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LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership

LDR514Cybersecurity Leadership
  • 5 Days (Instructor-Led)
  • 30 Hours (Self-Paced)
Course authored by:
Frank Kim
Frank Kim
Register NowCourse Preview
LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership
Course authored by:
Frank Kim
Frank Kim
Register NowCourse Preview
  • GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT)

    Learn about certification

  • 30 CPEs

    Apply your credits to renew your certifications

  • In-Person, Virtual or Self-Paced

    Attend a live, instructor-led class at a location near you or remotely, or train on your time over 4 months

  • Advanced Skill Level

    Course material is geared for cyber security professionals with hands-on experience

  • 32 Hands-On Lab(s)

    Apply what you learn with hands-on exercises and labs

Jump to:

This course offers an MBA-level approach, preparing cybersecurity leaders to build strategic plans, craft effective policies, and lead across technical and business teams.

Featured Quote

This course is a cyber leadership MBA in five days. As a security manager of many years, the class delivered material of great value that I can immediately apply to make a difference at my company.
Dave FergusonCareFirst

Course Overview

Forge the crucial bridge between technical security teams and executive management through strategic planning and program development. This course equips security professionals with essential tools to create comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, develop sound security policies, and lead implementation teams effectively. Whether you’re seeking to elevate your leadership impact or prepare for the GSTRT certification (GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership), LDR514 delivers practical skills and executive-level insight.

Through this immersive experience, participants prepare executive presentations, analyze business case studies, address challenges faced by fictional organizations, and engage with 20 Cyber42 leadership simulation challenges. The course also utilizes 9 real-world scenarios and 3 in-depth business case studies to cultivate critical thinking and practical application.

Security leaders will develop the ability to implement strategic approaches aligned with organizational objectives and communicate security imperatives persuasively to business executives—skills that are essential for anyone pursuing a mature cyber security strategy or preparing for the GSTRT certification.

In 2026, LDR514 was updated to help cyber leaders address today’s evolving threats and rising executive expectations, with expanded focus on AI, strategic planning, and enterprise risk leadership.

For what’s new and how these enhancements strengthen leadership impact, download the flyer.

Strategic Leadership for Security Excellence

As security professionals, we have seen the landscape change. Cybersecurity is now more vital and relevant to the growth of your organization than ever before. As a result, information security teams have more visibility, more budget, and more opportunity. However, with this increased responsibility comes more scrutiny. This course gives you tools to become a security business leader who can build and execute strategic plans that resonate with other business executives, create effective information security policy, and develop management and leadership skills to better lead, inspire, and motivate your teams.

Policy is a manager's opportunity to express expectations for the workforce, set the boundaries of acceptable behavior, and empower people to do what they ought to be doing. These policies must be aligned with an organization's culture. In LDR514, we break down the steps to policy development so that you have the ability to design and assess policies that can successfully guide your organization’s cyber security strategy.

Leadership is a skill that must be learned, exercised, and developed to better ensure organizational success. Strong leadership is brought about primarily through selfless devotion to the organization and staff, tireless effort in setting the example, and having the vision to see and effectively use available resources toward the end goal. Effective leadership entails persuading team members to accomplish their objectives, removing the obstacles preventing them from doing it, and maintaining the well-being of the team in support of the organization's mission. LDR514 will teach you to use management tools and frameworks to better lead, inspire, and motivate your teams.

Hands-On Training:

LDR514 uses business case studies, fictional companies, and the Cyber42 leadership simulation game to put you in real-world scenarios that spur discussion and critical thinking of situations that you will encounter at work.

This web-based game is a continuous tabletop exercise where students play to improve security culture, manage budget and schedule, and improve security capabilities at the fictional organizations in the course. This puts you in real-world scenarios that spur discussion and critical thinking of situations that you will encounter at work.

The course also uses case studies from Harvard Business School, case scenarios, team-based exercises, and discussions that put students in real-world situations. You will be able to use these same activities with your own team members at work.

  • Section 1
    • Labs: CISO First Impression and Cyber Risk Map
    • Cyber42 Challenges: Cloud Migration Buy-In, Stakeholder Session A, Crown Jewels, and Prioritizing Threat Defense
  • Section 2
    • Labs: Create a Mission Statement and Roadmap Development
    • Cyber42 Events: Stakeholder Session B, Dropbox or Bust, Making Your Case, and Make Metrics Matter
  • Section 3
    • Labs: Vulnerability Management Policy and Cloud Computing Policy
    • Cyber42 Events: Where's the Policy?, Stakeholder Session C, Unexpected AI, and Cloud Storage Policy 
  • Section 4
    • Labs: Management and Leadership, Performance Review, and Delegation
    • Cyber42 Events: The First Team Meeting, Stakeholder Session D, Strategic Communications, and Employee Interactions
  • Section 5
    • Case Study Analysis 1-2
    • Cyber42 Events: Shutdown and Rebuild, Attack Aftermath, Metrics and Maturity, and Merger Due Diligence
    • Executive Presentation

Syllabus Summary:

  • Section 1 - Decipher the business and threat landscape
  • Section 2 - Create a security team roadmap and strategic plan
  • Section 3 - Develop and assess security policy
  • Section 4 - Lead, motivate, and inspire your team to implement the strategic plan
  • Section 5 - Analyze business school case studies using strategic planning tools from class

Author Statement

"This is the course I wish I had taken when I first started my career. You don't have to wait until you are in a management position to focus on your strategic planning, management, and leadership skills. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you thought, 'Something I'm doing isn't working'? This course will set you on the path to address that concern. It's commonly stated that to succeed as a modern security leader you need to understand and align with the business to support the organization's mission. But what does that actually mean in practice? Instead of trying to get there on your own, join us to learn practical tools and lessons that have worked for countless other leaders, security officers, and CISOs."

- Frank Kim

What You'll Learn

  • Create security strategic plans aligned with business goals
  • Develop and implement effective information security policies
  • Build and lead high-performing cybersecurity teams
  • Communicate security priorities to executives effectively
  • Apply business analysis techniques to security initiatives

Business Takeaways

  • Elevated security strategy aligned with business objectives
  • Improved risk management through effective policy creation
  • Enhanced team performance through leadership techniques
  • Stronger executive support for security initiatives
  • More effective resource allocation for security programs
  • Measurable security metrics tied to business outcomes
  • Practical roadmap for security program implementation

Meet Your Author

Frank Kim
Frank Kim

Frank Kim

Fellow

SANS Fellow Frank Kim helps to develop the next generation of CISOs and cyber leaders while teaching LDR512 and LDR514.

Read more about Frank Kim

Course Syllabus

Explore the course syllabus below to view the full range of topics covered in LDR514: Security Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership.

Section 1Strategic Planning Foundations

Section one presents strategic planning tools to decipher the business and the threat landscape. This section examines stakeholder identification and ways to gain executive support. Through exercises including asset analysis, stakeholder management, and strategy maps, students practice creating plans that resonate with executives.

Topics covered

  • 30-60-90 day plan
  • Business context analysis for security
  • Stakeholder identification and engagement
  • Asset analysis and crown jewels analysis
  • Strategic security planning frameworks

Labs

  • CISO First Impression exercise
  • Strategic capability assessment
  • Business alignment mapping
  • Stakeholder communication planning
  • Security roadmap development

Overview

Creating security strategic plans requires a fundamental understanding of the business and a deep understanding of the threat landscape. Deciphering the history of the business ensures that the work of the security team is placed in the appropriate context. Stakeholders must be identified and appropriately engaged within this framework. This includes understanding their motivations and goals, which is often informed by the values and culture your organization espouses. Successful security leaders also need a deep understanding of business goals and strategy. This business understanding needs to be coupled with knowledge of the threat landscape—including threat actors, business threats, and attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures—that informs the strategic plan.

Full Lab Details

  • Lab 1.1: CISO First Impression
  • Lab 1.2: Cyber Risk Map
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #1: Cloud Migration Buy-In
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #2: Stakeholder Session A
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #3: Crown Jewels
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #4: Prioritizing Threat Defense

Full Topic Details

  • Strategic Planning Overview
    • 30-60-90 Day Plan
      • Building a plan for your leadership, your team, and for yourself
  • Decipher the Business
    • Historical Analysis
      • Analyze the past in order to understand the probable future
    • Values and Culture
      • Understand the values and culture of your organization in order to align security with the corporate culture and define acceptable working norms
    • Stakeholder Management
      • Learn to identify, understand, and manage stakeholders in order to make the security team more successful
    • Asset Analysis
      • Understand assets that are most valuable to the business and are of interest to attackers
    • Business Strategy
      • Use a strategy map and cyber risk map to understand how to align with business objectives
  • Decipher the Threats
    • Threat Actors
      • Understand attacker motivations and techniques
      • Review real-word attack scenarios
  • Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) Analysis
    • Identify business threats
  • Threat Analysis
    • Learn how the Intrusion Kill Chain and MITRE ATT&CK inform strategic planning

Section 2Strategic Roadmap Development

Section two establishes methodologies for analyzing security posture, identifying target states, and developing prioritized roadmaps. Students learn to assess organizational vision, conduct SWOT analysis, and apply security frameworks. The section covers business case creation and metrics for effectively marketing security initiatives.

Topics covered

  • Security vision and mission alignment
  • Security framework implementation
  • Roadmap and gap analysis processes
  • Business case development techniques
  • Board and executive presentation methodologies

Labs

  • Mission statement development
  • Security roadmap creation
  • Stakeholder engagement simulation
  • Business case preparation
  • Security metrics development

Overview

With a firm understanding of the drivers of business and the threats facing the organization, you develop a plan to analyze the current situation, identify the target state, perform gap analysis, and develop a prioritized roadmap. In other words, you will be able to determine (1) what you do today (2) what you should be doing in the future (3) what you don't want to do, and (4) what you should do first. Once this plan is in place, you will learn how to build and execute it by developing a business case, defining metrics for success, and effectively marketing your security program.

Full Lab Details

  • Lab 2.1: Mission Statement
  • Lab 2.2: Roadmap Development
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #5: Stakeholder Session B
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #6: Dropbox or Bust
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #7: Making Your Case
  • Cyber42 Round 1 Challenge #8: Make Metrics Matter

Full Topic Details

  • Define the Current State
    • Vision and Mission
      • What they tell you about the organization
      • Develop a Security Team Mission Statement that Aligns with Organizational Goals
    • SWOT Analysis
      • Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)
      • Understanding of current SWOT
  • Develop the Plan
    • Vision and Innovation
      • Sustaining versus disruptive innovation
      • Jobs to be done theory
      • Learning to innovate with the business
      • How to provide value to stakeholders
    • Security Framework
      • NIST Cybersecurity Framework
      • NIST 800-53
      • CIS Critical Security Controls
      • Measuring maturity
    • Roadmap Development
      • Gap analysis
      • Security roadmap
    • Business Case Development
      • Approaches to obtaining funding
  • Deliver the Program
    • Security Metrics Program
      • Developing effective metrics
    • Marketing Best Practices
      • Promoting the work of the security team
    • Board and Executive Communications
      • Board of Directors Concerns
      • What Top CISOs Include in Updates to the Board
      • Board Presentation Goals

Section 3Security Policy Development and Assessment

Section three explores policy as a security leadership tool for guiding organizational behavior. Participants learn methods for developing policies aligned with corporate culture. The section covers policy lifecycle from creation to measurement, with a focus on governance and emerging technology considerations.

