Zscaler expands public data center footprint in Kingdom

Saeed Agha, vice president of Emerging Markets at Zscaler
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Updated 05 July 2025
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Zscaler expands public data center footprint in Kingdom

Zscaler, Inc., a provider of cloud security solutions, has announced the strategic expansion of its public data center infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its long-term commitment to the Middle East’s dynamic digital economy. This move enhances the availability of Zscaler Private Access in the region and supports growing customer demand for secure, scalable cloud solutions that align with local compliance and data sovereignty requirements.

As digital transformation accelerates across the Kingdom, Zscaler’s expanded infrastructure ensures lower latency, improved performance, and full alignment with Saudi Arabia’s regulatory landscape. The data center investment allows organizations across the region to embrace cloud-first strategies with greater confidence, enabling seamless, secure access to applications and data — regardless of user location.

“We’re deeply invested in the Middle East’s digital future,” said Saeed Agha, vice president of emerging markets at Zscaler. “Our growing presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a reflection of our commitment to helping organizations adopt Zero Trust architecture at scale, while assuring to meet the highest standards of data privacy, sovereignty, and operational resilience.”

Zscaler’s approach is anchored in three core pillars:

• Data localization and customer control: Zscaler adheres to strict privacy by design principles. Customer content is not stored, logs are tokenized and encrypted, and logging data is retained only as long as necessary — within preferred geographies.

• Transparency and government access: Zscaler maintains a firm stance on transparency. In 2024, the company received 91 government requests for user data and disclosed none — reinforcing its customer-first data protection philosophy.

• Built for resilience: Zscaler’s global cloud infrastructure is engineered with multi-layered failover, disaster recovery, and service continuity, ensuring businesses remain securely connected even during outages or disruptions.

With more than 150 data centers globally — including an expanding footprint in Saudi Arabia — Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange platform enables organizations to securely connect users, workloads, and devices across distributed environments, all while reducing risk and complexity.

This latest milestone follows Zscaler’s successful presence at LEAP 2025 and further strengthens its position as the trusted security partner for governments, enterprises, and critical sectors across the Middle East.


Dubai Shopping Festival’s sporting events turn city into hub for outdoor action

Updated 31 December 2025
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Dubai Shopping Festival’s sporting events turn city into hub for outdoor action

The Dubai Shopping Festival is raising the bar this winter with a high-impact sporting calendar that runs throughout December and January, transforming the city into a hub for elite competition, community fitness and outdoor action. 

From professional basketball to baseball games, polo tournaments, half marathons, and horse racing, the festival brings together athletes, families and spectators for a dynamic winter season of sport. The diverse lineup of events strengthens DSF’s role in supporting Dubai’s active lifestyle, showcasing world-class sporting venues and encouraging community engagement during the city’s peak outdoor season. 

Key sporting events taking place during DSF: 

Dubai Racing Carnival 

  • Race days: Jan. 2, Jan. 9 and ongoing dates until March 13. 
  • Location: Meydan Racecourse 

The flagship winter racing season features international horses and top jockeys. 

More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/dubai-racing-carnivaland https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/dubai-racing-carnival-festive-friday 

Silver Cup 

  • Date: Jan. 10-Jan.24 
  • Location: Al-Habtoor Polo Resort and Club 

Silver Cup, part of Dubai’s prestigious polo calendar, sees six of the world’s best teams go head-to-head in a 20-goal handicap. 

  • More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/silver-cup 

Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge — Build-Up Ride 4 

  • Date: Jan. 4 
  • Location: Al-Qudra Cycle Track 

The last of the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Build-Up Rides is designed to help cyclists build their stamina ahead of the ultimate challenge. 

  • More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/spinneys-dubai-92-cycle-challenge-build-up-ride-4 

Hood to Coast Dubai 2026 

  • Date: Jan. 10 
  • Location: Al-Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve 

Hood to Coast Dubai challenges teams to conquer a series of relay segments through expansive desert trails, with each runner taking on their leg before passing the baton. 

  • More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/hood-to-coast 

Skechers Performance Run — Race 4 (16k/10k/5k/3k) 

  • Date: Jan. 10 
  • Location: Meydan 

Enjoy a fun day out for the whole family at this popular community race offering various distances, where participants can run along the traffic-free roads of Meydan. 

  • More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/skechers-performance-run 

Marina Home Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon 2026 

  • Date: Jan. 11 
  • Location: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club 

One of the largest races of its kind in the UAE and the Middle East, this half marathon will mark its 23rd edition in 2026. 

  • More information: https://www.visitdubai.com/en/festivals-and-events/dubai-events-calendar/dubai-creek-striders-half-marathon 

A citywide sporting season 

With events spanning elite international fixtures, community runs, polo tournaments, multi-distance races, trail challenges and recurring racing nights at Meydan, DSF strengthens Dubai’s winter season for sport, well-being and outdoor experiences.