Fortinet Collaborates with Edukasyon.ph to Educate Children in Philippines on Internet Safety

Edukasyon.ph, DepEd received illustrated book on cybersecurity awareness  

Media Release:

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MAKATI CITY — FORTINET, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, further strengthens its commitment to educating the global community on cybersecurity as it collaborates with Edukasyon.ph, a leading online education platform for youth in the Philippines.

Complimentary copies of Fortinet’s “Cyber Safe” book will be given to Edukasyon.ph and the Department of Education (DepEd) as a part of this initiative.

Keeping children safe on cyber world

In addition, copies of the children’s book, “Cyber Safe: A Dog’s Guide to Internet Security,” will be given to parents and educators who register for the livestream event to be conducted by Fortinet and Edukasyon.ph. Through this collaboration, Fortinet aims to raise the youth’s cybersecurity awareness by informing parents and educators about cybersecurity and encouraging them to be involved in cyber safety to protect children in the digital world.

“Amid the pandemic, internet usage greatly increased among the youths due to online and remote education as the new norm. This develops new threats that affect the children’s privacy, safety, and security. For that reason, parents’ and educators’ protective boundaries apply not only physically but also digitally. At Fortinet, we have been committed to educating, and empowering communities through knowledge and necessary skills to deal with cyber threats, especially educating youth on good cybersecurity hygiene. Fortinet has pledged to train 1 million people to help close the cybersecurity skills gap globally across the next 5 years through Fortinet’s Training Advancement Agenda (TAA),” said Louie Castañeda, country manager of Fortinet Philippines.

Co-authored by Renee Tarun, Fortinet’s deputy CISO and vice president of Information Security, the “Cyber Safe” book provides an easy-to-understand introduction to possible dangers for children connecting online for school, video games, and streaming videos shows, and more. The internet can be a truly valuable resource, however, it can also be a playground for things like cyberbullying, malicious content, and bad actors who seek to prey on children and their families for things such as identity theft, criminal activity, and more.

The book was officially endowed via a virtual event, “Asking for a Friend: How Can Kids Stay Safe from Digital Threats,” which delved on the cyber threats that youths may face amid the digital world, identify suspicious behavior, and what parents can do to keep children safe online.

The event featured Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez, a celebrity mom, as the host and speaker of the event. The panel, on the other hand, was composed of Louie Castañeda, country manager of Fortinet Philippines, Z Gonzales, head of product of Edukasyon.ph, and a DepEd representative.

“As we, at Edukasyon.ph, continue to empower students, enabling them to pursue their chosen career and life through our platform, we also want to protect them from the growing threats online that could disrupt their lives and learning. Through this virtual event, Edukasyon.ph and Fortinet will train parents and educators on how to recognize cyber threats, what action they can take if it arises, and how they can keep the children safe from existing and emerging digital threats,” expressed Grace David, CEO of Edukasyon.ph.

This youth outreach with Edukasyon.ph and DepEd is part of Fortinet’s global CSR (corporate social responsibility) commitment to creating awareness among children. It also reinforces Fortinet’s skills gap initiative to build cybersecurity awareness at a young age, helping to create a safe online environment for everyone.

Meanwhile, aside from this initiative, Fortinet also provides access to an award-winning cybersecurity training curriculum, known as the Fortinet Network Security Expert (NSE) program. Through its NSE Training Institute, Fortinet offers free self-paced cyber awareness courses via NSE 1 and NSE 2 to further develop foundational cybersecurity skills, complementing the “Cyber Safe” book. In 2020, the NSE Training Institute also launched the Information Security Awareness and Training Service available for free. Parents and educators can use this service to raise their cybersecurity awareness to protect their children.

Fortinet and Edukasyon.ph’s livestream event was held on December 4, 2021, at 4.00PM. (/)