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RIYADH: The cloud computing association of Saudi Arabia will hold the Saudi Cloud Computing Conference from Dec. 5-6, said a senior official.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh, emerging tech adviser and expert at Saudi Cloud Computing Association Abdulaziz AlBatli told Arab News that the conference would be held annually, featuring global keynote speakers.

SCCC, set to debut by the end of 2022 in Riyadh, will showcase the latest advancements and breakthroughs in cloud computing, explore opportunities and define the industry’s outlook.

“We are inviting people from Europe and the US who are experts in such regard. We are also inviting local talent from Saudi and the region to deliver the lessons learned and success stories for cloud adoption,” AlBatli added.

He said SCCA is collaborating with several government entities to deliver the right message at the two-day forum. However, he did not confirm or deny whether deals could occur at the hybrid event.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development support the association, according to AlBatli.

“Through these two ministries, we run our programs and initiatives, not aiming for profit but to upskilling and rescaling the talents,” he added.

SCCA trains students and employees across the Kingdom on cloud computing and emerging tech and runs an awareness exercise to upskill people in general and specialists in particular about the types, risks and benefits of cloud computing.

He said the association has trained over 10,000 people in the past year and intends to double that number in the coming years, both in cloud computing and emerging technologies.

Besides the government affiliation, the association has also partnered with private entities.

“We have joined forces with other societies or associations to deliver the utmost programs to the beneficiaries,” he added.

When it comes to mindsets, the association’s role is to provide knowledge, know-how and change management.

SCCA also informs people that cloud computing has benefits beyond lowering costs, such as providing insight into how cloud computing ensures sustainability and data recovery in case of attacks and failures.

The association is also in charge of announcing programs and initiatives, accepting and enrolling beneficiaries, and preparing them for market enrollment.

The opening panel discussion, Saudi Vision 2030 for Digitalization and Data Storage Capacity Development, will explore the urgency to opt for cloud-based solutions and the Cloud-First Policy. It will also dwell on the Saudi public sector is migrating into the cloud.