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.

Travelers from Saudi Arabia took full advantage of this year’s extended Eid Al-Adha break, turning the six-day (June 5-10) holiday into an opportunity for cultural exploration, both at home and abroad. While many residents jetted off for short international getaways, the Kingdom also welcomed millions of foreign pilgrims during the Hajj season, driving a steady increase in travel to Saudi Arabia and spending.

According to Visa’s Travel Pulse: Eid Al-Adha Edition, international travel by Saudi residents rose by 25 percent compared to the same period in 2024. This growth was driven by a strong preference for shorter trips, with 69 percent of travelers from the Kingdom opting for brief weekend getaways. They also made 21 percent more purchases abroad and spent 13 percent more overall this Eid, reflecting a preference to maximize the holidays with quick trips abroad.

This Eid, international getaways became an opportunity for many Saudi travelers to indulge in retail experiences. Shopping led the way across all major destinations, influencing not just how people spent, but also where they chose to go.

•UAE led as the top international destination, welcoming 14 percent of Saudi travelers and accounting for 23 percent of total international spend. With an average spend of $635 per card, fashion took center stage — seven of the top 10 merchants were in the shopping and apparel category. Among the top brands were Dubai Duty Free Stores, Hermes, and Cartier, reflecting both a preference for convenient airport shopping and a strong appetite for luxury. Dining and entertainment were also high on the agenda.

•Nine percent of travelers went to Turkiye, making it the second most popular destination. It captured 15 percent of overall holiday spend with each visitor spending an average of $653 per card.

•While the UK attracted a smaller share of travelers from Saudi Arabia (6 percent) and overall spend (12 percent), it captured the highest spend per card at $839. This figure reflects the destination’s premium retail appeal, with shopping leading how Saudi visitors chose to spend.

Meanwhile, the Hajj season continued to play a meaningful role in Saudi Arabia’s economic landscape. Compared to the same period last year, the Kingdom saw a 7 percent increase in the number of foreign pilgrims, who made 16 percent more purchases during their stay. While overall spending grew by 4 percent, key shopping categories remained unchanged, including food, medicine, and other everyday needs, with smaller portions of spend going toward clothing and travel-related services.

“Whether it’s a short break or a meaningful pilgrimage, having a simple and secure way to pay matters at every step of the journey,” said Ali Bailoun, regional general manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman at Visa. 

“We are proud to support that through our unique data insights and seamless, reliable payment solutions, and to contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by helping create more connected, inclusive and seamless payment experiences across borders.”

For businesses and banks, Visa’s Travel Pulse offers unique insights to improve the payment experience for Saudi Visa cardholders traveling abroad or opting for local experiences.