In the third instalment in our Expert Insights series on cyber threats and security for 2025, we are joined by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Godphey Sterling, the head of the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT). Our conversation with Colonel Sterling covers, among other things: how JaCIRT operates and the attitude towards cybersecurity (and the CIRT) in Jamaica; the cyber threat landscape in Jamaica; the challenge of maintaining a uniform level of security across large organisations or bodies; and what Colonel Sterling means by “security by obscurity”.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music!!

If there is anything we can know for sure is that the cybersecurity threat landscape is constantly changing globally. Although over the years, Caribbean countries and their organisations have become more aware of the threats that exist and the need for a heightened security posture, they are still highly vulnerable, thanks to the increasing sophistication of the attack methods being employed and the challenges of keeping up.

This is one of the reasons why we have maintained the Expert Insights series and try to hold regular conversations, in the hope of not just increasing the information available on cybersecurity in the region but also to tap into the expertise of well-respected security professionals. This episode is no different.

 

Introducing our guest

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Godphey Sterling

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Godphey Sterling served in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) for more than 24 years in a number of staff and command roles. During that time, he worked with the MITRE Corporation and US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) to create the Caribbean Information Sharing Network (CISN) in 1998 and served as the head of its technical working group (TWG) until 2007. He also led, or participated in, the project teams that were responsible for all major technology changes in the JDF between 1998 and 2019.

As Director of the Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) Division in the Office of the Prime Minister in Jamaica, Col Sterling has day-to-day responsibility for governance, risk and compliance within Jamaica’s Cyber ecosystem. He manages the National Security Operations Centre (NSOC) and the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT), providing world-class vulnerability and crisis management as well as incident response. He and his team triage, categorise, refer, respond to and document cyber incidents in Jamaica.

Among his qualifications, Col Sterling holds certificates in Cybersecurity from the US Army War College, George Marshall Centre for Security Studies, and Carnegie Mellon University, a Diploma in Systems Automation from the US Army Signal School, a Bachelors degree, with honours, in Computer Science (University of Technology, Jamaica) and Master’s Degrees in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada and Cybersecurity from Universidad Isabel I, Madrid, Spain. He also holds certifications from the IEEE in the management of Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector and from the United Nations in the transformation of Digital Governments to Smart Governments.

With nearly three decades spent in various ICT and Cyber-related roles, Col Sterling is a respected authority on Cybersecurity regionally and internationally.

An avid reader and sports enthusiast, he enjoys the outdoors as well as solitude and a good book.

 

Insights into our conversation

This is a comprehensive and insightful conversation with Colonel Sterling, as we cover JaCIRT, one of the few fully functioning CIRTs in the English-speaking Caribbean. Also, we have not had a security expert from Jamaica before, and as the head of JaCIRT, Colonel Sterling would have access to a wealth of data and resources on the cyber threat landscape in Jamaica and even further afield.

A recurring theme in our Expert Insights episodes, which was emphasised in this conversation, is the value of information sharing within the cybersecurity space and from a CIRT perspective. All too often, organisations are wary of CIRTs (and of each other) and of sharing information that would not only improve security intelligence available in their market but also improve the intelligence from which these very same organisations can benefit.

Below are key questions that drove our conversation with Colonel Sterling.

  1. JaCIRT is one of the few functioning CIRTs in the Caribbean. Can you give us a sense of how it is organised and the functions it executes?
  2. When the CIRT was established, its constituents were initially limited to government agencies and critical national infrastructure operators. Is that still the case?
  3. Can you give us a sense of the cyber threat landscape in Jamaica and/or the wider Caribbean region?
  4. Having been with JaCIRT for the past five years, how has the threat landscape evolved, and how have attitudes changed towards cybersecurity?
  5. A distinct security challenge across large organisations or bodies is maintaining a uniform or consistent security level across the entire body, that is, all offices, branches, extensions, and not just the headquarters. What has been your observation in that regard?
  6. A well-known challenge in cybersecurity is the scarcity of suitable talent. What have you been observing in the security job market, especially with respect to supply and demand, and the expertise employers are requesting? Does JaCIRT have difficulty securing the expertise it needs?
  7. What are the biggest cybersecurity challenges faced by businesses today?
  8. What might be three (3) key things organisations should be doing in 2025 to improve their network/IT security?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise might be useful.

 

 

Images credit:   Jamaica CIRT;  Freepik; Jamaica CIRT (Facebook); DC Studio (Freepik)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez