SANS Institute announces training program to bridge security skills gap in GCC region

SANS Institute has announced a training program to bridge the security skills gap in the GCC region. SANS Institute has announced its forthcoming online and in-person training program, SANS Gulf Region 2021, which will take place from November 6th to November 25th, 2021. The engaging program, taught by industry specialists, aims to build practical skills that attendees may immediately put to use. The program is divided into nine courses that cover a wide range of cybersecurity methods in a thorough and entertaining manner. SANS Gulf Region 2021 offers a complete training experience that covers everything from fundamental skills to detecting and reacting to attacks, finding gaps in an organization’s security architecture, and effectively conducting penetration testing and ethical hacking activities.

“Synchronous with the acceleration in remote work due to the pandemic, the cyber threat landscape is rapidly evolving in the GCC region. Consequently, the need for relevant and updated security increases as cybercriminals take advantage of this ongoing shift to execute attacks on vulnerable networks. By participating in and implementing learnings from regular training programs like SANS Gulf Region 2021, organizations will be better prepared to detect and prevent security breaches, even before they can escalate and disrupt workflow,” said Ned Baltagi, Managing Director – the Middle East and Africa at SANS Institute.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a global provider of cybersecurity solutions, released its latest threat intelligence report in August 2021, revealing that organizations in the UAE alone have experienced at least one intrusion and have been targeted for attack 295 times per week on average in the last six months. This is due in large part to a cybersecurity skills shortage in their workforces. The epidemic has resulted in a significant and continuous digitalization of the corporate sector in the GCC area. This gap must be adequately bridged for enterprises to navigate future digital transformation successfully.

 “Reskilling and upskilling employees will not only bridge the skills gap, but also go a long way in ensuring that businesses are safe from irrecoverable losses of data, repair time, and financial damage. SANS is committed to boosting the level of cybersecurity skills and the number of skilled and certified professions in the region through our Live Online courses and In-Person training programs in 2021 and coming up in 2022,” Baltagi adds.

Through live-streamed workshops, the program will provide practical instruction from prominent cyber security practitioners. It will include hands-on laboratories and content from electronic and physical books, including some that correspond to GIAC certifications.

Classes will be given in SANS’ innovative In-Person Live-Stream (IPLS) format at SANS Gulf Region 2021. Participants can come to the training location and train in a classroom with live help from expert Teaching Assistants while adhering to global and local COVID standards and World Health Organization (WHO) requirements.

The In-Person Live-Stream Dedicated Classroom and the In-Person Live-Stream Study Hall Setting are the two types of In-Person Live-Stream. The majority of the courses for this event will be held in a Dedicated Classroom setting, where like-minded attendees can meet face-to-face to discuss case studies, lessons learned, or learn about new tools and tactics. The course teacher will be live broadcast into the classroom rather than being physically there.

 “In-Person Live-Stream also shows the flexibility SANS has demonstrated throughout the pandemic. Whilst we offer In-Person training as well as complete online training, In-Person Live-Stream aims to offer the best of both worlds by allowing students to interact together and study in a dedicated and quiet space, without the distractions from their home environment and with direct access to our world-class instructors as well as certified and knowledgeable teaching assistants,” Baltagi explains.

Moses Frost, for SEC588: Cloud Penetration Testing, and Ovie Carroll, for FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis, are the teachers at the forthcoming Gulf Region 2021 online event. Bryan Simon for SEC401: Security Essentials: Network, Endpoint, and Cloud; Mike Pilkington for FOR508: Advanced Incident Response, Threat Hunting, and Digital Forensics; Tim Medin for SEC560: Network Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking; Joshua Wright for SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, Exploits, and Incident Handling; Joshua Wright for SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, Exploits, and Incident Handling Justin Searle is teaching ICS410: ICS/SCADA Security Essentials, Eric Conrad is teaching SEC511: Continuous Monitoring and Security Operations, and Robert M. Lee is teaching ICS515: ICS Visibility, Detection, and response.

Organizations will be better prepared with a course of action to overcome even the most sophisticated threats by attending SANS Gulf Region 2021 while also benefiting from relevant and up-to-date tools to safeguard their operations.

Except for the SEC401 and SEC511 courses, which begin at 10 a.m. and end at 8 p.m., Gulf Standard Time, the majority of the In-Person Live-Stream and simultaneous Live Online classes begin at 10 a.m. and end at 6 p.m., Gulf Standard Time.