Editor’s note: Niel Harper, CISA, CRISC, CDPSE, Chief Information Security Officer, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), was recipient of this year’s ISACA Technology for Humanity Award. Harper is an ISACA Global Achievement Award-winner for “contributions to capacity building across the world towards the development of affordable, open and user-centric Internet infrastructure.” Find out more about Niel’s background and achievements in the Q&A below. Join us in recognizing Niel and the rest of the 2021 ISACA Award recipients at the Virtual Gala on 15 July, and help ISACA recognize other outstanding achievements across the industry by nominating a colleague by 31 July.
ISACA Now: Why did you become involved with the challenge of strengthening internet access and infrastructure?
NH: During my undergraduate studies in Canada, I was mentored by a senior engineer at Bell Canada, who at the time was instrumental in the company’s rollout of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) infrastructure to Canadian households. These were essentially some of the earliest commercial internet deployments, and I quickly recognized the transformational potential as it relates to human, social and economic development. After my studies were completed, I returned to Barbados (my country of birth) and was hired by Cable & Wireless, where I was a Telecoms Specialist involved in the day-to-day operations of the first internet service provider in the country. That began my love affair with all things internet-related, and I have since dedicated my career to empowering and equipping individuals to leverage the internet to improve their lives.
ISACA Now: How did you go about making a difference on such a big problem?
NH: In 2003, I joined the country-level management of AT&T Wireless International as Technical Operations Manager, and led the team that delivered one of the first GSM mobile networks in the Caribbean region. This came at a time when telecoms markets had been recently liberalized, and we played an integral part in increasing the affordability and availability of mobile internet services in the region (in under two years, Barbados went from less than 50% mobile penetration to 110%). After leaving AT&T, I worked for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) from 2006 through 2012, where I was focused on delivering internet banking services and financial inclusion, and was part of the team that launched the first mobile banking service in the Caribbean region. In 2012, I joined the Internet Society, where I delivered a portfolio of online, blended and classroom-led courses, fellowship opportunities and leadership conferences to meet the capacity-building needs of the individuals who deploy, regulate and oversee internet infrastructure and services around the world. These programs had a global reach of over 75,000 individuals in more than 100 countries, including key policymakers, regulators, judicial officers, humanitarian professionals, activists, and end-users. Simultaneously, I also advised governments, multilateral organizations, tech accelerators/incubators, and private corporations in key areas related to accelerating the digital economy in developing nations.
ISACA Now: Has the pandemic and the massive increase in remote work increased the urgency of this work?
NH: The pandemic has been a double-edged sword in bridging the digital divide. The global upheaval brought about by COVID-19 has sped up the adoption of digital solutions and services, accelerating the much-needed transition to a global digital economy. However, it has simultaneously highlighted the wide chasm between the connected and the unconnected, underscoring the fact that almost 45% of the world is still not online (more than 3 billion people). As it pertains to remote work, this has had a negative impact on access to job opportunities, financial services, education, social services and entertainment. It has also prevented individuals from communicating with friends and family and exacerbated gender issues online, among other things. So yes, the urgency of bridging the digital divide is more pronounced at this time.
ISACA Now: How satisfying has it been to be part of such important progress? And what comes next?
NH: There aren’t enough words to convey how much personal and professional satisfaction my work has given me. It still feels surreal when I think about it to be quite honest. In terms of what’s next, I am currently working with the United Nations to deliver peace and security projects across the world, with many of them including significant ICTs for development (ICT4D) components. Additionally, I am involved with Canonical (the publisher of Ubuntu Linux), supporting their important work helping organizations, nations and end users realize the significant benefits of open source software. I also want to focus more of my efforts on facilitating the growth of tech startup ecosystems in the global South.
ISACA Now: What does it mean to be a recipient of this Global Achievement Award?
NH: Receiving this award has been one of the highlights of my professional life. ISACA has played such an important role in my career, from the issuance of my certifications to numerous learning opportunities to the most enriching volunteer activities. I am eternally grateful to the organization and my peers in the ISACA community for deeming me a worthwhile recipient of this award.