Palo Alto Networks has announced its partnership with CyberHub, an initiative by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, to provide students from 31 universities across Saudi Arabia the opportunity to learn about the cybersecurity landscape and enhance their skill set to advance their professional careers.
In line with the aims of Saudi Vision 2030 to support continued investment in education and training, this collaboration will provide access to three online courses to the 12,000 students enrolled with CyberHub: Foundation, Gateway and Essentials, all delivered via Moodle®. The first course, Foundation, is open from now until 30 June 2020, introducing students to today’s cybersecurity landscape, threat prevention and next-generation security technology for network, cloud and endpoint. These initial courses will prepare students to take a formal industry-recognised certification in future — Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA) PCCSA — providing a good grounding in cybersecurity techniques for future careers.
Students also have opportunities to hear directly from experts at Palo Alto Networks. Last month, Vicky Ray, a principal threat intelligence researcher from Unit 42, also gave an introduction to threat hunting, covering the essentials for anyone looking to get into the field of threat intelligence, including introductory demos of some of the most common tools used by top cyber threat researchers around the globe.
Commenting on this strategic partnership, Ercan Aydin, regional vice president at Palo Alto Networks, Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: “The cybersecurity challenges posed by today’s digital society mean we have an ever-increasing need for advanced skills in this area. This collaboration will help develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent and bridge the skills gap.
He added, “At Palo Alto Networks, our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. In this difficult period where it’s not possible for students to attend their normal classes, we hope this initiative allows aspiring cybersecurity specialists to continue to study, learn and expand their knowledge, helping towards their future careers.”
The CyberHub aims to assist Saudi students from across the Kingdom and support student clubs in the cybersecurity field to match the Saudi labour market needs. SAFCSP’s objective for this initiative is to build and support tech communities to exceed over 30,000 beneficiaries by the end of 2020.
The Cybersecurity Academy by Palo Alto Networks equips students with next-generation cybersecurity knowledge and skills to succeed in today’s changing industry landscape. It offers faculty training, hands-on labs, modularised curriculums and virtual firewalls at no cost to qualified academic institutions. In the few years since the program launched, it has grown to have more than 750 partner institutions in more than 68 countries worldwide. For more information on the benefits for both students and faculty, please visit: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/services/education/academy