ICTP 006: Embracing the cloud, with Scott MacKenzie of Cloud Carib

Cloud computing has been popular for over 10 years, but it can be argued that it still has not taken off among Caribbean businesses, especially among MSMEs, which are likely to benefit considerably from adopting it. In our conversation with Scott MacKenzie, CEO of Cloud Carib, we highlight this Caribbean-based operation; key cloud trends observed in the Caribbean region; five questions a firm should ask if it is looking to secure cloud services; and more…

Episode is also available in Apple iTunes and on Stitcher!

Although virtually all of us use cloud services in our personal lives, we may not necessarily think of it as a strategic tool for our businesses and organisations. As we noted in some of our earlier articles here on ICT Pulse, there are several benefits in incorporating cloud computing and services into your organisation’s operations.

Further, with the 2018 hurricane season to officially begin next week, 1 June, we thought it opportune to again highlight the cloud, as it can be invaluable in an organisation’s business continuity and disaster recovery efforts, along with facilitating more efficient and cost-effective operations. To that end, we were delighted to have a chance to speak with Scott MacKenzie, Chief Executive Officer of Cloud Carib, a global leader in the cloud services space, headquartered in the Bahamas.

Never heard of Cloud Carib before? Up to a few months ago, neither had we, but the firm has been around for over seven years, and has racked up a number of awards over the years, including:

VMware‘s Cloud Infrastructure as a service Solution (IaaS) Competency Certification, the 2013 – the first in Latin America and the Caribbean
Cisco Collaboration Partner of the Year for Architectural Excellence in  the Americas and the Central America, North South Americaand the Caribbean regions, in 2017, and
Ranked 42 among the world’s Top 100 cloud services providers by Channel Futures Talkin’ Cloud 100 report in 2017.

In our conversation with Scott, we discussed, among other things:

The services Cloud Carib offers, who are its main competitors, and how the firm tries to differentiate itself from the competition
How Scott, who has lived and worked in several countries around the world, ended up in the Caribbean
The scope for cloud adoption by SMEs
How has Cloud Carib tries to allay governments’ concerns with respect to jurisdiction and privacy, and data being stored offshore
Some of the trends Scott has observed in the cloud computing space in the Caribbean region, and
Five (5) questions Scott would advise a firm to ask, if it is looking to secure cloud services.