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  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum
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SANS Cybersecurity Leadership

SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum

Developing World Class Cybersecurity Leaders

January 4, 2022

To be effective as cybersecurity leaders, security managers need both technical knowledge and management skills to gain the respect of technical team members, understand what technical staff are actually doing, and appropriately plan and manage security projects and initiatives. This is a big and important job that requires an understanding of a wide array of security topics. The Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum develops cyber leaders who have the practical skills to build and lead security teams, communicate with technical and business leaders alike, and develop capabilities that build your organization's success.

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Current SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum

NEW Cybersecurity Leadership Courses in 2020 and Q1-2021

MGT433: Managing Human Risk: Mature Security Awareness Programs

MGT520: Leading Cloud Security Design and Implementation

MGT521: Leading Cybersecurity Change: Building a Security-Based Culture

MGT516: Managing Security Vulnerabilities: Enterprise & Cloud

MGT551: Building and Leading Security Operations Centers

SEC557: Continuous Automation for Enterprise & Cloud Compliance

Courses Coming Soon / In Development

MGT416: Vendor Risk Management & Data Privacy

MGT553: Cyber Incident Management

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Cybersecurity requires engagement from all levels of leadership throughout an organization. The key differentiator between these various levels is the amount of technical knowledge and business knowledge that is required to succeed. Technology knowledge is invariably greater as you move down the pyramid while business knowledge increases as you move up the pyramid with increasingly more responsibility. Roles and titles will vary across organizations of different sizes and industries but the amount of technical knowledge that an engineer or analyst requires is vastly different from that which a CISO or even a VP of Security requires.

However, as a security leader or manager we are in a difficult situation. We need to have enough technical acumen to understand our team, resolve technical disagreements, and weigh in on appropriate technical direction. At the same time, we must have enough business understanding to convey technical security topics in ways that non-technical leaders can understand and translate business drivers to our teams in ways that they in turn can understand.

That is the focus of this curriculum. To give security leaders both the technical knowledge and management skills to gain the respect of technical team members, understand what technical staff are actually doing, and appropriately plan and manage security projects and initiatives.

Cybersecurity Leadership Triads

In an effort to help our students find the right path, SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum has created two triads of courses and certifications that align to help create stronger, more well-rounded cybersecurity leaders. This entire blog post is dedicated to describing these triads in detail as well as providing a series of related resources.

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Download the 1 page flier about the Transformational Cybersecurity Leader here.

Download the 1 page flier about the Operational Cybersecurity Leader here.

Cyber42 Leadership Simulation

In 2020 we added something new to the curriculum and it has grown tremendously! We call it Cyber42. This cybersecurity leadership simulation game has been added to a number of SANS Cybersecurity Leadership courses. Learn more about the game and find the free Game Day schedule in this blog post.

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Why Take Cybersecurity Leadership Training With SANS?

  • Leadership Focused – appropriately plan and manage security projects and initiatives
  • Technical Focused – gain the respect of technical team members and understand what technical staff are actually doing
  • Holistic, Curated Curriculum – based on various job roles and focus areas
  • Hands-On Labs – extensively focused on “the how” through non-traditional “lab work” such as analyzing case-studies, participating in team exercises, and competing against classmates in Cyber42 games
  • World-Class Instructors – versatile, real-world security practitioners authoring & instructing
  • Comprehensive Courseware – access to slides, notes, audio files, labs, and additional resources for future reference
  • Certification Prep – specialized training that will help you prepare for a GIAC certification attempt

GIAC Certifications

In addition to courses, we offer six GIAC certifications, one SSA certification.

  • NEW! GSOM: GIAC Security Operations Manager
  • GSLC: GIAC Security Leadership Certification
  • GSTRT: GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership
  • GCPM: GIAC Certified Project Manager
  • GSNA: GIAC Systems Network Auditor
  • GLEG: GIAC Law of Data Security & Investigations
  • GCCC: GIAC Critical Controls Certification
  • GISP: GIAC Information Security Professional
  • SSAP: SANS Security Awareness Professional

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Challenge Coins

Hundreds of SANS Institute students have stepped up to the challenge and conquered. They’ve mastered the concepts and skills, beat out their classmates, and proven their prowess. These are the elite, the recipients of a SANS Challenge Coin, an award given to a select portion of the thousands of students that have taken any of the SANS courses. More Cybersecurity Leadership Challenge Coins are on the radar for 2021!

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More exciting milestones are on the horizon with the SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum such as a web page, additional courses, more GIAC certifications, new posters and free resources. Stay tuned!

SANS Technology Institute

Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity Management

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Designed for working information security professionals, the 15-credit-hour graduate certificate in Cybersecurity Management prepares you to build and execute strategic plans that resonate with business executives, create effective information security policy, design and deploy information security environments, and lead, inspire, and motivate cybersecurity teams. You'll learn from some of the world's top cybersecurity experts, gain hands-on technical and leadership experience you can apply immediately on the job, and emerge with 5 industry-recognized GIAC certifications. A 100% online option is available.

Applications are accepted monthly. Learn more.

SANS CyberTalent Assessments

Whether you are looking to hire new employees for cybersecurity positions or creating opportunities for your existing talent, SANS
CyberTalent can help ensure you find the right skills match for the job. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the cost of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the employee's first-year earnings - for a security analyst, that's $27,000+. You can't afford to get hiring wrong at a time when talent is increasingly difficult to find. SANS CyberTalent Assessments measure the aptitude and skills of cybersecurity professionals, allowing employers to create professional development and retention programs for existing employees or test and rank the skill sets of candidates to fill open positions.

Learn more about Cybersecurity Leadership Assessments here.

Access Our Free Resources

Cybersecurity Leadership Website

Recommended Reading List

Cybersecurity Leadership Webcasts

Blogs

Whitepapers

Posters

Course Demos

SANS offers free course demos for all courses available on the SANS OnDemand platform. Browse them here. 

Join Us On Social

Twitter - @SecLeadership

LinkedIn - SANS Security Leadership

Purchase SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Gear!

www.sansgear.com

Complete Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum

MGT414: SANS Training Program for the CISSP® Certification | 6 days

MGT415: A Practical Introduction to Cyber Security Risk Management | 2 Days

MGT433: Managing Human Risk: Mature Security Awareness Programs | 2 Days | SSAP

MGT512: Security Leadership Essentials for Managers | 5 Days | GSLC

MGT514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership | 5 Days | GSTRT

MGT516: Managing Security Vulnerabilities: Enterprise and Cloud | 5 Days

MGT520: Leading Cloud Security Design and Implementation | 3 Days

MGT521: Leading Cybersecurity Change: Building a Security-Based Culture | 5 Days

MGT525: Managing Cybersecurity Initiatives and Effective Communication | 5 Days | GCPM

MGT551: Building and Leading Security Operations Centers | 5 Days | GSOM

AUD507: Auditing and Monitoring Networks, Perimeters & Systems | 6 Days | GSNA

LEG523: Law of Data Security and Investigations | 5 Days | GLEG

SEC440: CIS Critical Controls: A Practical Introduction | 2 Days

SEC557: Continuous Automation for Enterprise and Cloud Security Compliance | 5 Days

SEC566: Implementing and Auditing CIS Critical Controls | 5 Days | GCCC

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Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
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Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
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Belarus
Belize
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Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
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Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
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France
French Guiana
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French Southern Territories
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