Trend Micro Releases Video Series Predicting Cultural Impact of Technology by Year 2020

Cinematic vision highlights digital influence on society and cyber security implications

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Dec 02, 2013, 10:07 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in security software, has released "2020: The Series," a nine-part video series depicting a future driven by innovation, while highlighting the challenges of technology dependence in the year 2020. As the tech-saturated holiday season approaches with events such as "Cyber Monday," the series reveals a society that has evolved into a "Cyber Culture." With technology permeating every aspect of daily life by the year 2020, its influence on individuals, businesses and governments will transform society like never imagined. The goal of the series is to anticipate evolving security concerns and inspire stakeholders to take action.

"With cloud-based technology, most of what was considered to be science fiction is now a reality, or soon will be," said Rik Ferguson, global vice president of security research, Trend Micro. "This trend will only gain momentum as technology continues to proliferate society and, as a result, data security will be paramount. It's important to be aware of this reality in order to prepare now. Trend Micro is committed to producing thoughtful research and technology to mitigate security threats before they become widespread. Through these efforts, it's our hope that the scenarios of '2020' never occur."

The online series explores the fictional country of South Sylvania. It has embraced online technology at unprecedented levels on a consumer and corporate level, but cyber criminals have exploited digital vulnerabilities to compromise personal and financial data, disrupt elections and target critical infrastructure. This unique glimpse into a possible future has already generated a viral response from tens of thousands of viewers worldwide.

"Predicting how technology will evolve and ultimately be adopted is consistent with Trend Micro's mission," said Ferguson. "Throughout our 25 year history, we have been at the forefront of identifying security challenges and developing a solution. We were the first to identify and secure threats to servers, networks and the cloud, among others, and this tradition continues. With wearable technology and the 'Internet of Things' becoming mainstream, Trend Micro is once again leading the way to address cyber security vulnerabilities with the '2020' series."

"2020: The Series" is the result of Trend Micro's collaboration with the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance, in partnership with Europol, and is based on the organization's whitepaper titled, "Project 2020: Scenarios for the Future of Cybercrime."

To learn more about what the future holds for technology and how it can influence society, viewers can watch the complete series at 2020.trendmicro.com.

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated a global leader in security software, rated number one in server security (IDC, 2013), strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Built on 25 years of experience, our solutions for consumers, businesses and governments provide layered data security to protect information on mobile devices, endpoints, gateways, servers and the cloud. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. All of our solutions are powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, and are supported by over 1,200 threat experts around the globe. For more information, visit TrendMicro.com.

Video with caption: "Project 2020 is a cyber security web series designed to get industry, business, government and other security dependent stakeholders thinking about the cyber threats which may face them at the end of the decade so we can all better prepare for the future." Video available at: http://youtu.be/YQletWanDzQ

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated