Today is the first of a three-day Symptai Symposium, bringing together technology experts, IT executives, business leaders, technology vendors, regulators, technology investors and IT evangelists who have a vested stake in the region’s success. The theme, ‘The Digital Future is Here, is driven by the most recent, major global catalyst for the worldwide accelerated shift to digital — the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Attendees will network with local, regional and international experts and peers to find solutions for their organisations, increase leadership and technology skills, knowledge and capabilities and gain market-specific insights to help better position their businesses for success in the digital era.

Symptai CEO Marlon Cooper said that the Caribbean had made significant strides to keep pace with technological advancement as a region. However, Cooper cautioned that many Caribbean entities were not innovating quickly enough and risk being left behind or rendered obsolete in the age of rapid global digital transformation. “Over the last 24 years, Symptai Consulting has worked with over 400 organisations across the region to help resolve technology-related business challenges. The work that we do allows us to get a deep appreciation for the common technology challenges that organisations are facing. The Symptai Symposium is designed to help organisations across the region think about how the world is changing and, more importantly, think about what they need to do today to not only survive but thrive in the new world that is unfolding,” Cooper said as he set the stage for the three-day symposium.

Andre Palmer, director, research & engagement, observed that we have a golden opportunity to take advantage of technology in our lives. “The COVID-19 pandemic was perhaps the greatest accelerator for digital transformation globally. We got to see how modern technology plays a pivotal role in ensuring business continuity. From virtual reality simulations to autonomous driving vehicles or something as simple as digital signatures, we see the manifestation of many things that we once thought of as science fiction. Living in the era of modern technology presents a wealth of opportunities for how organisations deliver value and how customers consume services. The conversation needs to shift to how we take advantage of all the available technology,” said Palmer.

The Symptai Symposium boasts an impressive roster of speakers and presenters, focusing on a range of topics, including Peter Sondergaard, former executive vice-president for research at Gartner and founder and CEO of The Sondergaard Group; Diane Edwards, president, Jampro; Aldwyn Wayne, founder & CEO, WiPay; Andrew Simpson, chief operating officer, Tier1 Financial Solutions (Canada); Helena Nimmo, chief information officer, Endava (UK); Jason Cronk, author & international data privacy expert, as well as Symptai Consulting experts Rory Ebanks — director of cybersecurity, Alicia Perez — director of transformation, assurance & compliance and Alka Jain, director of risk & data management.

Ebanks, director, cybersecurity, promised attendees a renewed sense of possibilities. “Given the over 30 sessions and the number of world-class presenters, attendees will walk away with a greater appreciation of how the technology landscape is changing and all the opportunities this presents. Important themes such as data privacy, cybersecurity, managing a remote workforce and benefits realisation from digital transformation are just some of the topics that will explore. This knowledge will enable attendees to accelerate technology initiatives in their respective organisations in a cohesive and forward-thinking way,” Ebanks explained.

Additional topics and breakout sessions include leadership in the Digital Age, The Building Blocks of Digital Transformation, Big Data Big Opportunities and the State of Security.

Symptai Symposium virtual Caribbean Tech conference is daily June 1st and 3rd, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm, and is backed by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, Sagicor, Tier1 Financial Solutions and NCB Group.

Visit https://www.symptai.com/symposium2022 for more information.