The Information Security workshop was so relevant and helped to address issues that I have at work, for example, how to write polices and conduct penetration tests. The course instructors delivery and approach is one of the best I have experienced particularly the hands-on labs.
All the logistics and care given to make sure the fellows are looked after was just awesome as well. I am benefiting a lot and I believe my company will as well.
— Alice Solon, PNG
The experience gained from the APNIC 46 workshops and conference gave my organization some agendas to work on, including:
- Migrating OSPF to IS-IS in order to distribute the routing information through a single Autonomous System within an IP network.
- Deploying IPv6 in our network as part of our upgrade plans that we have in place to grow our services not only in Fiji but the Pacific region as well.
- Validating DNSSEC to be activated after the KSK Rollover.
— Filipe Tukana Gauna, Fiji
Attending the APNIC conference was life changing for me. l made friends with all fellows from different nations, and networked with APNIC Secretariat staff and industry experts, many of whom gave me some really helpful advice for career in IT — l have just graduated from university and am currently looking for a job.
The Women in ICT session was particularly inspirational and made me want to be a professional in IT even more.
— Annisa Wulandari, Indonesia
The Satellite Internet Connectivity session on the first day of the conference provided a great overview and discussion on the current status of satellite Internet projects happening in the Pacific, including the advantages and disadvantages of technologies being used and developed and how satellite is being more readily made available and affordable.
The Pacific Internet Development session was also great! It was heart touching to hear about the Internet and infrastructure development challenges that some of our Pacific neighbours are facing, as well as some out-of-the-box ideas they are coming up with.
One topic discussed that really got my attention was data collection. From my experience, data collection is one of the most important assets in the computing environment and I really hope in the future I will learn more on this and have a chance to attend a workshop to further my knowledge on this.
— Waldek Thomas Leilua, Samoa
APNIC 46 was a vital update in my professional knowledge and experience, providing a true opportunity to learn about industry best practices and latest trends that are necessary in preparation for coming changes and challenges in the Internet industry.
The Internet Security Workshop provided a great foundation on the skills and knowledge we need to know as well as further learning resources that we were able to take back with us to help improve our organizations' security.
During the Women in ICT session, my fellow friend, Selu, from Tonga, whose background in engineering, gave a truly impressive and inspiring speech about the challenges of working in a male dominant ICT sector.
— Tugsorshikh Badarch, Mongolia
Working in the mining industry, we mainly deal with Cisco routers, firewalls and switches. The main routing protocols we use in our organization is BGP for EGP, and EIGRP for IGP between our offsite branches.
The IPv4 and IPv6 Routing workshop at APNIC 46 introduced me to dual stacking and a newer IGP (Interior Gateway Protocol) called ISIS, which is more robust than OSPF or EIGRP. Throughout the course I was picturing how I can remove EIGRP and implement ISIS in our organization and implement IPv6 in parallel with IPv4.
One very important lesson learn also was BGP attributes and how it affects the route selection. The instructor was very good and clearly explained the process and when to implement it. The PBR and prefix list used in path selection was really good for scenarios when you have dual active paths to the Internet and you want to load balance.
All in all, the workshop and conference was very useful and I look forward to attending more of APNIC events and trainings in the future.
— Titus Mai, PNG
APNIC 46 was an educational and well serving event. I learnt many skills during the workshops and conference, including using Linux for the first time as well as cybersecurity tools CyberChef, Netcraft and Bennish. I have started to adapt security in my daily life.
I conducted a debrief session with my colleagues at when I returned. They were overwhelmed with the keynotes and lessons from the workshop, which we all agree will add value to our operations and maintain security in our products and for our customers.
Thank you APNIC and all of the sponsors for supporting all us fellows to attend. And thank you to all the fellows for the new beginning of a long lasting friendship.
— Rashna Priya Lingam, Fiji
Two of my favourite lessons from APNIC 46 came from the Information Security Workshop facilitated by Jamie Gillespie, Jon Brewer, and Jethro Tambeana. During the Password Control session, we learnt what constitutes a weak and strong password, ways that hackers can hack passwords, and how to make passwords stronger. During the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery session we discussed the importance of developing a strategy for when things will inevitably go wrong. This is extremely crucial in every organization and something that we will plan on improving at our campus.
