By TONI PRADAS
“In Cuba there is much creative energy,” he piropeó to computer Island who is today considered the father of the Internet, Vinton Gray Cerf, Turing Award (sort of Nobel science of zeros and ones) and vice president of Google infocivilización.
the assessment, expressed stutter by “the evangelist” network of networks and fussy oenologist, had no traces of preacher manipulation or effects of alcohol, so that was welcomed by the audience of his recent lecture at the XVI Convention Informática 2016. after all, we might think, said nothing they did not already know Cubans.
Difficult, however, that talent has been crystallizing at least in the dimension that the country has dreamed since September 1996.
on that date was carried from the Capitol of Havana the first full Internet access , 64 kilobits per second through costly satellite channels. It was a crumb that allowed Cuba the US government, Jealous achiever, yes, its rules of economic blockade. It was not much, but it was something. And it was that way for many years: a bandwidth whose difference from the one used by almost all interconnected planet, could be regarded as a steam engine, with respect to compression turbo car large displacement, fast and furious .
As it was, the diamond-in imaginary vertical axis building with the dome and with a very serious story that gives laughter, symbol of the beginning of the Carretera Central, without anyone noticing it started pointing also kilometer zero of the global information highway for themselves, born and unborn networks.
Perhaps there deserves a plaque set in bronze to remember the event that took place almost 20 years ago. Or how about a plate-hologram to be in tune with new technologies?
To be precise, it suffices to recall that even before Cuba had put a flag in the crags of Internet, just was granted his country domain. Had much to do that creative energy that praised Vint Cerf, as the specialists managed to stay in Canada a site gopher (network system that organizes files within menus, which link to other files, images, databases and menus). Scientific, educational, institutional and Cuban social information was already in cyberspace.
At the same time, another Internet service was not closed off to us, e-mail, he became the crack oxygenated knowledge before they can have the desired full access.
with these axes in the doublet, the scientific sector of the country has its navel in information, I was able to cook a state policy for the use and coherent development of new technologies of information and communication technology (ICT) so we can propose boosting the strengths achieved by society after decades of educational enrichment.
to that goal then aimed only a handful of countries and in Latin America, only Mexico. But unlike these, the priority for the island was the social and collective use of ICT.
From the cross to the arrow, the software
Raudo, in 1997 the State appealed to all sectors of the economy through the strategic guidelines for the computerization of Cuban society, as defined by the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers.
in essence, communications networks, computers, information, services and people: guidelines for a comprehensive approach to the elements that could materialize the purpose were drawn. All this in the area of greater safety, security, legality and clear rules that would ensure IT development and prevent the application of inconsistent, outdated and unsustainable, which would not allow a harmonious and integrated development of society, or worse, would favor inefficiencies and trastabillones processes
a point end of the previous century, already served five strategies horcones to computerize the country: training and development of human resources. Telematic Health Network (ultimately, the figurehead of native networks); computer security; IT development with the territorial sectoral and intersectoral projects; and external partnerships.
No one doubts since that cross the arrow, is the software industry the cardinal for binary development desired in each quadrant of the archipelago course.
related thematic lines as educational software, integrated automation, intelligent buildings, programs bioinformatics and pharmaceutical industry, production of medical equipment, process simulation and simulators equipment for learning and computer business management, among others, projects revealed . as good opportunities that can explore companies beating their masochistic keyboards
what’s more, with an impressive record, developers of the national software have managed to maintain a flow of increased exports and more or less stable, although discreet .
However, despite the unique in the world that store hundreds of universities and research centers, some knowledge of these; more professionals who are dedicated to information management and programming; even when attests the sector to be suitable for insertion in the international software market, developing this industry is still unfinished and either difficult, solutions are not written on the edge or bottom of the page.
The most visible obstacle has alpine dimensions: worldwide Cuba has poor image as a software producer country. According to some sources noted, was in the X International Convention and Fair Informática 2004 that began to create some visibility for the external market, internationally present Incusoft (Cuban Software Industry), a group created with the aim of combining the individual efforts of various institutions in this field, in order to achieve robustness that would penetrate more effectively in the digital bazaars in the world.
