Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) − a world leader in high-performance network security − today announced that it has sponsored and presented at a key government meeting organised by the Defence Information and Space Technology Department of Thailand that addressed the possible formation of a new national cyber security cooperation body, organized to help prevent malicious cyber security attacks.

The meeting in December was attended by more than 100 IT leaders and professionals from the government and private sectors. Prominent organisations present included the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy, CAT Telecom and Sri Pathum University.

At the meeting, Fortinet highlighted new threats that Thai organisations were likely to face in 2012, such as malicious cyber-attacks in the realm of mobile and cloud computing, and recommended strategies to deal with those attacks. Fortinet's threat predictions result from the research work of Fortinet’s FortiGuard threat response team, which analyses attack patterns around the globe to help enterprises safeguard their information assets from malicious attacks.

Fortinet also participated in a discussion on the establishment of a national cyber security body. The objective of this cooperative body will be to protect Thai Internet users against malicious threats.

Lieutenant General Yuttachai Panngam, Director of the Defence Information and Space Technology Department, commented: "Today’s Internet threats are sophisticated and fast evolving, coming from different channels. The only effective way to stop them is to adopt an integrated approach by linking all government agencies and tackling the threats with a single, coherent strategy."

Peerapong Jongvibool, Fortinet’s Country Manager for Thailand, said: "Fortinet is proud to support this important meeting that could revolutionise the cyber security landscape in Thailand. Fortinet takes an integrated, all-encompassing approach towards enterprise security and we believe this strategy could work for Thailand as well."

Thailand’s Defence Information and Space Technology Department is responsible for national cyber security and has previously established a Cyber Security Center (CSC) under the patronage of Office of The Permanent Secretary of Defence. The department conducts regular technology seminars to stimulate cooperation among government agencies and foster a security-aware culture.