— Steven Mamaril, Guam
My favourite presentation at APNIC 46 was 'Endpoint Protection: Last line of defense?', presented by Ms. Raja Azrina Raja Othman during the FIRST TC. I think that being aware of what the current cybersecurity threats that we may encounter can help us better safeguard our important information and data from being compromised, either accidentally or intentionally.
Of course, I won’t forget the Information Security Workshop conducted by Jamie Gillespie, Jonathan Brewer and Jethro Tambeana. They are such amazing instructors, easy to understand and follow. They make sure that the topic is understood before moving to the next lesson. The University of Guam will definitely benefit from this workshop as we can apply what was learned in the classroom.
— Eugene Adanzo, Guam
The Women in ICT session motivated me to continue to pursue a career in ICT once I graduate and provided great tips on how to progress. The APAC ICT Women mailing-list, launched during the session is also a great initiative to allow women in the region to share their experiences and encouragement.
The APNIC Member meeting was also interesting. I learnt about how Internet governance and policy help to make the Internet better. It makes me want to contribute in the future.
— Rilla Gusela Sumisra, Indonesia
I attended APNIC 46 with the aim of broadening my network security knowledge and learning from security experts, having attended similar vendor specific security trainings previously.
I will be able to use some of the network security skills I acquired through APNIC 46, including device hardening and implementing DNSSEC.
— Patrick Waikilin, PNG
When the the fellowships for APNIC 46 were announced, I was not just happy to see my name but so many other Tongans as well, including five females.
Not only did we learn so much technical knowledge from the workshops and conference but the opportunity also allowed us to meet people from outside our regular networks and learn about their culture and challenges, some shared. As such, we have gained knowledge and wisdom.
Having talked with the other Tongan fellows after the conference, we've all come to realize that it has also developed our relationships and made us closer as local ICT engineers. We now work more closely with each other than before we left.
— Seluvaia Kauvaka, Tonga
The 'Women in ICT' panelists did a great job of empowering young women, like myself, to pursue their career in ICT. In my line of work, I often gets comments about my gender from my customers but I use these comments as motivation and encourage young women to do the same.
The 'Pacific Internet Development' session was also great, as the presenters discussed the difficulties Pacific islands faced with the Internet. These types of discussions helps us to share our experience and work together to develop the Internet and provide services to the islanders at an affordable price.
Lastly, I was so grateful to have met and exchanged information with the network engineers from around the region and abroad.
— Gina Mahe, Tonga
I strongly believe that participating in the Information Security workshop was the perfect choice for me.
Cyber security is my favourite topic because it's real and potential threats have a significant impact to the way we plan, design, develop, and implement our current systems. Despite limited resources and knowledge in the Pacific, these informative workshops, combined with being able to network with peers and experts during the conference, provides a strong foundation.
I humbly wish to say a BIG thank you to APNIC staff, all speakers and trainers, and the major sponsor, OPT, for this opportunity, which has been a real eye-opener.
— James Ah Wai, Samoa
I was extremely delighted and in awe of the level of knowledge and experience shared by the technical experts who presented and attended APNIC 46. The Q&A arrangement for every session was a bonus as it allowed for further clarification and deliberation, which was really useful if you didn't fully grasp a concept.
The transparent reporting by the APNIC EC was a clear sign of good governance and working policies.
The experiences, friendships and networks I got from attending APNIC 46 were great. I'm sure we'll cross paths in the future, if not at an APNIC event then within the community
— Eida Siming, PNG
Raja Azrina’s keynote presentation on the fact that security requires a multidisciplinary approach and should be from top management down and not bottom-up was a key lesson I took away from the conference. It was also great to meet with her face-to-face and discuss her role in establishing Malaysia CERT and see what I can take back to CERT Tonga.
— Mele Sikimeti Manitisa, Tonga
Thank you for the tremendous opportunity to participate at the APNIC 46 Conference. I am very pleased with the overwhelming support I and other fellows received to make this event a successful and memorable one
Truly I have learnt a lot during the conference week and am so amazed at the way most speakers are very knowledgeable on the topics they were presenting. I had the opportunity to mingle with every fellow, presenter and organizers and have learnt a lot from you all.
I now look forward to be a better member of the APNIC Alumni and to contribute ideas and more towards APNIC's goals and vision for the Asia and the Pacific economies.
— Robert Awateng, PNG
Credits:
APNIC