SANS Institute launches the Falcon 180 Mission, a new, exclusive regional initiative designed to strengthen cyber readiness for security professionals in the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Türkiye, and Africa. This mission brings 180 days of SANS OnDemand access, GIAC certification, and flexible participation in SANS training events across these regions into a single, structured pathway, giving practitioners a faster route from training to applied, job-ready skill.
As companies continue to focus on their cyber resilience, security teams are expected to defend more complex environments on one hand while keeping up with sophisticated threats and technologies on the other. Yet, time remains one of the biggest barriers to professional development, with 60% of cybersecurity practitioners identifying lack of time as their primary obstacle to training. Also, demands related to processes often make it difficult for practitioners to step away from their roles for long periods. The Falcon 180 Mission is developed to address this challenge by providing a structured pathway that combines flexibility with technical depth and rigour without interrupting their day-to-day responsibilities.
“The fast pace of change in cybersecurity means that professionals do not have the luxury of learning only once every few years. It must become part of the job,” said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa, SANS Institute. “Organisations need security teams that are continually reinforcing their expertise while responding to new challenges daily. The Falcon 180 Mission was developed precisely with that reality in mind, giving experts across the region access to courses that are flexible enough to learn at their own pace without stinting on the depth and quality of the training. It is a structured curriculum to stronger cyber readiness.”
Participants can revisit and reinforce concepts through hands-on exercises and practice tests to prepare for GIAC certification for eligible courses. With a flexible live pass, they can also attend the same enrolled course in person or live online at any of the upcoming SANS training events in UAE, Qatar, Oman, Türkiye, and Africa. This approach unifies self-paced learning with instructor-led engagement. The result is an 180-day learning commitment with a specific goal and a recognised credential upon completion. Created exclusively for cybersecurity professionals, this demonstrates SANS’ dedication to providing field-tested skills that can be readily applied in real-world circumstances. Falcon 180 Mission also acknowledges that businesses can increase their cyber resilience by investing in consistent and ongoing technological growth.
To further support this goal, the Falcon 180 Mission includes a limited-time 10% discount on qualified enrollments – helping professionals train in a flexible way, certify with GIAC, and strengthen job-ready cyber capabilities without stepping away from operational demands.
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