RIYADH — Trend Micro Incorporated Saturday announced its partnership with Saudi-based, Cybersecurity for Children Association (CyberKids) to protect the Kingdom’s children and families from an escalating threat landscape. The effort is part of Trend Micro’s global Internet Safety for Kids and Families (ISKF) initiative that is focused on helping kids, families, and schools use technology safely, responsibly and successfully. “Our daily lives have become so predominantly digital, that it is imperative for us to extend security to our children’s devices and their experiences on the Internet,” said Dr. Moataz Bin Ali, vice president, Middle East and North Africa, Trend Micro. “That is why Trend Micro set up the global ISKF initiative, which aligns perfectly with the efforts of associations such as CyberKids that are working on raising awareness in the Kingdom. We will continue to collaborate with like-minded organizations to prevent and address online risks, as well as teach good digital citizenship. The digital wilderness gets more vicious every day and we must remain vigilant and work together to develop people’s knowledge.” As part of the partnership Trend Micro will support CyberKids in a joint effort to educate children and families on online risks and raise security awareness. Trend Micro will provide educational content, participate in key events, as well as provide licenses to Trend Micro Maximum Security — a smart protection software that delivers complete, multi-device protection against ransomware, viruses, dangerous websites, and identity thieves. Moreover, to empower the Kingdom’s young generation in unleashing their creativity in areas of cyber security, Trend Micro will also sponsor the CyberKids Hackathon 2020. Company volunteers will serve as judges in the competition in addition to mentoring the children in helping them bring innovative ideas to life. All hackathon participants will also receive the Trend Micro Maximum-Security licenses. “We are laser-focused on developing and implementing best practices in cybersecurity for the kingdom’s children,” said Sultan Alghamdi, founder of CyberKids. “Our partnerships with entities like Trend Micro are vital components of this strategy to protect children in the virtual world and ensure a more safe and secure Saudi Arabia.” A Trend Micro Head in the Clouds study which surveyed remote workers in Saudi Arabia, found that only half of the respondents use a security software at home, and some 44% access public Wi-Fi when working remotely. Such findings reveal the need for individuals to take advantage of educational initiatives that will help them better protect them and their families at home in digital world. — SG