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Due to the rapid evolution of new technologies and the increasing complexity of cyber threats in the Middle East, there is a significant skills gap in the cybersecurity industry. To address this, organizations need to focus on increasing cybersecurity education and training through industry certification programs, while also creating a supportive work environment that emphasizes ongoing training and development opportunities. SANS Institute has been working closely with different government entities across many nations in the GCC region as well as globally on setting up such programs that help narrow the gap.

This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia secured second place in the global Cybersecurity Index in the World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY) by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD). “In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Strategy and the directives of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA), we are seeing an increased interest and uptake in upskilling and reskilling programs across the Kingdom. Organizations in Saudi Arabia are investing in defense-focused cybersecurity training programs that help them identify the talent they need to build their security ecosystems,” said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at SANS Institute.

With an increasing need for trained and certified professionals, SANS Cyber Safari 2023 offers nine relevant and extensive courses for cybersecurity practitioners that address the current talent shortage and specific skills that are in demand across the Kingdom. Notably, SEC503: Network Monitoring and Threat Detection In-Depth will deliver the technical knowledge, insight, and hands-on training for network monitoring engineers and security analysts to confidently defend networks, whether traditional or cloud-based. Additionally, SEC588: Cloud Penetration Testing will educate attendees on the latest penetration testing techniques focused on the cloud and how to assess cloud environments by understanding vulnerabilities, insecure configurations, and the associated business risks to their organizations.
“Cyberattacks not only affect the digital sphere but pose a real threat to national security and critical infrastructure. We firmly believe that by equipping security professionals with specialized tools and training protocols, government bodies and defense entities are prepared to defend against compromising cyber threats,” continued Baltagi. “Our curriculum is strategically tailored for both attack-focused and defense-focused cybersecurity professionals. We aim to organize as many training events per year as possible for the region, bringing our expert instructors over to train local cybersecurity practitioners.”

With both In-Person and Live Online training options for all courses, SANS Institute ensures participants can engage in their preferred learning environment. Additionally, they can avail the opportunity to attend SANS Community Night Talks which will be held on 9th and 16th October 2023. Attendees will understand how to create captivating cyber challenges and get an overview of how cyber professionals need to shift the current mindset around the acquisition and analysis of data in an investigation. Registrants will also be able to participate in an exclusive Netwars tournament, which presents various learning scenarios to allow participants to apply the techniques and skills they acquire.