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low is a company of many ‘firsts’: It was the first (and still the only) com-pany to offer bundled telephone,

cable and internet services in Jamaica; the first to offer customized cable packages; the first to offer free on-network calls, and the first telecommunications compa-ny to offer 100 megabyte-per-second in-ternet speed, making Jamaica one of only 20 countries in the world with this speed. And all of this has been accomplished in just five years of existence! Flow, under the umbrella of its parent company Co-lumbus Business Solutions (CBS), is pre-paring to further up the ante in the local telecommunications industry with a slew of new, cutting-edge technologies and services for both its residential and busi-ness clients that should make the next five years even more revolutionary.

Among the products that will be rolled out – some by year end – are internet protocol (IP) surveillance systems for in-creased home and business security. “IP surveillance isn’t new, but what we’re seeing coming out of some of the IP sur-veillance companies is the ability to re-ally see good quality pictures,” said Sha-ron Roper, Vice President of Marketing. With the old technology, it was hard to see images clearly and the number of im-ages one could view at the same time was limited. However, “one of the advantages of the Flow network is because of our fi-bre optic technology, we can carry huge amounts of data traffic and video traffic... This allows us to be able to support these new applications that require high-defini-tion video content,” she explained.

In addition to better image quality and real-time, multi-camera feed, the Flow system will also allow the user to plug in

pre-programmed analytics so that if the camera spots a specified activity, it flags it as an alert. “IP surveillance is something that obviously is going to be of real ben-efit to security for the government, the [Jamaica Constabulary Force], company security as well, hospitals and schools... We’re working with businesses and the government to see how we can deploy that,” Roper stated.

Easier Payment OptionsFlow is also making it easier on companies to afford the IP surveillance infrastruc-ture with an option to lease the system and pay for access monthly. “You don’t have to find that big capital investment up front,” Roper said.

The same technology and payment plan are also available to customers using the company’s videoconferencing solution. This service connects Jamaica to an inter-national network, allowing large business-es to maintain their global reach while reducing travel time and expense. “Again, the videoconferencing solution that Flow is bringing is high-definition quality. It al-lows you to tune in [from] multiple loca-tions and it’s real-time so you don’t have that buffering, that delay with the audio and the video, so it makes the quality of the interaction much more productive,” Roper said.

Ffor fifth AnniversAry

Flow Rolls out New INveNtoRy

Flow, under the umbrella of its parent company Colum-bus Business Solutions (CBS), is preparing to further up the ante in the local telecommu-nications industry with a slew of new, cutting-edge technolo-gies and services for both its residential and business clients that should make the next five years even more revolutionary.

Sharon Roper, Vice President of Marketing

byTracey-Ann Wisdom

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Living in the CloudFlow is also one of the pioneers of cloud technology usage locally and regionally through a partnership with Ignition Tech-nology Group. “Flow has been offering data backup for several years now. That’s where you store your data in a remote server… Our data centre is actually built in Curacao because it is outside the hur-ricane belt. It is outside the US, so you don’t have to transit your content via the US, which is a great advantage because of the Patriot Act,” Roper explained. The CBS server meets Tier III requirements, which means it has the necessary capacity to remain fully operational in the event of major power outages.

In addition to data, companies can also use applications stored in the cloud. This is particularly beneficial to small business-es and start-ups, many of which cannot afford to purchase all the necessary hard-ware and software they need to func-tion at full capacity. Roper explained that companies can lease the cloud service and pay for each application as it is used. “It means you get the latest applications, so you don’t have to [purchase them] be-cause in the cloud, we manage and main-tain that and we make sure it is always the latest and it’s updated,” she added.

Flow’s thrust to always have the latest technology available to its customers about “enabling the future. Our chair-man’s mantra is that ‘our job is not to predict the next wave of technology; our job is to enable the next wave of technol-ogy.’ We don’t know what that is going to be, but it is not possible without a strong infrastructure to carry that data and video traffic,” Roper said.

There are several other major firsts in the Flow pipeline, such as 300 mbs internet speed. This will make Jamaica only the second country in the world with that capacity, the first being Scandinavia. Pres-ently, business customers can purchase an eight-megabyte connection (suitable for small companies) or a direct fibre connection that comes into their buildings (suitable for large businesses like banks), with up to 40 gigs of data traffic capacity. Other new products include Flow Apps,

which allows users to access the internet via cable box; Flow Everywhere, which allows subscribers to access IP television content as well as the internet on mobile devices like iPads and smartphones and Flow Unplugged, which sees the company partnering with several companies across the country to make its WiFi service avail-able to their customers.

The product was tested at this year’s Ja-maica Jazz and Blues Festival to great re-views. “When we launch, it will be for ev-erybody, but as it evolves, we will always keep it free for Flow customers,” Roper noted.

“Our chairman’s man-tra is that ‘our job is not to predict the next wave of technol-ogy; our job is to en-able the next wave of technology.’”

