallum and top man Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson who are all away on national duties and look set to miss the crucial semi-final encounter.

The Flow Champions Cup started with 26 teams fighting for top honours. The competition has been keenly contested and has produced sparkling moments, controversial decisions and a lot of goals with three players already scoring hat-tricks. The competition is now entering the climatic stages and only four teams remain, all hoping to lift the cup and walk awaywith $1 million courtesy of title sponsors Flow.

“This season of the Flow Champions Cup has been extremely exciting so far. We are pleased at the standard of play, competitiveness, passion for the game and sportsmanship that has been on display. We look forward to even more thrilling semi finals and finals matches as the four power house teams seek to stake their claim on the championshiptitle,” said Donovan White, vice president sales and marketing for Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow.

More than 76 goals have been scored in the 22 matches played in the competition thus far. Teams that have made it through the quarter finals of the competition will share in the $2.3M cash prize pool which also includes rewards for the top goal scorer, winning coach and most valuable player. The Flow Champions Cup is the island’s premier Knock-Out Competition and the exciting format continues to be a spectacle, attracting fans with agenuinely passionate brand of football engraved with skill and drama.

WEEKEND PRIME brings new shows to FLOW TV

Local television gets an injection of brand new shows to entertain and inform viewers come October 25^th when a new slate of local productions comes to TV screens.  This means that television viewers will have more options to watch and enjoy what will be some of the best-produced shows on local television.  

The line-up of shows known as Weekend Prime will appeal to young and old.  Weekend Prime will premiere  on Flow TV (Channel 100) on Friday, October 25^th with an initial group of 5 shows which includes a comedy series, business docu-series, talk show, an entertainment magazine series and a documentary film.

The shows are:

·         Squaddy: a half hour dramatic comedy series about the escapades and antics of 2 friends, Touchie and Srapings, 2 friends who join the police force as they envision that  fighting crime as police officers is their way out of the rough life of their inner city community.  Viewers will want to watch each week to follow the new officers as they seek to rise up in the ranks of the police force and the drama that comes along with it.  Will their friendship survive the force? Can they survive on the streets?

·         my wknd : a lifestyle and entertainment series that takes fans behind-the-scenes into the weekends of their favourite local personalities and celebrities. In each half hour episode the cameras follow a featured celebrity who takes viewers to their favourite hot spots, giving insight into personal aspects not normally seen – where  they eat, play, party, relax,  and how they do it and who they’re doing it with. Personalities from Jamaican sports, fashion and beauty, media and entertainment will open up and expose their fans to their personal weekend experiences

·         Your Money: On The Edge is a documentary series about young entrepreneurs in Jamaica & how they fight to survive and grow their businesses. Each episode explores a typical day in the life of the young entrepreneur,  outlines an issue faced in the sector or industry and integrates commentary on the issue by others in the field. Your Money: On The Edge will also educate viewers on the issues that face the industry on national, regional and international levels.

·         50 Years of Entrepreneurship explores the roots of indigenous Jamaican business development from 1962 to present day. Using the stories of some of our most celebrated business leaders as a guide, the documentary charts the decade-by-decade journey of Jamaican entrepreneurship, from ‘big business’ success to efforts supporting small enterprise sustainability. The documentary captures the outstanding, riveting and motivating stories of the Jamaican giants of industry who have worked to establish companies that have proven crucial to our country’s economic development.

·         The + Side is a documentary-talk show that explores and highlights what’s good, progressive & inspiring in Jamaica. In an age where Jamaican audiences are inundated with hard news; where the negative has guaranteed virality; where murder, rape, theft continue to clog the local airwaves, The + Side is a marked contrast tapping into the need to expose the good in our communities by looking at timeless long term and sustainable initiatives/stories and the people who drive and inspire them.