Topics covered

  • Policy purpose and governance frameworks
  • Policy language and structure design
  • Requirements definition methodologies
  • Emerging technology considerations
  • Policy assessment techniques

Labs

  • Vulnerability management policy creation
  • Cloud computing policy development
  • AI security policy implementation
  • Policy evaluation exercise
  • Stakeholder engagement simulation

Overview

Policy is one of the key tools that security leaders have to influence and guide the organization. Security managers must understand how to review, write, assess, and support security policy and procedures. This includes knowing the role of policy in protecting the organization along with its data, systems, and people. In developing policy, you also need to know how to choose the appropriate language and structure so that it fits with your organization's culture. As policy is developed, you must manage the entire lifecycle from approval and socialization to measurement in order to make necessary modifications as time goes on. This is why assessing policy and procedure is so important. Policy must keep up to date with the changing business and threat landscape. This includes coverage of technologies like Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).

Full Lab Details

  • Lab 3.1: Vulnerability Management Policy
  • Lab 3.2: Cloud Computing Policy
  • Cyber42 Round 2 Challenge #9: Where's the Policy?
  • Cyber42 Round 2 Challenge #10: Stakeholder Session C
  • Cyber42 Round 2 Challenge #11: Unexpected AI
  • Cyber42 Round 2 Challenge #12: Cloud Storage Policy

Full Topic Details

  • Purpose of Policy
    • Role of Policy
    • Establishing Acceptable Bounds for Behavior
    • Empowering Employees to Do the Right Thing
    • How Policy Protects People, Organizations, and Information
  • Develop Policy
    • The Policy Pyramid and Policy Governance Lifecycle
    • Language of Policy
    • Policy Structure
    • Policy and Culture
    • Define Requirements
  • Define Requirements
    • Gather Data
    • Consider All Use Cases
  • Define Requirements
    • Understand Technology Changes
    • Generative AI (GenAI) Security Scoping Matrix
    • LLM Application Architecture
    • OWASP Top Ten for LLMs
    • EU Artificial Intelligence Act
    • Characteristics of Trustworthy AI
  • Managing Policy
    • Approve, Socialize, and Measure Policy
  • Assess Policy and Procedure
    • Using the SMART Approach
    • Policy Review and Assessment Process

Section 4Leadership and Management Competencies

Section four addresses critical skills for leading, motivating, and inspiring security teams. Participants develop knowledge and abilities essential for transitioning from management to leadership. The section establishes standards for effective leadership and explores methods for employee motivation aligned with organizational goals.

Topics covered

  • Leadership foundations and principles
  • Situational leadership approaches
  • Effective communication techniques
  • Team building methodologies
  • Change management strategies

Labs

  • Management and leadership comparison
  • Performance review exercises
  • Delegation practice
  • Team communication simulation
  • Change management implementation

Overview

This course section will teach the critical skills you need to lead, motivate, and inspire your teams to achieve your organization's goals. By establishing a minimum standard for the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to develop leadership, you will understand how to motivate employees and develop from a manager into a leader.

Full Lab Details

  • Lab 4.1: Management and Leadership
  • Lab 4.2: Performance Review
  • Lab 4.3: Delegation
  • Cyber42 Round 3 Challenge #13: The First Team Meeting
  • Cyber42 Round 3 Challenge #14: Stakeholder Session D
  • Cyber42 Round 3 Challenge #15: Strategic Communications
  • Cyber42 Round 3 Challenge #16: Employee Interactions

Full Topic Details

  • Why Choose Leadership
    • Understanding Leadership
    • Leadership Building Blocks
  • Leadership Essentials
    • Situational Leadership
    • Generational Perspectives
    • Building Trust
    • Servant Leadership
  • Effective Communications
    • Communication Process
    • Active Listening
    • Providing Feedback
      • Challenging Conversations
  • Build Effective Teams
    • Creating and Leading Teams
    • Learning to Delegate
    • Coaching, Mentoring, and Sponsorship
  • Leading Change
    • Psychology of Change
    • Organizational Change

Section 5Strategic Planning Workshop

Section five applies course concepts through Harvard Business School case studies focused on information security leadership. Participants analyze real-world scenarios that reinforce management competencies. The Strategic Planning Workshop serves as a capstone exercise where students synthesize methodologies and tools from previous sections.