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“This is How We Flow”The Flow network currently covers ap-proximately half of Jamaica, and as the company sets out to make its presence felt in the other 50 per cent, it has engaged some of its most dedicated customers to help fuel its expansion. The ‘This is How We Flow’ advertising campaign features unscripted testimonials from several cus-tomers telling how the company’s ser-vices have helped make their lives better.Flow has also helped to make life better for several communities across the island, providing free internet and cable to over 100 primary and high schools in Jamaica since inception under its Building Leaders through Technology initiative. “When we came into Jamaica, we saw that we need-ed to focus on education and young peo-ple. A lot of our sponsorship and com-munity projects are working with young people. We saw how the technology could really improve the way we deliver education and the way people experience learning,” Roper stated. “It’s about giving the future access to the future.”

Flow also partners with several NGOs to help inspire young people and create leaders. One of these partnerships is The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s (PSOJ) Youth Upliftment Through Em-ployment (Y.U.T.E.) programme. The company is currently offering internships for several of the programme’s partici-pants and several staff members will act as mentors. The company also sponsors several cultural and sports initiatives, such as the all-island basketball league. Over-all, Flow has spent some J$300 million on community- and youth-based activities.

Sharon Roper (left) interacting with her staff.

“When we came into Jamai-ca, we saw that we needed to focus on education and young people. A lot of our sponsor-ship and community projects are working with young peo-ple. We saw how the technol-ogy could really improve the way we deliver education and the way people experience learning,”

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ince its early days as an ‘exclu-sive’ brand for creatives, Apple has moved into the mainstream

and taken a bite out of the competi-tion with its cutting-edge technology and innovative products and services. It has staked its claim in virtually every sector of the technology market, from computers to smartphones and got ev-eryone hooked on tablets with the iPad and iPad2. However, one area in which it has yet to make any serious inroads is online video content.

This might come as a bit of a surprise, considering that iTunes has a signifi-cant market share in the online content market. However, iTunes is primarily known for selling music, even though it does provide video content, which cur-rently claims a measly four per cent of the online video streaming market. The news that video streaming site Hulu is up for sale could very well be the solu-tion to Apple’s problem, but there are definitely come challenges to address.

Hulu has revolutionized the way peo-ple view their favourite programmes in four short years by providing top network shows, movies and other video content from over 260 provid-ers on demand, both free and with its subscription service, Hulu Plus. Apple certainly has all the necessary tools to make this work: the iPod Touch, iPhone and both iPads are all optimized for video streaming, the iTunes video store could do well with the new content, plus the Apple TV would move from being a cute “hobby” to a major rev-enue earner. According to Ryan Lawler

from online media, events and research provider GigaOm, “Apple has report-edly been working for years to build a subscription video service that could rival pay TV. Buying up Hulu would fi-nally give it that service to offer to its customers, without Apple having to do the hard work of building a consortium of willing partners to do so.”

Another major benefit to Apple would be in ad sales. The majority of Hulu’s revenue comes from ads and the com-pany has created inventive ways to attract advertisers, including branded player skins, survey ads and custom in-stream video ads. “In the first quarter, Hulu had nearly 300 video advertisers on its site and delivering ads to various mobile and connected devices. Mean-while, Apple’s own iAds product has largely fallen flat,” Lawler pointed out. “A side benefit of a Hulu acquisition would be bringing its ad technology and ad sales teams into the fold to help Apple with its own products.”

Despite the obvious potential benefits, the major drawback to a Hulu acquisi-tion is the very thing that makes Apple desirable to customers - its exclusive nature. It might be hard to convince Hulu to abandon its agenda of distrib-uting as widely as possible and integrate it into the Apple fold.

At the end of the day, would it benefit Apple more to own Hulu exclusively or do what it has always done, which is build out its own alternative? Apple is said to be in preliminary discussions with the Hulu principals, but whatever decision it takes, it needs to act fast as competitors like Google, Yahoo! And Amazon.com are also said to be mak-ing their bids and Apple can’t afford to lag further behind in this sector of the market.

IS ACqUIRING HULU the Best Decision for AppLe?

S

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TradEmarksTrademark is a distinctive sign (including a word or personal name), design, letter, num-

ber and colour which identifies certain goods or services as those produced or provided by a specific person or com-pany; for example: Apple, Lasco, Singer, and Tastee.

A trademark protects the holder’s right of ownership and interest by ensuring that he has the exclusive right to use the mark (symbolized by ™ or ®) to identify his goods and/or services, or to authorize another person or entity to use it in return for payment. A reg-istered mark allows you to guarantee the quality of goods and the standard of service it is associated with. This is a part of your brand as well, denoting high quality which creates confidence in consumers that they are purchasing the very best.