These new shows are only the first coming out of a partnership between Flow and eMedia Interactive to develop and produce a continuous stream of local shows for broadcast on Flow TV.

eMedia Interactive has in (5) years established itself as one of Jamaica’s most dynamic online media outfit, transitioning local magazine publication from the store shelves into the digital realm with the creation of a series of digital magazines, or eZines.  Led by young entrepreneur Tyrone Wilson, the company launched iVutv.com as the region’s first online television network. CEO Tyrone Wilson explains, “the initial strategy was to work with existing content providers to supply us with content, for iVutv.com however, we quickly realized that in order to build a new platform to gain and keep viewers, we needed fresh original content, so we went back to the drawing board and decided to invest in our own content.”

“Our commitment to deliver top quality, variety content that was made two (2) years ago when we launched Flow TV, has begun to take shape with this partnership with eMedia Interactive, which will improve our capacity to deliver high quality, original local programming to fulfill the appetite of our subscribers who want to see content relatable to themselves and their lifestyle,” said Donovan White, vice president, marketing & sales for Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited,  operators of Flow, commenting on the partnership recently.

Flow TV,  seen on channel 100 on the Flow cable network,  is now one of Jamaica’s leading broadcasters of original and locally syndicated programming with almost 100% local content.  

FLOW & eMedia partnership delivers original local shows & a multi-media advertising solution

Top quality local programming has been a demand of Jamaican television viewers that dates back many years. The feeling has always been that they want to see shows that depict situations that are immediately relatable to them.  A new partnership between Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of Flow and eMedia Interactive, will introduce a slate of original, locally produced shows to Flow TV and iVuTV.com starting October 25. 

This partnership is a unique and compelling proposition for viewers and advertisers alike and could yet again change the local landscape for brand owners who seek to communicate with key target audiences to position their products and services. Flow and eMedia Interactive through its online platforms iVuTV.com and eZine, have created a very unusual mix of media properties that will provide a global platform to showcase locally produced, Jamaican television shows, and with that, provide the only true multi-media platform for local and regional advertisers.

eMedia Interactive has in (5) years established itself as one of Jamaica’s most dynamic online media and production outfits, transitioning a local magazine publication from the store shelves into the digital realm with the creation of a series of digital magazines, or eZines. The Company has since launched iVutv.com as the region’s first online television network through private financing of US$350,000 from Sagicor Investments (formerly Pan Caribbean Financial Services). 

“Our unwavering commitment to always go in search of the best quality content that is available for our dedicated cable television subscribers, will be on show yet again through this partnership with eMedia Interactive. Through their efforts, we will now begin to develop a consistent supply of original local shows, to fulfil the appetite of our subscribers,” said Donovan White, vice president, marketing &sales, Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, commenting on the partnership recently.

Flow TV is the local broadcast channel of the Flow cable television (CTV) service, available on Channel 100 for Flow subscribers. Originally launched to provide information for Flow subscribers, channel 100 (Flow TV) has continued to evolve and (2) years ago was re-launched with a new and expanded programming line-up. Today, Flow TV is one of Jamaica’s leading broadcasters of original and syndicated shows, that is almost 100% locally produced. In fact, Flow TV has brought innovation to television programming in Jamaica by being the first to syndicate local shows, giving producers and content developers significantly more earning opportunities for their work which would not have existed (10) years ago.

The partnership between the two entities will deliver a number of new, high quality local productions into its revamped programming line up, to entertain the discerning Jamaican consumer, and providing a vehicle for advertisers to make that all important connection with an audience of immense variety and volume.

“We will invest over J$30M over the next eighteen months to deliver more than (15) original programmes to fill Flow TV’s WEEKEND PRIME segment,” said Tyrone Wilson, CEO - eMedia Interactive. “These programmes fall into different genres; drama, comedy, documentary, and talk shows. The first five will premiere on Flow TV starting October 25^th, with more to follow in early 2014.”

