Addressing what Belize Public Utilities Commission Chairman John Avery warned as an exponential increase in cyber attacks on electronic commerce, the private sector and government agencies, OmniSystems, Inc., a company specializing in information technology solutions and security, this April, helped draft Belize’s first National Cyber Security Framework and Action Plan.

The Government of Belize, in conjunction with several national and international partners, hosted the National Cyber Security Symposium in Belize City on April 24-28, 2017.  The Symposium drew participants, not only from Belize and the Caribbean, but the United States and Europe.  OmniSystems contributed several key speakers to the symposium: Reginald Vigilant, co-owner and COO; Carl Yearwood, director of Information Security; David Brock, senior security engineer; and, Angela Dingle, chief risk officer.

In his opening message, Avery said: “Cyber-attacks on electronic commerce, vital business sectors and government agencies have increased exponentially in Belize and the wider Caribbean. Individuals, businesses and government institutions have been hit with concerning regularity.  There has also been a disturbing proliferation of criminal activity perpetrated against innocent members of society.” 

The objectives of the Symposium included:

1. Explaining the significant features of global and regional cyber conventions;
2. Presenting an overview of the current global and regional cyber security landscape;
3. Identifying ways to advance the national cyber security and cybercrime agenda; and
4. Delivering instructional modules for related legislation, organizational policies and best practices for network operators.

The following critical topics were covered to provide a broad base of knowledge on the cyber security landscape:

1. Protecting public-sector networks;
2. Practical steps for protecting youth, home networks, smartphones and personal data;
3. Insights into tackling and resolving threats posed to organizations;
4. Strengthening law enforcement officers and related stakeholders’ capacity to mitigate the risk of cybercrimes and to respond to cyber incidents;
5. Hands-on training for network administrators and IT professionals in threat detection and data security; and
6. Interpretation of regional and international laws, regulations and cases related to cyber security issues.

On the final day of the symposium, OmniSystems’ staff played a key role in the cross-sectoral group that drafted Belize’s first National Cyber Security Framework and Action Plan. 

OmniSystems has been providing information technology solutions to U.S. and local governments, foreign agencies and multinational companies for 25 years.  Cyber security solutions are an increasing part of OmniSystems’ portfolio.  For further information on OmniSystems’ capabilities see www.omnisystems.com.