sharepoint saturday cuba
TRANSCRIPT
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 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!