“Our subscribers are assured of the best opportunity to view and enjoy the shows, because we have created a special timeslot called ‘Weekend Prime’, where we will premier new local shows. The weekend prime slot runs from Friday – Sunday between 6pm and 9pm on Flow TV (Channel 100),” White continued.

“We believe viewers and advertisers will be the ultimate winners in the end, as this partnership provides great leverage for them to get more value for their brand dollars, since it can be positioned across all three properties; Flow TV, iVuTv and eZine. ” said Michael Look-Tong - director, Columbus Communications Jamaica operators of Flow.

The shows that will premiere on Flow TV’s ‘Weekend Prime’ on October 25, 2013 are:

·         Squaddy – a comedy drama following the exploits of 2 young men from the inner city who are recent recruits to the police force; 

·         my wknd – a reality series that gives the viewers a sneak peak into the life of a popular celebrity as they enjoy their weekend;

·         Your Money: on the Edge – a series about young entrepreneurs & their efforts to grow their businesses;

·         The Plus (+) Side – a talk show that focuses on what’s good about Jamaica as a stark contrast to the daily negative news;

·         50 Years of Entrepreneurship - a 4 part Documentary – which explores the roots of indigenous Jamaican business development from 1962 to 2012.

Overdrive a hit on Flow TV

Football fans can re-live the excitement of the Flow Champions Cup knock out competition by watching OVERDRIVE. The weekly highlight show is a tightly produced, action packed half-hour hosted by sports journalist Joel Crosskill, that is aired on CVM TV and repeated on Flow TV or Channel 100 on the Flow Cable Network.

OVERDRIVE, allow the viewers to a front row seat to all the action via match highlights including exciting plays and goals scored, interviews, special features, match results and a preview of upcoming matches. Special features such as exclusive behind the scenes training sessions and dialogue with top players and coaches will provide insight into each teams’ development. A special weekly segment 'Know the Laws' presented by former FIFA Referee Dave Meikle covers certain aspects of the laws of the game. 

"The FLOW Champions Cup offers the full spectrum of previously unknown players emerging, for a once in a lifetime shot at recognition on a national stage. Overdrive is a great addition to the tournament because while giving the competition television glamour, it also gives community and parish teams that are not always in the spotlight a fair chance to compete at the highest level," said Andrew Price, Director of the Professional Football Association of Jamaica (PFAJ). 

“Working with our production partners Phase 3 Productions to deliver OVERDRIVE for free to air as well as cable television has always been one of our key objectives for the Flow Champions Cup, which fulfils our commitment to deliver quality local programming that is relevant to television viewers across Jamaica,” said Donovan White, vice president marketing and sales for Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operators of the Flow brand.  “OVERDRIVE is one of the many aspects of this competition designed to deepen the engagement of football fans with the competition and provide a 360 degree perspective of the game.” White concluded.

OVERDRIVE is a seven (7) episode series that is broadcast on free-to-air television, cable and online, leveraging all available broadcast platforms in order to bring the excitement of the Flow Champions Cup to a wide audience. Each week’s episode premieres on CVM on Saturdays at 2:30pm with a repeat on Mondays at 8:30am.  The show has its cable television rebroadcast on Flow TV on Tuesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays at 9pm, Fridays at 10:30pm and Saturdays at 4:00pm. Each episode of OVERDRIVE is also available on Flow Jamaica YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/FlowJamaica) for online viewers at home and in the diaspora. 

Tony Spaulding Sports Complex for Flow Champions Cup Final

The venue for the Finals of the Flow Champions Cup All Island Knock Out competition has been changed to the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, home of Arnett Gardens FC.  The final takes place on Monday, October 28 with kick off at 9:00pm. Defending Champions Tivoli Gardens will meet Waterhouse FC in what is expected to be thrilling encounter between the rivals.

The Professional Football Clubs Association (PFAJ), organizers of the competition and title sponsors Flow have agreed that the change in venue would be in the best interest of the event as the venue will accommodate the large number of fans expected to attend the FCC Finals.

