News Release

Government of Colombia and Cisco Partner to Drive Digital Economic Opportunities and Develop Cyber Security Workforce for Colombian Communities and Businesses

Addressing One of Colombia’s Top National Priorities with a Commitment to Train Over 10,000 Colombians in Cyber Security Skills in First Year
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May 08, 2019

San Jose, CA May 8th, 2019 – Cisco and Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez today announced joint efforts  to fund and develop secure digital solutions addressing key social and economic goals in Colombia through the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program. These efforts will focus on supporting several priorities from Colombia’s National Development Plan that advance citizens’ quality of life, create jobs and workforce education, and enhance global economic competitiveness. 

“Working with government, industry, and academia in Colombia, Cisco’s CDA program aims to help redefine healthcare and education, create digital age jobs and enable Colombia to be a leader in Latin America in the new digital economy,” said Michael Timmeny, SVP & Chief Government Strategy Officer, Cisco.

CDA Colombia will drive projects with the goal to advance citizens’ quality of life, create jobs and workforce education, and enhance global economic competitiveness. Together with government leaders, entrepreneurs, academics, ecosystem partners and technology companies, Cisco will address the following areas:

  • Innovation in Education, Health and Digital Government: CDA Colombia will focus on co-innovation with key institutions in these areas of national interest. 
  • Cyber Security:Partnering with the National Government and the Organization of American States (OAS), Cisco intends to establish a Cybersecurity Innovation Council in Colombia and is already building cyber security skills through foundational, advanced networking, and IoT trainings. This initiative will be part of a broader partnership with the OAS that seeks to strengthen cybersecurity capacities in Colombia.
  • Enhancing Entrepreneurship and Digital Skills:Cisco will expand its Networking Academy program to include partners such as Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA), focusing on fostering technology entrepreneurship, networking, and developer skills for all Colombians.   

About CDA

Cisco developed the concept of Country Digital Acceleration to stimulate global digitization. Cisco is collaborating with governments in selected countries to strengthen digital research and education, stimulate digital entrepreneurship, accelerate innovation, develop new economic clusters and improve national infrastructure. Each CDA programme has been developed to meet the needs of the respective country. So far, more than 300 projects have been launched on smarter transport, smart cities, eHealth, cybersecurity and connected education. More information at https://newsroom.cisco.com/cda.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow's digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

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