SANS Returns to Riyadh with Training Courses to Ramp Up Local Cyber Security Skills in Saudi Arabia

Following an overwhelmingly positive reception to its training events in Riyadh and Khobar last year, SANS, the global leader in cyber security training, has announced its return to KSA with 'SANS Riyadh July 2018'. The six-day training event will take place from the 28thof July to the 2ndof August and will feature hands-on courses that enable IT professionals to rapidly up-skill in fundamental areas of cyber security including network security, threat management, cryptography and defence against attacks targeted at Microsoft’s Windows operating system (OS).

In the last two years, SANS has doubled down on its investment in Saudi Arabia as large-scale cyber-attacks exposed the dire need for a local pool of professionally trained and certified cyber security professionals. Earlier this year, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Cyber Security and Programming Federation to collaborate on SANS offered programs to evaluate and strengthen cyber security skills.

With the goal of empowering organizations and to protect the most widely used OS in the Kingdom, Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at SANS said, “With nearly 85% market share[1], Microsoft Windows is by far the most dominant OS in Saudi Arabia, especially in professional environments. It serves as the platform upon which all major verticals in the Kingdom have built their IT infrastructures which is why threats against it can cripple business, and even disrupt critical services. Investing in Windows forensics analysis will not only help to mitigate this major threat, it can also unlock the wealth of data that is silently recorded by the OS to help strategically guide business policies.”

‘SANS Riyadh July 2018’ will take place at the Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski, Riyadh and will feature two courses, FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysisand SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style, both of which will run for the entire duration of the event.

SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style will teach attendees how to develop effective security metrics, analyse and assess cyber risk, and create robust security programs anchored on the tried and tested PREVENT-DETECT-RESPOND strategy. 

Attendees of the SEC401: Security Essentials Bootcamp Style and FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis courses will be prepared for the GSEC and GCFE certifications respectively. Registration for both courses can be made by visiting https://www.sans.org/event/riyadh-july-2018.