West Australian Family Zone Cyber Safety Limited (ASX: FZO) has launched into the Asian market with the announcement a new software licensing and collaboration agreement with Hong Kong-based edutech developer 180C Limited (180C). 

Perth-based Family Zone first entered the education market in mid-2016 with the aim of providing cyber safe, user-friendly technology wherever children access the internet. The company’s approach, using a partnership model called “School Community” to facilitate collaboration among schools, parents, cyber experts, telcos, device manufacturers and other stakeholders, has seen it quickly grow into one of the largest providers of cyber safety technology to the education sector in Australia and New Zealand. Currently Family Zone has 600 school clients across Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Family Zone Managing Director, Tim Levy, said the agreement was a very exciting development for Family Zone, demonstrating the power of Family Zone’s approach to cyber safety. “Our partnership with 180C brings us a swift route to a new and much sought-after feature set in education, and a streamlined presence into the material and strategically important Hong Kong education market. We are pleased to partner with the team at 180C.” 

180C is a Hong Kong-based technology provider specialising in education and device management technologies. Its flagship offering, ‘eSchoolPad’, is a device management platform that enable teachers and schools to finely control devices used by students within the classroom. The platform is sold directly to schools and also through partners that include the education division of Hong Kong Telecom, growing an active customer base of around 200 schools and 25,000 devices. An additional 300 schools are registered in trials.

Although Family Zone does currently provide some device management features with its ‘Mobile Zone’ on-device technology, the agreements with 180C will allow Family Zone to provide a deeper range of device management capabilities for education providers and enable Family Zone to access an exciting market opportunity in Hong Kong, on the doorstep of China. 

Freddy Tsang, Managing Director of 180C Limited, said he looked forward to working with Family Zone to bring world's best practice cyber safety programs to the Hong Kong education sector. "We're excited to join forces with the dynamic and fast-growing Family Zone. We believe our eSchoolPad product has global potential and we see Family Zone as the ideal partner to help us achieve our ambitions."

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