SANS Riyadh February 2025 to Equip Saudi Professionals with Cybersecurity Skills Essential for Vision 2030's Growth

Mid East Info

28-01-2025

As Saudi Vision 2030 drives economic diversification, SANS Riyadh February 2025 prepares cybersecurity leaders for the digital future.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – January 2025 : SANS Institute, the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications, has announced its first training event in Saudi Arabia for 2025 – SANS Riyadh February 2025 , set to take place from February 8 – 13, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Riyadh Olaya. Targeting critical sectors such as banking, energy, and government, SANS Riyadh aims to empower professionals with the practical skills necessary to combat the growing complexity of cyber threats in the Kingdom and across the Middle East.
As Saudi Arabia reduces its reliance on oil, cybersecurity is a major facet of its long-term economic strategy. In 2024, Saudi Arabia witnessed a surge in cyber threats across various sectors. According to a report by SOCRadar, Dark Web activities involved 72 threat actors making 166 postings, focusing on selling compromised data and credentials, highlighting the urgent need for advanced data protection measures. The Retail Trade sector was the most targeted, accounting for nearly 23% of these activities. Additionally, the Kingdom experienced 88 ransomware incidents, primarily targeting manufacturing, information, and construction industries, with groups like LockBit 3.0 and Cl0p dominating the landscape. Events such as SANS Riyadh contribute to this growth and help professionals sharpen their skills to strengthen the defenses that protect critical infrastructure across the Kingdom and the region.
SANS Riyadh February 2025 offers three courses, tailored for both in-person and online participation, allowing flexibility for attendees.
LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership will equip IT and security professionals with the tools to develop and implement comprehensive cybersecurity strategies, including policies and leadership skills, and participants will benefit from hands-on experience with business case studies, real-world scenarios, and executive presentations.
LDR414: SANS Training Program for CISSP® Certification is an accelerated training program designed to prepare students for the CISSP® exam, focusing on the 8 domains of knowledge defined by (ISC)². The course will provide in-depth coverage of each domain, sharpening analytical and technical skills necessary to pass the exam and become a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®).
SEC566: Implementing and Auditing CIS Controls will teach students how to defend systems by implementing the Center for Internet Security's (CIS) Controls, focusing on managing and assessing cybersecurity hygiene, and enabling professionals to apply proven security measures across complex networks, including cloud environments.
'As Saudi Arabia and the Middle East accelerate their digital and AI initiatives over and above global standards, cybersecurity teams need to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated threats.' said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director, Middle East, Africa and Turkey at SANS Institute. 'SANS Riyadh February 2025 is more than a training event, it's a gateway for professionals to gain real-world expertise and insights directly from top practitioners in the field.'
Attendees and professionals are also invited to the SANS Community Night session on 10 February, featuring a presentation on Enterprise Security Architecture by Principal Instructor Mark Williams. This interactive session will provide insights into the evolution of enterprise security architecture and its application in today's cybersecurity landscape.
About SANS Institute:
The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Today, SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cybersecurity training and certification to professionals in government and commercial institutions worldwide. Renowned SANS instructors teach more than 60 courses at in-person and virtual cybersecurity events and OnDemand. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates practitioner skills through more than 35 hands-on, technical certifications in cybersecurity . The SANS Technology Institute , a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers master's and bachelor's degrees, graduate certificates, and an undergraduate certificate in cybersecurity. SANS Security Awareness , a division of SANS, provides organizations with a complete and comprehensive security awareness solution, enabling them to manage their 'human' cybersecurity risk easily and effectively. SANS also delivers a wide variety of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, webcasts, podcasts, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system–the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to support and educate the global information security community.