Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Cyber ​​secure city

Milan, September 27 2023 – The "Cyber ​​secure city" online portal launches today, accessible to all and free of charge, dedicated to the training and information of citizens on cybersecurity issues.

The new platform was created thanks to the Municipality of Milan and the Milan Smart city alliance, the initiative promoted by Assolombarda together with 12 companies - A2a, Accenture, ATM, Cisco, Coima, Dassault Systèmes, Enel X, Fastweb, IBM, Siemens, Signify, TIM -, which since 2020 has promoted close collaboration between the public and private sectors on the issues of developing the intelligent and sustainable city, through the experimentation and implementation of concrete initiatives for the city, its citizens and businesses.

Through free training courses provided by Accenture, Cisco, Ecole, Fastweb and IBM to spread awareness on IT security issues, in a simple and intuitive way, Cyber ​​secure city is aimed at citizens (students, male and female professionals, over 65), businesses and institutions, interested in learning about the potential and risks linked to the use of technology, in protecting themselves from risks and scams, in learning more about new technologies, in acquiring skills and improving their own. Furthermore, the portal offers courses in more than 15 languages ​​(English, French, Arabic and Chinese) and gives access to the acquisition of training credits and certifications.

"Cyber ​​secure city is a perfect example of the potential that arises from collaboration between public and private – declared Gioia Ghezzi, vice-president of Assolombarda and President of the Milan Smart city alliance –. With this initiative we highlight a fundamental theme for a city increasingly smart: IT security. Thanks to the collaboration with some of the most innovative companies in the area - Accenture, Cisco, Ecole, Fastweb through its Digital academy and IBM through its Skillsbuild platform, the first companies that joined the project offering free courses and paths - we aim to increase the level of IT knowledge among citizens, professionals and institutions, promoting an increasingly conscious use of digital tools. Cyber ​​secure city is open to all entities that wish to contribute to the project in the future, putting other training contents are available. On the other hand, we are convinced that the exchange of skills between companies and with citizens, combined with greater awareness of cyber risks, contribute to making our city safer. Furthermore, we feel encouraged by having already received expressions of interest from other important municipal administrations in joining "Cyber ​​secure city: together we can overcome the challenges of the present and co-design the cities of the future".

"Cybersecurity and digital citizenship – declared Layla Pavone, coordinator of the Board for technological innovation and digital transformation of the Municipality of Milan – are two closely related and interconnected concepts in the digital society and which are particularly close to the heart of our municipal administration Digital citizenship includes awareness of how data is collected, used and shared online. Being aware digital citizens means knowing and adopting cybersecurity practices to protect your privacy and data, as well as prevent cyber threats that can damage our online presence. But digital citizenship also entails an individual and collective responsibility in the use of digital technologies, which must also take into account compliance with online laws and ethical standards. Cybersecurity helps ensure that citizens know and respect these rules, helping to prevent and defeat cyberbullying and other forms of harmful behavior by protecting online identities. Being an aware digital citizen involves understanding the need to protect this information and use appropriate security tools. With the Cyber ​​secure city project, the Municipality of Milan, together with the Milan Smart city alliance, intends to offer a 'toolbox' useful for being able to move more easily when online, supporting citizens in becoming increasingly aware and educated to be able to seize all the opportunities offered by digital starting from the services offered by the Administration".

Cyber ​​secure city is part of a consolidated collaboration between companies, the Municipality of Milan and the metropolitan city which, over the years, has involved various areas such as the environment and energy, sustainable mobility and new methods of work, digitalisation and use of data.