SEC540: Cloud Security and DevSecOps Automation™
SANS London December 2024 London, United Kingdom
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Profile
For over a decade Ahmed has been providing training in various capacities. Starting with mentoring new team members at work to providing training to clients on various security topics, teaching them about hacking concepts and the possible effects on their infrastructure. His first interaction with SANS was in 2013 when he took both SEC401: SANS Security Essentials and SEC560: Network Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, earning both the GSEC and GPEN certificates. By that point at his career, he had taken many classes, exams, and attended many seminars but felt none of which came close to how practical and comprehensive the SANS courses were. A few years later, after realizing he wanted teaching to be an integral part of his career, SANS was his first choice. He is also a faculty member of the SANS Technology Institute, an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and multiple winner of the National Cyber League competition.
Ahmed often hears from students that the biggest challenge with DevOps and Cloud is the vastness and intensity of the topic. With so many concepts and tools in use, it’s unusual to have experience with it all. However, he has found that this can also be a source of excitement for many students.
When it comes to learning, Ahmed relies on two key words: fundamentals and practice. As the instructor, he feels the responsibility to ensure students fully grasp the fundamentals of a topic first and then build on that by practicing real-world scenarios. This equips them with the knowledge needed to be able to find answers on their own back at work. Additionally, he constantly emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and digging deeper into the concepts. Finally, he makes sure students have access to communication channels with instructors and other students for future discussions.
In the classroom, Ahmed’s ultimate goal is to send students back to their jobs with take-aways that can be implemented immediately and have a measurable effect on overall security operations. Ahmed’s most important strength as a teacher is his immeasurable professional experience across a myriad of topics in security. He has studied DevOps and Cloud Security thoroughly and used his job to practice incorporating DevSecOps into operations. This combination of theory and practice equips him to teach students how to implement what they learn in their jobs.
Ahmed holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science along with a myriad of professional certifications including: GIAC GSEC and GPEN, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional, AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate, CEH, JNCIS-FWV, JNCIA-IDP, and CCNA. He’s fluent in both English and Arabic and when not in front of a computer screen, he is practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which he describes as a form of martial arts that is all about solving technical problems.
Additional Contributions By Ahmed:
