The World is your Technological Oyster!

Chris Givens – SharePoint Server MVP

AgendaNetwork is everythingHardwareSoftwareTop Technologies you should be ready forBusiness OpportunitiesLeverage Microsoft and the Community

Network is EverythingCloud and web based technologies don’t work without a good network

Speed is important, but isn’t the only factorLatency is important

As we will see later, the Cloud wasn’t built for political landscapes!

Cuban Internet (aka “Intranet”)Only country in Latin America that is “Not Free”Cuba’s Telecom Company, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba SA, (ETECSA) operates “internet cafes”

Over 300 various cafes\hot spots ($1.5/hr)Many in “Youth Clubs for Computing” locations

Cuba runs a much smaller version of “The Great Firewall”

China and Cuba’s “cyberspace cooperation” agreementEven if it is not blocked, US companies still haven’t updated terms of service for Cuba

Facebook, Instagram, Google, Gmail, news sites are NOT blocked

Cuban Internet (aka “Intranet”)For a long time, total country bandwidth was limited to 209Mb/s up, 379 Mb/s down

Based on satellite linksCuba rejected US offer for US companies to deliver internet access (Venezuelan offer was accepted)

Fiber line (ALBA-1) was installed (by China, Alcatel-Lucent); latency’s dropped in 2012During Pope’s visit in 2015, foreign press were able to register 64Mb/s – so it does exist!

Vice President, Miguel Diaz-Canel has pledged to bring broadband to Cuba households by 2020

Cuban Internet (In Pictures)

Cuban ProgressEtecsa deal to store Google YouTube content in CubaIn December 2016 home internet access became available via cable routers

30hrs at 128Kb/s at $15/month20hrs at 2Mb/s at $115/month

Verizon allows for US customers to access data while in Cuba

Piggyback off of existing infrastructureDec 2016 - Google Signed deal to put servers on island

Google partners for high speed internet at KchoStartup Weekend Havana

More ProgressPriceline\Booking.com – Reservations in Cuban hotelsPayPal – Xoom coming to CubaNetflix improvements

No more “El Paquete”!

Cuban Technology Policy ThreatNo real privacy

ETECSAPersonal correspondence, medical records, private messages, phone conversations are all fair game; Phone taps, hidden microphonesStill government censorship (keyword filtering and monitoring)

As with the Etesca deal, even though the network has opened up, data may have to stay in CubaChina (Huawei) has been tapped for many initiatives

Possible China could build a mini-great wall for CubaRevolico (Craigslist), EcuRed (Wikipedia), IMO (Skype)

Updated US PolicyWe are here! People to people educational travelCuban work visa in the US are available (salary)Cuban alcohol and tobacco is allowedBanking

Cuban national transitions will be allowed to executeUS cash and travelers checks are allowedCuban nationals can have US bank accounts

Physical business presence is allowedHumanitarian, non-commercial, research, educationCuban software is allowed to be sold in USTransport ships will be allowed more access to US ports

Network is coming, what about hardware?

Computers used to require a permitNo longer the caseLikely that Lenovo (Chinese-company) will increase trade and make pcs available

Issue is $$$, most people avg $20-30/monthDevelopers make around $500/monthHard to buy a top of the line computer with that – not to mention afford broadband internet

You can’t run a real business application on an old 386 computer

Focus on getting hardware that can handle the task at hand

HardwareTop Hardware today:

X4 - Intel E7-8893 v4 3.2Ghz, 60M cache, 9.6GT/s (~$3K/processor)Max Memory in Terabytes (1-3TB)Max Disk in Terabytes (>10TB)

Top of the line is $20K+

Cheap computers on eBay:Avg Desktop - 2.5Ghz, 2GB ram, 80GB HDD - $40

Drawback - probably can’t run Visual Studio very well

Network and Hardware check, Software?

With the US lifting the embargo, you can expect more companies to start selling software to Cuba

Mobile vs Web vs ValuePopulation with few mobile web-capable phones

Building web applications that require high bandwidth aren’t going to get you anywhereBuilding mobile apps that require bandwidth heavy features, won’t get you anywhere

Uber and Lyft will take a while to evolve in CubaFocus on Cuban entitles that need internet presence to rest of world

HotelsLarge corporationsGovernment

Plan for the futureNetwork is comingHardware is comingSoftware is coming

So what should you be thinking about?

