Aspects of the Computer Misuse Act were today explained by Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development, Senator Lynette Eastmond, during an address to a local business consortium at Manor Lodge.
She was the guest of Rhema Business Consortium, a group of young entrepreneurs involved in the legal and information technology (IT) professions, which hosted today’s seminar entitled “Securing Your IT Infrastructure”.
The event was aimed at familiarising business people with some of the dangers associated with having computer systems in their offices and sheding more light on The Computer Misuse Act and Data Protection Bill.
Senator Eastmond noted that “if we are going to create a dependence on IT, we must also secure the systems used for storing data”.
She alluded to a recent business study undertaken by KPMG which revealed that there was a considerable lack of awareness and not enough attention paid to security in the business community, or by ordinary Barbadians who have computers.
“I was involved in an informal dialogue recently and someone expressed the view that government needs to do something about making sure that companies have security plans in place.
While the government can do a lot of things, for example effecting the necessary legislative framework, I don’t think the government should now have to develop plans for individual companies, because such plans would differ according to what type of business you possess,” she said.
Senator Eastmond explained the importance of the Computer Misuse Act noting that government had a policy of promoting the use of information communication technology and electronic commerce.