A trademark gives your business an ex-tra edge over competitors and reflects your company’s reputation; therefore, any infringement can lead to loss of business for you, especially if your mark ends up being associated with anything negative, such as substandard or dan-gerous products. Some ‘knock-offs’ are so cleverly designed that only intense scrutiny can spot differences. Trade-mark protection restricts the efforts of unfair competitors from using similar signs to market or promote their goods or services, or different goods or ser-vices from using your mark.

Trademarks are protected for 10 years upon registration, and this period can be renewed every 10 years indefinitely. You can view the registration process on the JIPO website (http://www.jipo.gov.jm/?q=node/40). Unlike copyright, trademark registration attracts several fees, including a non-refundable appli-cation cost of J$3,500.

Before you are allowed to register your trademark, you have to do an exten-sive search to ensure you are not copy-ing – however inadvertently – another business’ identifier. Experts suggest that you avoid common words that cannot be protected and go for “fanciful” or “suggestive” names that creatively con-vey the unique nature of your business or product, like Coppertone suntan lo-tion, or make something up, like Haa-gen-Dazs. After you have registered, it is also advisable to do occasional checks to see if your trademark is being ille-gally copied or used in any way. Should you come across an infringement, seek the advice of a lawyer trained in intel-lectual property rights who can draft a cease-and-desist letter and pursue further legal action should you take the case to court.

Intellectual property rights issue are generally not uppermost in the average young entrepreneur’s mind as he goes about starting his business; however, these concerns must be factored into your plans, regardless of the industry you are involved in. Many businesses around the world lose millions of dol-lars annually due to trademark infringe-ment. If you are not sure of what steps to take to protect your intellectual property, contact a lawyer to help you get started.

InTELLECTuaL PrOPErTy PartII PRotectINg youR

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A registered mark allows you to guarantee the quality of goods and the standard of service it is associated with. This is a part of your brand as well, denoting high quality which creates con-fidence in consumers that they are purchasing the very best.

“Jakes is about love. Love for the place, and love for its people.”

his is the conclusion of “Jakes’ Story” on the Jakes Resort website, summing up how the

Henzell family has devoted itself to the development of the quiet fishing village of Treasure Beach in St. Elizabeth. The community has been the family’s home since the 1940s and is now a model of sustainable, eco-friendly tourism in Ja-maica.

Jason Henzell now sits at the helm of the family business and has made it is his mission to preserve the Jakes legacy while supporting and creating opportu-nities for residents of Treasure Beach. Some of his initiatives include the Breds Treasure Beach Foundation, which he founded in 1998. The mission of Breds is to promote education, sports, cultur-al heritage and emergency healthcare. It is led by a board of community volun-teers and funded through grants, indi-vidual donations, and proceeds of char-itable projects. Over the years, BREDS has completed a number of vital proj-ects, including constructing homes for the less fortunate in conjunction with Food for the Poor and sponsoring com-munity football and cricket teams.

Some of the current Breds projects in-clude the Treasure Beach Sports Park, which was started last year. The Park will be built in four phases, culminat-ing in a 15-acre recreational area with a cricket pavilion, football fields and a

children’s playground. Phase one, fea-turing a football field, bathroom and changing room was opened recently. Phase two, consisting of a cricket pitch and two additional football fields, will be opened on September 10. “This will create even bigger opportunities for sports leadership and sports tourism,” Henzell said.

Another major programme under the Breds umbrella is A Ganar (Spanish for ‘to win’), a six-month employability, mentorship, adult literacy and work ex-

perience programme sponsored by the NCB Foundation and USAID. Forty-five young people from Treasure Beach, aged 16-24, will graduate from the pro-gramme next month. Some have al-ready secured employment while oth-ers, like Roshane and Oshane Dennis and Andrew Scott have started their own businesses. The Dennis twins have started a landscaping company while Scott has started a web-based commu-nity radio station, Hi-Def.

Henzell is also involved in other areas of community development, such as the new Farm-to-Table dinner initia-tive, focused on agricultural develop-ment and agro-tourism. Tables are set up on farms on the Pedro Plains and a chef is brought in to prepare meals for the farmers and visitors. Eight sold-out events have been held thus far. Addi-tionally, he is also working with the Min-istry of Agriculture and Fisheries to cre-ate a fishing sanctuary in Galleon Beach, near Black River. This will be the first of its kind in the region.

Henzell has received numerous awards for his commitment to service and community, including the 2008 PSOJ Corporate Social Responsibility Hon-our Roll Award for Community In-volvement and the 2010 NCB Nation Builder Award. “Our niche is commu-nity tourism, so the community must see the benefits,” he said.

JasOn HEnzELL the PRIde oF tReasuRe Beach

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philanthropy in action

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Jason Henzell now sits at the helm of the family business and has made it is his mission to preserve the Jakes legacy while supporting and creating oppor-tunities for residents of Treasure Beach.

byTracey-Ann Wisdom

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