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“I expect that this will be normal for Jamaican businesses and other sectors such as education in the next five years”

Director of Government and Strategic Accounts Jenson Sylveste at Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited speaking on the trend toward Cloud Computing

Yes, folks, the byline on this article is spot on. Columbus Communications, the parent company of FLOW Jamaica, is expecting an 18% boost in Cloud Computing in Latin America and the Caribbean thanks to the trend towards BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

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FLOW has an impressive bank of Servers on a 30,000 Sq ft Server Farm in Curacao to provide Cloud Computing and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) based Cloud Computing Products as noted in Digicel’s Cloud Backup Services – A deep Analysis. So they really are in a position, based on their internal Metrics, to predict this!

Personally I’m still not so crazy about their Cable Services, which I’m still predicting to be made extinct as VOD Steaming Services ramp up with the increasing spread of Broadband in Jamaica as prognosticated in FLOW goes 3D HDTV et al – Netflix to make FLOW Extinct.

However, to their credit, they’ve partnered with Caribbean based e-Media Interactive since August 2013 to bring Streaming VOD content via their Broadband Internet, an indication that they embrace competition with their Cable Package lineup. But their Broadband Internet services are stellar and so too I’d expect great thing from their Cloud Services, which we’ve heard very little of….not even a Media Tour or YouTube video!

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Apparently FLOW’s burst of optimist is due to the trending towards BYOD (Bring your Own Device) which effectively means as it says; more Corporate workers are opting to carry their own Laptops, Tablets and smartphones to work. Smartphone’s are kinda a thing now in Jamaica, as both Telecom Providers have reported increased sales of smartphones over the Christmas 2013. Tablets, especially 7” Tablets, were no doubt a part of these sales numbers, with the Tablets themselves making shopping online a simple one-click experience as noted in Tablets to drive e-commerce this Christmas 2013 in the USA and Jamaica.

Most Companies in Jamaica already allowed most of its workforce to carry their own gear in a bid to make them more comfortable working and to cut costs. Telecommuting Workplaces, such as Microsoft Jamaica, are more like this as well. More and more, Business are warming up to the advantages of Cloud computing, never mind the recent Data Outage scare where some of Digicel’s Fiber Optic Cables got cut.

Schools apparently are expected to take advantage of Cloud Computing, especially as FLOW’s involved in providing Free Cable and Internet Access to some High Schools via their Building Leaders Through Technology Programme. The most notable beneficiates to date are some 10 High in St Ann and St Mary such as Boscobel Primary and Exchange All Age School, Iona High, Marcus Garvey Technical High and Port Maria High and Spot Valley Primary in June and December 2011 respectively.

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FLOW’s also been expanding their reach into Education itself; assisting Primary School Students with GSAT (Grade Six Achievement Test) preparation by offering FLOW Subscriber who sign up to GoGSAT services Silver package 1 month free access.

Their charitable benevolence has been paying off, as they were previously nominated in 2013 and now they have finally won the Gleaner Honour Award for Science and Technology put on by the Jamaica Gleaner in 2014! A fitting honour now that the CEO and President of FLOW has been promoted by Columbus Communications to EVP (Executive Vice President) after nearly six (6) years of being in Jamaica.

So their confidence is well founded. As more Tablet come into High Schools, BYOD from Primary to Corporate, is going to be a Big Trend. FLOW has laid the groundwork; they now merely have to build on it……

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