Coincidentally in 2004, the University of Information Sciences (UCI), created two years earlier, began to have a productive presence in the software industry with the development of iT projects, mainly related to the computerization of society and export.
This temple computing higher education, with 14 development centers softwares, gave a radical turn to industry in Cuba, and even how it was being handled by companies.
in that way, after a rigorous evaluation process in October 2015, all these centers UCI obtained international certification Integration Capability Maturity Model (CMMI, initials) for their production processes. The organizations that have demonstrated best practices across borders in the development and use of software.
is given during the closing of said Computer event 2016 he was given certification and corresponding plate to its leadership Miriam Nicado . So the UCI became the first Cuban institution that receives such wink avatar should open paths to the industry of the algorithms in the competitive business world.
“A lot of creative energy”, had observed hours before the Dr. Cerf with his gestures Lord, while Malcolm Johnson, deputy secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), recognized the prestige of Cuba in the field of skills and knowledge of ICT.
Playing on cyber board
If you reach this paragraph someone does not understand why the commitment to this industry, predominantly primermundista, worth the stop to see that Cuba, with such gifts , could become the main supplier of the software used, in order to eliminate dependence on foreign existing software. That being so, obviously eliminate safety risks and would allow the use of the national market as a testing laboratory for future exports and a process of import substitution.
Today, facing a possible new scenario on board national cyber-apparently, the country could access the necessary software, but also acquire new noncommercial obligations, this may be the right time to chisel with a steady hand the domestic industry cerebration.
of course, other setbacks revuelan on the matter. The first of these, inexperience in management and marketing software. Not to mention that international marketing happens today largely through the gorges of the fast fiber Internet, from the promotion of a product or service, your online purchase and subsequent maintenance and updating.
Internet talk about the good, the broadband is provided that US President Barack Obama to Cuba-but yet-able lock with frankly exposed to undermine the system purpose, for the same as it was a permitted day . full access to the Infopista drip with gasps
An important part of the software industry that has developed on the island has a scheme rather “analog” version: its promotion classroom (in fairs or personnel management), delivery is on physical media and payment, customer training and updating rarely occur online.
Even with such ballasts, several producers have managed to get hold of packages and programs While competitive -may come to mind some softwares Azcuba-, not only in the island but relative to their counterparts in international offer.
also been able to establish a stable and prosperous domestic market, while is often minimized in the analysis of some strategists, eager for hard currency and polished.
Another letter that must be taken into account is the phenomenon of migration. On the one hand, the developed countries do not have the ability to form entire workforce demand in computer branches and have sanctified an open immigration policy of attraction that allows them to meet the shortfall. Although Cuba is not the most affected by this practice, also receives a significant blow.
The other sleeve the same subject is the exodus to other branches of the economy, self-employment and some better informal paid work.
the provision of iT services to households is a niche market where demand has been neglected by established companies, not to mention that have become private computer groups with programs not only to foreign companies inside and outside of Cuba, but at the same state sector, in some cases ransacked by the departure of its experts.
the recent creation of the Union of Information of Cuba (UIC), born to group ICT professionals , belonging to the state sector or self-employed, maybe I can be the platform where the two hemispheres of the creative energy that saw the father of the Internet, after a national industry thriving and revealing software cohesively integrated.
Meanwhile, the Youth Club of computing and electronics, think first Cuban institution in the socialization of information technology, also boasts the ability to jump to the software market. In fact, in many of its more than 600 facilities scattered around the gator there are specialized centers in the development of these productions, specialized personnel and, most surprising. Enthusiasts community today atomised potential
who knows if Vinton Gray Cerf wise was not piropeando engineers and technicians who admired his listeners at the Convention Palace of Havana; maybe he was telling them there-he does know where light- that Cuba could live the vernacular software until the Malecón dry.
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