Dear Colleague,

I'm pleased to invite you and your colleagues to attend SANS Network Security 2012 when we return to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, September 16-24. Network Security is your annual networking opportunity! SANS will bring you the best in network security training, certification, and up-to-the-minute research on the most important topics in the industry today.

If you have attended this event in the past, then you know how valuable it can be to your career and to the safety and preservation of your company's online and computerized resources. Be assured that at SANS Network Security 2012, you'll get hands-on, immersion training from SANS world-class instructors and learn what it takes to stop cyber crime for your organization. Those who attend SANS Network Security 2012 will see that SANS offers a high-energy program, hands-on labs, a huge Vendor Solutions Expo, evening talks on the most timely security challenges, plus a myriad of networking opportunities.

Choose from an extensive lineup of more than 45 hands-on immersion courses with in-depth training in security, forensics, management, or coding and development. The full courses are listed below by discipline for your planning convenience. Our hot new courses are Security 575: Mobile Device Security and Ethical Hacking and Security 642: Advanced Web App Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking. Also note Security 660: Advanced Penetration Testing, Exploits, and Ethical Hacking. If you have already taken Ed Skoudis' course, Security 560: Network Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, this next-level course by Stephen Sims is for you! And if you are having trouble managing IT projects, Management 525: IT Project Management, Effective Communication, and PMP® Exam Prep will not only help with that, but it will also help prepare for your PMP® designation.

Be sure to visit our schedule page where you can also select a short, skill-based course to maximize your training investment. Begin the week with our one-day Management 305: Technical Communication and Presentation Skills for Security Professionals course. One of our two-day courses might fit nicely with your longer course! Look for our two-day (September 23- 24) Cloud Security Fundamentals course and nine others -- all new and cutting edge. Many of the hottest courses will sell out, so register today!

The SANS Technology Institute (STI) offers a Master's Degree in Information Security Management and Master's Degree in Information Security Engineering. Many of the courses offered at SANS Network Security will count towards one of these Master's Degree programs once you apply for admission. Don't miss the opportunity to take courses that will advance your education toward a Master's Degree in your field.

We already said that networking opportunities abound at SANS Network Security 2012. Along with your course, you can attend the SANS@Night presentations, evening talks with keynote speakers, and our Vendor events. SANS Network Security 2012 Vendor Expo is being held on September 18-19, and provides a look at vendor products and solutions that can help address your organization's key security issues. In addition, our vendors will be featuring Lunch & Learn sessions and Cocktail Briefs throughout this event.

Don't miss the opportunity to participate in NetWars - Tournament Play with Ed Skoudis. Do you really know your way around networks? Do you think you can find security flaws on a local machine? Can you remotely take control of a service? Are you able to analyze evidence to determine attacker activities? If so, NetWars, a virtual competition enabling players to test their abilities and demonstrate their offensive and defensive skills, is for you! In the past year, the NetWars competition helped scores of players demonstrate, develop, and refine their skills.

This industry changes daily, and the challenges you face are undoubtedly complex. If you have pen testers, forensics experts, and application and software developers on your staff, get them to come to Las Vegas. They will bring back knowledge, skills, and tools that they will put to work the day they return!

See you in Las Vegas!