Tony Spaulding, as the venue is commonly referred, has excellent facilities including parking, lighting and pitch.  The central location also makes for easy access for fans expected from all corners of the corporate area. 

Ahead of the final, football fans may recapture the excitement of the Flow Champions Cup Semi-finals matches by watching the repeat broadcasts on Flow TV (Channel 100) on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20 at 6:00 pm.

Experts say data is the real asset of business

Data is the most valuable asset to any business, says data expert Daniel Rossignol, Director of Global Alliances & Partnerships at Geminare Incorporated.

As businesses grow, the more business intelligence they generate, whether it is customer information, supplier information or accounting data.  Being able to share, store, protect and retrieve the ever-increasing mounds of data can be the competitive edge that accelerates presence and success in the marketplace. According to Rossignol, many organizations invest in mitigating the impact of natural disasters and give little or no thought to man-made disasters which represent the greatest risk to business continuity.

Rossignol’s comments were made during his presentation at a Round Table Discussion on Managing Information & Data Risk - Data storage considerations, trends & disaster recovery. The event hosted  by Columbus Business Solutions, was held recently at the  Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

Daniel Rossignol (right), Director of Global Alliances & Partnerships at Geminare Incorporated and Marcello Olivera, Sr. product manager – IT and Cloud Solutions for Columbus Networks listened keenly to Tanikie McClarthy, corporate affairs executive at Columbus Communications, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions at the Columbus Business Solutions Round Table Discussion held at the Jamaica Pergasus Hotel on Thursday, October 3.

 “Businesses cannot risk having their data sitting on a local server in an office and subject to the risks of unexpected power outages, natural disasters, cybercrime or simple human error. Recognizing that we are all vulnerable, businesses must approach data storage as a strategic tool and seek to ensure business continuity regardless of whether or not the disaster is natural or man-made,” Rossignol said.

Rossignol offers that the optimal solution lies in cloud based storage, which allows for real time replication of data and eliminates downtime.  With such solutions, during an interruption the IT Department is able to quickly and efficiently switch to an artificial environment that has up to date content and conduct maintenance and tests without denying users access.  

Other compelling advantages to businesses of cloud based solutions are scalability and cost reductions. The storage capacity in the cloud can be quickly and cost effectively increased to accommodate the additional data.  Cloud storage solutions also enable a business to avoid the high costs associated with hardware, software licenses, maintenance and manpower.

Speaking at the same event, The Hon. Julian Robinson, Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining underscored the importance of data recovery and mitigation safeguards in the business environment.

(l-r) Donovan White, vice president of Columbus Communications, operators of Flow and Columbus Business Solutions, the Hon. Julian Robinson, minister of state in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and John Clear, vice president of business solutions at Columbus Communications enjoy a hearty conversation with Michele English, president and chief operating officer at Columbus Communications at the Columbus Business Solutions Round Table Discussion on Thursday, October 3 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

“Data storage is now a major consideration among business leaders. In a globally competitive, fast-paced business environment, companies no longer have the luxury of downtime to allow for storage and recovery therefore organizations must implement strategies to address the challenges they encounter, such as managing their storage growth, designing and managing back-up recovery and archive solutions, designing deploying and managing disaster recovery solutions and storage in a virtualized server environment and convincing management to adopt technologies such as cloud computing,” said the Minister.        

“As a managed service provider, our job is to enable our clients to quickly and cost effectively roll out IT services that feature the highest levels of security, availability and are scalable to meet dynamic future need,” said John Clear, vice president Columbus Business Solutions. “Cloud services such as offered by Columbus enable businesses in Jamaica to achieve greater efficiencies and facilitate real time exchange of information. We offer a secure and cost effective cloud storage solution located in Curacao – safely outside the hurricane and earthquake zone of the Caribbean, and supported by a fully managed network operations centre.”

