{"id":171495,"date":"2024-09-18T02:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T07:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/?p=171495"},"modified":"2024-09-18T03:04:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T08:04:10","slug":"ictp-320-strengthening-the-digital-backbone-of-the-caribbean-region-with-giovanni-king-of-the-caribbean-datacenter-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2024\/09\/ictp-320-strengthening-the-digital-backbone-of-the-caribbean-region-with-giovanni-king-of-the-caribbean-datacenter-association\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 320: Strengthening the digital backbone of the Caribbean region, with Giovanni King of the Caribbean Datacenter Association"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Whether we realise it or not, data centres are the backbone of our online experience.<\/em> <em>All the digital services we enjoy use data centres to store, manage and process all of the data, interactions and transactions generated. Giovanni King, the CEO of Blue NAP Americas and the Chairman of the Caribbean Datacenter Association discusses, among other things:&nbsp; the kind of services or facilities typically offered at a data centre; &nbsp;the current demand for data centres in the Caribbean region;&nbsp; key challenges and opportunities for Caribbean data centres;&nbsp; and the potential impact of technologies such as AI, IoT, or blockchain on the future of Caribbean data centres<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1918590245&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" title=\"ICT Pulse Podcast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-320-strengthening-the\" title=\"ICTP 320: Strengthening the digital backbone of the Caribbean region, with Giovanni King of the Caribbean Datacenter Association\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICTP 320: Strengthening the digital backbone of the Caribbean region, with Giovanni King of the Caribbean Datacenter Association<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This episode is also available on <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SoundCloud<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3d0U4ZYX80e5lenYLdzyX4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spotify<\/a> <strong>and <a href=\"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/3f727ec1-de7d-416f-8bdc-31d9a911a09e\/ict-pulse-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amazon Music<\/a>!!<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Data centres, often referred to as the &#8220;digital backbone&#8221; of our modern world, play an indispensable role in our daily lives. These high-tech facilities house servers, storage systems, and networking equipment that process, store, and transmit vast amounts of data. From online banking to streaming services, social media to e-commerce, data centres power the digital infrastructure that has become an integral part of our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most critical functions of data centres is the storage and retrieval of data. They serve as digital repositories, preserving valuable information for individuals, businesses, and governments. Further, they enable cloud computing, a technology that allows users to access applications and data over the internet, eliminating the need for local hardware and software. Additionally, data centres facilitate global communication and connectivity by serving as hubs for internet traffic and routing data between different networks and countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, noting the importance of data centres in digital ecosystems, it seems to be an overlooked area in the Caribbean region. In this podcast episode, we explore the state of Caribbean data centres and what it might take for them to truly become the digital backbone of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing our guest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"537\" data-attachment-id=\"171498\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2024\/09\/ictp-320-strengthening-the-digital-backbone-of-the-caribbean-region-with-giovanni-king-of-the-caribbean-datacenter-association\/giovanni-king-blue-nap-americas-cropped\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?fit=640%2C537&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,537\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;OPOURIER PHOTOGRAPHY&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D850&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1710175121&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;65&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Giovanni King (Blue NAP Americas) cropped\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Giovanni King&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?fit=300%2C252&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?fit=640%2C537&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?resize=640%2C537&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171498\" style=\"width:300px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Giovanni-King-Blue-NAP-Americas-cropped-e1726642849605.jpeg?resize=300%2C252&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Giovanni King<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/giovanniking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Giovanni King<\/a><\/strong> is the Chief Executive Officer of Blue NAP Americas (BNA), the most advanced multi-tenant Tier-IV certified data centre in the Pan-Caribbean&nbsp;region, and the Chairman of the Caribbean Datacenter Association (CDA). This recently established association seeks to foster the growth, collaboration, and excellence of data centre operators and&nbsp;technology infrastructure providers in the Caribbean region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giovanni has over two decades of experience in the telecommunications industry, the majority of which is as an executive with telecommunications regulatory authorities in the Dutch Caribbean. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Electrical Engineering from Fonty&#8217;s University in the Netherlands and a master\u2019s degree in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Insights into our conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Giovanni\u2019s passion for data centres is infectious, and very early in our conversation, you will realise the considerable potential that exists for data centres in the region. All too often, we purchase services outside the region, although the facilities exist here. Unfortunately, we may not always be aware of what we have and the quality that is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Blue NAP Americas, which is located in Cura\u00e7ao, is a Tier-IV certified data centre that is certified to have 99.995% uptime, or a cumulative downtime of no more than 20 minutes in a single year, or no more than 1.67 minutes per month! However, we are small countries with small populations; so we need to be creative and be prepared to be collaborative will our fellow data centres and technology partners to be competitive and truly add value to our individual countries and the Caribbean region as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are key questions posed to Giovanni that drove our conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To start us off, what kind of services or facilities are typically offered at a data centre?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is the current demand for data centres in the Caribbean region?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there specific sectors or industries driving this demand?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tell us some more about the Caribbean Datacenter Association. Why was it set up and what does it hope to achieve?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there any efforts to promote regional cooperation or collaboration among Caribbean countries in the development of data centres?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are the typical infrastructure requirements for data centres in the Caribbean?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are the primary challenges and opportunities facing the development of data centres in the Caribbean?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How is connectivity ensured for data centres in the Caribbean?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there any emerging technologies or trends that could significantly impact the future of data centers in the Caribbean, such as AI, IoT, or blockchain?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>We would love to hear your thoughts!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>&nbsp;pages, or via Twitter,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@ICTPulse<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode,&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>do get in touch<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Let\u2019s make it happen!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Select links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/giovanniking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Giovanni King<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caribbeandatacenters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Caribbean Datacenter Association<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluenapamericas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Blue NAP Americas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2GofkCp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">ICTP 089: Exploring the Cura\u00e7ao telecoms and ICT space, with Giovanni King<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Images credit:&nbsp; Blue NAP Americas; Gerd Altmann (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pixabay<\/a>); panumas nikhomkhai (<a href=\"http:\/\/pexels.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pexels<\/a>); Christina Morillo (<a href=\"http:\/\/pexels.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pexels<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Ch\u00e9rie), by Andy Narrell<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Podcast editing support:&nbsp; Mayra Bonilla Lopez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether we realise it or not, data centres are the backbone of our online experience. All the digital services we enjoy use data centres to store, manage and process all of the data, interactions and transactions generated. Giovanni King, the CEO of Blue NAP Americas and the Chairman of the Caribbean Datacenter Association discusses, among other things:\u00a0 the kind of services or facilities typically offered at a data centre; \u00a0the current demand for data centres in the Caribbean region;\u00a0 key challenges and opportunities for Caribbean data centres;\u00a0 and the potential impact of technologies such as AI, IoT, or blockchain on the future of Caribbean data centres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,299,48,204],"class_list":["post-171495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-data-centres","tag-infrastructure","tag-innovation-2","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Featured-Image-%E2%80%93-Data-Centres-Giovanni-King.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-IC3","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171495"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171506,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171495\/revisions\/171506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}