Top Technologies you should be ready for

Office 365AzureMicrosoft Bot FrameworkInternet of Things (IOT)Workflow based technologies (IFTTT, Zapier, Nintex, PowerApps)Apps, Apps and more Apps

Office 365Benefits

No hardware requiredRelatively cheap (no word on discounted services for Cuba)

Privacy issues may require data to stay in CubaData sovereignty - digital data is subject to the laws of the country in which it is locatedWould require a data center to be built there

AzureBenefits

Same as Office 365Drawbacks

Data sovereigntyNetwork latency

Azure on-premises offeringMicrosoft Azure StackA local version of the Microsoft Azure cloudRequires some beefy servers (remember the “hardware” conversation)

Microsoft Bot FrameworkMessaging is big everywhere, not just in CubaChat bots can automate daily tasks and provide answers to basic language based queries

Luis.ai (intent and entity extraction)Examples:

What is the bus schedule?What time does the flight get in?

Internet Of Things (IOT)Network connected devices

Nest, Alexa, Home SecurityEcoBee, Honeywell LyricPrinters that reorder printing suppliesAlarm goes off, tells coffee maker to start making coffeeConnected Cars tied to your meeting schedules

Remember the Workflow conversation?Smart Cities

Energy usage adaptationPollution avoidance/reductionTraffic redirection

Workflow TechnologiesAutomating everything has become a major focus of companies and individuals

IFTTT, Zapier, Nintex, K2, AzuquaWorks with IOT devices

When you are away from home, turn off all the lights and non-essential devices to save moneyWhen you are on your way home, turn the heat onWhen you turn on the tv, dim the lights

Apps, Apps and more AppsIf the platform can’t come to you, go to the platform!Apps are a great way to make money online

Office 365, Azure, Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc – all have an app platformBased on OAuth (ClientID and Secret)

Only issue is getting your money!You may need a US bank account to put the cash intoWill also need someone to trust to send you the money!

Business Opportunities to Focus OnNews, Movies and Documentaries

Cameras, video editingHotels and large Cuban Corporations

Online presence and reservationsMicrosoft Training

New Horizons, Executrain (will UCI let you?)Get internet access to be able to deliver cloud based coursesTrain the next generation of IT for Cuba!

Hardware and SoftwareIf the cloud isn’t accessible, make your own, or help people make their own!

Business Opportunities to Focus On (Cont)Healthcare

Healthcare equipment and softwareOutsourced Development and Support Operations

Like India and China, Cuba represents a cheap workforce as compared to other countries (utilize Stripe.com)

SecurityIP Cameras, Security Systems

Look at the people focused on their phones at all the hot spots!

Advertising platform!Cuban Dating app!

Business Opportunities to Focus On (Cont)Replicate, literally, success of Silicon Valley

PayPalETECSA – Transfer credits from one user to anotherSimilar to mobile payments

Dating AppsUber/Lyft

Its already happening…Revolico (Craigslist), EcuRed (Wikipedia), IMO (Skype)

Navigating Legal WatersCuban “companies” don’t really exist

Everyone is a “Contractor”, no legal corporate entity unless you are a co-op especially not for “programmers”

Doing business in Cuba is complexBoth US and Cuba have regulations limiting operations and activitiesTax treatments, approvals make it very difficult Typically 49/51 with government having majority controlAs an outside company looking in or an inside company looking out, you will need to be very carefulAvoid “Unjust enrichment” aka “income inequality”

Getting HelpHavana Strategies, Collin and Michael Laverty, seems to have it figured out

Consider inquiring with them about any technology related corporations and how you can help

The global IT CommunityMicrosoft and other technical communities are vast and in a majority of cases, very helpful!

And if none of that works…You can always sell charcoal….

SummaryTechnology moves at the speed of light, but so does the human eagerness to learn and growCuba will catch up

Help from the “Generation Y”Be ready to take advantage of the opportunitiesBe sure you play inside the fences of the playground