“ Eventually ,” says Roy , “ I became their Director of Caribbean Operations and a certified GIS instructor and continued with this role throughout university .” After graduating in 1996 , Roy continued to work with the company until 1997 when he left to begin his first business venture , which was an IT consulting company .
Roy has always had a knack for identifying areas of technology that could be better utilized , and this first business was no different . They were partners with Microsoft , which was just beginning to delve into what we know today as remote desktop . “ Back then , this technology was in its infancy . But we realized its potential to be used as a tool to remotely support our clients ' IT systems . This gave us a competitive advantage because our clients didn ’ t have to wait for somebody to physically show up to their location since we could help them remotely ,” says Roy . “ Word started spreading and before we knew it , we had established what is known today as a Managed IT Services company .”
Roy continues : “ Eventually , we started receiving feedback that our clients wanted further support with things like internet connectivity and telephone issues , so we started looking into what it would take to add these services and transition the company to a broadband service provider that specialized in remote IT support .”
As Roy became more experienced , his interest in technology and communications , instilled in him thanks to his father , only grew stronger and became something he could use to his advantage . Roy wanted to solve technology and communication problems that would have a real impact within the community that he grew up in . So , he started looking at how he could bring high-capacity internet to his hometown islands and realized it could be achieved via satellite .
“ We became a distributor for a satellite broadband company , and we were not only the first to introduce broadband internet to the island of Sint Maarten but we were also pioneers in introducing broadband to several other islands and worked alongside incumbent telecommunications companies to improve their internet capacity to the U . S . internet backbone ,” explains Roy . “ Growing up in the Caribbean , my dad and several mentors along the way taught me the importance of learning to improvise by creating your own opportunity , and this endeavor was no different .”
During the 10th year of their operation , a government study on the telecom sector revealed Roy ’ s broadband firm had secured a significant 56 % market share . This revelation sparked a fierce bidding war among larger telecom companies , ultimately culminating in the sale of the firm to an international telecommunications corporation . In the aftermath of the acquisition , Roy assumed the role of chief operating officer , and later he took on the position of Interim CEO . What initially was intended as a two-year commitment surprisingly extended to 4 1 / 2 years before Roy ’ s decision to return to the United States . Subsequently , he secured a leadership position at a telecom engineering firm , where he remained employed for five years .
CREATING AURORA INFOTECH
After this successful venture , Roy turned his attention to a new prospect — Aurora InfoTech . Founded in 2016 alongside his wife , Aluska , their goal was to compile everything they had learned thus far and use it to serve their clients better . “ We wanted to take the knowledge we gained at what we call the carrier level in telecommunications , combine it with our experience in communication , security and IT management best practices , and figure out how we could bring these services to small to medium-sized markets . One thing we always had to consider in the field of telecommunications was that we operated under some of the most stringent compliance , security and regulatory environments . So I often tell people , we were in cybersecurity long before it was known as cybersecurity .”
As before , Roy and Aluska identified a massive void in the market and knew that cybersecurity would become integral to the businesses they supported . “ Providing broadband internet was alluring to people , whereas providing cybersecurity was not . However , we could see that the digital landscape was rapidly changing , and we knew it was our duty to educate businesses about the risks they faced ,” says Roy . And this emphasis on a security-centric , customer-based approach is what really sets Aurora InfoTech apart . “ We work with many fast-growing companies who know their security always needs to be top of mind ,” Roy explains . “ Our clients are not only focused on security but are looking to implement technology solutions to better secure and streamline their businesses .”
Today , Aurora InfoTech focuses primarily on the architectural , engineering and construction markets with an eye for companies that have 15 or more employees or $ 5 million-plus in revenue . With a team of 18 highly trained members , Aurora InfoTech is uniquely positioned to be highly proactive when it comes to cybersecurity , risk assessment and compliance . In 2021 , Aurora InfoTech was named as one of the Top 250 Managed Security Services Providers worldwide . But no matter how many clients they serve or benchmarks they achieve , Roy knows it ’ s all thanks to his father ’ s dedication to his amateur radio hobby that sparked his interest in technology and culminated in Aurora InfoTech as it is today .
Visit aurora-infotech . com to learn more .
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