SANS Institute has announced SANS Khobar December 2024 (7-12 December) at the Holiday Inn & Suites Hotel, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. This event, which will feature both in-person and live online courses, will address the cybersecurity skills gap in the Middle East and support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030’s goals of creating a diversified and knowledge-based economy.
Saudi Arabia ranked first globally for cybersecurity in 2024 by IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook, an achievement that the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) attributes to proactive local and global training initiatives. However, according to the World Economic Forum, there is a global skills shortage of almost 4 million cybersecurity experts, impacting the Middle East disproportionately as it expands its digital infrastructure. To support regional economic initiatives such as Vision 2030, bridging this gap is essential to both national security and workforce development.
“The shortage of cybersecurity skills can pose a major challenge for economic growth and stability in the Middle East,” said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at SANS Institute. “At SANS, we are committed to helping close that gap by providing the specialised training organisations need. Strengthening cybersecurity proficiency in teams is not optional anymore; it’s critical for securing the region’s infrastructure and creating the skilled workforce needed for sustained economic growth.”
At SANS Khobar, participants can choose from two expert-led courses, designed to build foundational skills across multiple cybersecurity disciplines: SEC401: Security Essentials – Network, Endpoint, and Cloud and FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis.
SEC401 is tailored for both emerging and experienced cybersecurity professionals, providing essential skills to secure on-premises and cloud environments. Participants will learn to develop and implement defensive strategies against modern cyber threats, equipping them with the core techniques needed to protect critical infrastructure across network, endpoint, and cloud domains.
FOR500 provides a thorough and in-depth foundation in digital forensics for Microsoft Windows operating systems. It focuses on analysing and validating forensic data, tracking detailed user activities, and systematically organising findings. With recent updates, FOR500 now further enhances the capabilities of investigators by expanding their ability to handle a broader range of forensic artefacts.
SANS Institute will also host a Community Night Talk on 9 December – ‘Using AI to Enhance Your Windows Investigations’. This session, led by Lee Whitfield, Certified Instructor at SANS, will explore how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to automate key investigative tasks, freeing up time to focus on more complex aspects of investigations. SANS Community Night sessions allow professionals to stay connected to the local InfoSec community and gain valuable insights into the latest advancements in threat intelligence.
For more information and to register for SANS Khobar December 2024 in person or online, please click here. To the Khobar Community Night, visit https://www.sans.org/mlp/community-night-khobar-december-2024/.
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