KINGSTON, JAMAICA – July 4, 2025
In a landmark move to bolster Jamaica’s digital resilience, Precision Cybertechnologies and Digital Solutions (PCDS), a member of the ASSL Group, officially launched the Precision Cybersecurity Lab Initiative in partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. The launch event, held at the S Hotel Kingston, brought together distinguished leaders from government, academia, and the private sector in a unified call to action against rising cyber threats across the Caribbean.
With a US$75,000 investment, the newly commissioned Cyber Lab—housed in the Department of Computing within UWI Mona’s Faculty of Science and Technology—aims to become a national center of excellence for cybersecurity education, advanced research, and regional collaboration. The initiative underscores a strategic investment in human capital, digital innovation, and regional security at a time when cyberattacks are growing more frequent and sophisticated.
Bridging Education and Industry
Delivering remarks on behalf of UWI Mona Principal Professor Densil Williams, Deputy Principal Dr. Tomlin Paul described the lab as a model for 21st-century education.
“This marks the beginning of a landmark partnership between UWI Mona and Precision Cybertechnologies, a company already leading the way in securing digital infrastructure across the Caribbean,” said Dr. Paul. “It is a direct bridge between higher education and the workforce.”
A Call to Protect, Not Just Connect
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Tyrone Anderson, Senior Director in the ICT Division, emphasized the national urgency of digital protection:
“Together, let us build a future where schools, institutions, and citizens are not just digitally connected, but digitally protected.”
PCDS Vision: From Defense to Threat Hunting
Dr. Ronald Walcott, Managing Director of PCDS, presented a compelling vision for proactive cybersecurity.
“Our belief is that we should be active hunters, not passive defenders,” he stated. “We can hunt down malware and destroy them before they intrude.”
Dr. Walcott announced that the Jamaican lab, along with a sister facility in Trinidad, will form the backbone of a regional threat intelligence platform to support academia, government, and private sector stakeholders.
Why It Matters: A Regional Threat Landscape
Delivering the keynote address, Delroy Simpson, Chief Technical Director at the Ministry of National Security, provided sobering statistics:
“Latin America and the Caribbean endure over 2,600 cyberattacks per organization per week—well above the global average,” he warned. “Cybercrime is projected to cost nearly US$1.2 trillion globally by the end of 2025—58 times Jamaica’s GDP in 2024.”
A Regional Commitment from the ASSL Group
The launch also marked the formal introduction of PCDS into the Jamaican market. As the Caribbean’s premier managed cybersecurity provider, PCDS currently operates in Barbados, Guyana, and St. Lucia. Its expansion into Jamaica reflects the ASSL Group’s broader commitment to regional cyber-readiness through technology transfer, workforce development, and public-private partnerships.
Other notable contributors at the event included Dr. Curtis Busby-Earle, Associate Dean at UWI Mona, and PCDS Chairman Richard Smith, who delivered the Vote of Thanks. The evening was elegantly hosted by media personality Debbie Bissoon.
About PCDS and ASSL Group
Precision Cybertechnologies and Digital Solutions (PCDS) is a subsidiary of the ASSL Group, a regional leader in security and technology solutions. Through innovation, strategic partnerships, and deep-rooted regional presence, PCDS is redefining the cybersecurity landscape across the Caribbean.