 According to Rossignol “IT departments can quantify the cost to buy a new server,  the cost to set up their own replication environment and to secure  back up services, but they forget the cost of licensing, upgrades, maintenance and electricity. Cloud services allow organizations to pay for what they need when they need it and to leave the operational and capital expenses to someone else”.

Rossignol’s presentation at the Columbus Business Solutions Round Table challenges Jamaican businesses to ponder and address some of the real questions they face in securing their data -  the real assets of their business. What is most cost effective way of ensuring business continuity and what financial impact will downtime have on the business if the most effective solution is not deployed?

Cyber security identified as major threat to business

Top Business executives from the financial sector met to discuss the increasing threat of cyber crime and the technology solutions available to address the threat and enhance their network security. The discussions were the first of a series of industry round table discussions organized by Columbus Business Solutions.  This session, held under the theme "Leveraging Innovative Technological Solutions for the Financial Sector" included panel presentations by top industry experts and a live hack demonstration by Martin Voelk of Cyber 51, highlighting the nature of network vulnerabilities in the industry.

Cyber crime is a major driver behind financial fraud, which has reportedly amounted to over $2 billion in Jamaica over the last four years, according to the police. Government statistics reveal that more than 1,000 websites have been hacked, including those run by the state, between 2011 and 2012. What's more, the Cyber Crime Unit in the office of the Director of Public Prosecution last month revealed that there have been a staggering 88 cases of third party, debit card and credit card fraud since the start of the year.

In his presentation to the attendees, Livingston Morrison, Deputy Governor for Bank of Jamaica  reiterated the importance of  technology for network security  saying  “Financial institutions must invest heavily in technology in order to operate in the domestic financial system and to maintain a competitive financial posture in the marketplace. The facilitation of appropriate technologies facilitates the regulatory process in several ways; preserving data integrity, early warning system with triggers and notifications, business intelligence with predictive analytics are just a few.”

Gilbert Perez, Territory Manager for Fortinet a  leading global network security provider, cautioned that companies operating in the Caribbean should be aware of their vulnerability to cyber threats. “Many companies and small businesses may think security is something that doesn’t affect them because they are in the Caribbean. However, as more companies in the rest of the world are starting to strengthen their network security making it more difficult for hackers to get access to their network assets, they are looking at other more vulnerable destinations, some of which are in the Caribbean,” he said.

Fortinet has partnered with Columbus Business Solutions to deliver cost effective cloud based network security solutions. “Columbus is a managed security service provider and in partnership with Columbus we can deliver the solutions that can be provided as a service through the cloud, protecting customers from the higher costs associated with the investment to deploy the hardware and systems to deliver the network security,” said Perez.

“This Round Table is the first in a series to facilitate dynamic discussion in specific sectors, to help advance the goals of enhancing business efficiency and maximizing profits,” said John Clear, Vice President for Columbus Business Solutions, which is operated by Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited. “The issue of cyber security is very topical and worthy of continued investment and attention.  We’ll continue to hold these discussions for cloud infrastructure, business continuity and other cloud services,” he continued.

Ingrid Riley, social media strategist attending the round table commended the initiative.  “The discussions today presented both the business and technical side of the issue of cyber security, bringing more awareness about the possibilities of doing business in the digital age and how to be proactive about protecting our networks.”

Participants at the round table discussion included industry leaders, academia and policy makers, who presented different views on the application of technology and the regulatory framework needed to address the growing problem of Internet-related crime. Among the presenters at the forum were The Honourable Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining;  Dennis Chung, CEO of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica, Livingstone Morrison Deputy Governor at the Bank of Jamaica, Dr Thomas Thompson Senior Director for Fiscal Services,  Claudette Crooks-Collie, President, MoneyMasters Jamaica and Sheldon Powe, Chief Information Officer for Jamaica Money Market Brokers, Columbus Business Solutions provided a comprehensive range of Business Class ICT solutions for SME, Enterprise and Government clients across the Caribbean and Latin America.