More Computer Security Experts for the Region

07/02/2011

Two hundred and ninety Latin American and Caribbean experts received training during the workshops organized in 2010 by the AMPARO Project (www.proyectoamparo.net), a significant contribution for strengthening the regional Internet community so that it can face the major computer security problems that may occur in the countries of our region.

The AMPARO Project – an initiative that LACNIC has been promoting since 2009 – encourages the adoption of computer security practices such as Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRT). This project is part of the services that LACNIC offers to its members and to the community as a whole, and it receives financial support from the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada.

Within the framework of this project, a group of notable Computer Security experts from our region coordinated by Eduardo Carozo created a series of original educational materials for teaching and training experts taking into consideration the region’s specific needs.

During 2010, based on the materials that were developed, six regional workshops were held in Quito, Santo Domingo, Mexico City, Santiago, Montevideo and Bogota. The 290 specialists that received training represent the academic, content provider, telecommunications, banking, and public sectors of 16 different countries of our region, many of whom were able to participate thanks to the partial sponsorship program offered by the AMPARO Project.

In addition to providing training for experts, these meetings allow participants from different countries to share their experiences, which in turn contributes to the construction of a regional knowledge base that will allow facing the growing security challenges posed by the remarkable increase in the number of social and economic transactions on the Internet in the best possible manner. During the course of four days, the specialists further their knowledge on the use of strategies and methodologies that allow limiting the economic and social impact of criminal actions against the region’s organizations and institutions.

The AMPARO Project promotes the dissemination of the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) methodology, for which reason it has created original content for training computer security experts in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, AMPARO strives for the growth of the community by promoting the exchange of experiences and knowledge and developing technical materials on issues that are relevant to the field of computer security.

For more information, please visit www.proyectoamparo.net.