Topics covered

  • Executive presentation techniques
  • Board communication strategies
  • Strategic planning methodologies
  • Business priority alignment
  • Stakeholder management approaches

Labs

  • Harvard case study analysis
  • Incident response simulation
  • Metrics and maturity assessment
  • Merger due diligence exercise
  • Executive presentation development

Overview

Using case studies, students will work through real-world scenarios by applying the skills and knowledge learned throughout the course. The case studies are from Harvard Business School, which pioneered the case study method. The case studies focus specifically on information security management and leadership competencies. The Strategic Planning Workshop serves as a capstone exercise for the course, enabling students to synthesize and apply concepts, management tools, and methodologies learned in class.

Full Lab Details

  • Case Study Analysis #1
  • Case Study Analysis #2
  • Cyber42 Round 4 Challenge #17: Shutdown and Rebuild
  • Cyber42 Round 4 Challenge #18: Attack Aftermath
  • Cyber42 Round 4 Challenge #19: Metrics and Maturity
  • Cyber42 Round 4 Challenge #20: Merger Due Diligence
  • Cyber42 Round 4 Challenge #21: Executive Presentation

Full Topic Details

  • Case study topics include:
    • Creating a Presentation for the CEO
    • Briefing the Board of Directors
    • Creating a Strategic Plan
    • Understanding Business Priorities
    • Enabling Business Innovation
    • Effective Communication
    • Stakeholder Management

Things You Need To Know

Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions.

A laptop or mobile device with the latest web browser is required to play the Cyber42 leadership simulation game. 

The Cyber42 game used in this course is hosted on the ranges.io platform. Students must have a computer that does not restrict access to ranges.io. Corporate machines may have a VPN, intercepting proxy, or egress firewall filter that causes connection issues communicating with third-party websites. Students must be able to configure or disable these services to be able to access the Cyber42 game. 

If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact customer service.

LDR514 training is recommended for a diverse range of individuals, including:

  • CISOs
  • Information security officers
  • Security directors
  • Security managers
  • Aspiring security leaders
  • Security personnel who have team lead or management responsibilities
  • Anyone who wants to go beyond technical skills
  • Technical professionals who want to learn to communicate with senior leaders in business terms

The GIAC Strategic Planning, Policy, and Leadership (GSTRT) certification validates a practitioner's understanding of developing and maintaining cyber security programs as well as proven business analysis, strategic planning, and management tools. GSTRT certification holders have demonstrated their knowledge of building and managing cyber security programs with an eye towards meeting the needs of the business, board members, and executives.

  • Business and Threat Analysis
  • Security Programs and Security Policy
  • Effective Leadership and Communications

More Certification Details

  • Electronic Courseware containing the entire course content
  • Printed course books
  • Access to the Cyber42 security leadership simulation game
  • MP3 audio files of the complete course lecture

This course is designed for security leaders who want to go beyond technical skills, move into more senior roles, and effectively engage with the C-suite. While there are no specific technical prerequisites, students will benefit from basic understanding of security concepts and business operations. The course LDR512: Security Leadership Essentials for Managers is recommended but not required.

LDR514 is a part of the SANS Cybersecurity Leadership Curriculum and is one of three courses that make up the Transformational Cybersecurity Leaders Triad, alongside LDR512 and LDR521. This triad forms a comprehensive leadership development program designed to develop well-rounded security leaders capable of building, leading, and maturing effective cybersecurity initiatives.

What Comes Next:

The program supports a progression from core leadership skills to strategic influence and cultural transformation within cybersecurity.

Strategic security planning is the process of aligning information security initiatives with business objectives to create a roadmap for building effective security capabilities that protect organizational assets while enabling business growth.

This course equips you with executive-level skills in cybersecurity strategy development, policy creation, and leadership—critical competencies for advancement to CISO and senior security positions that require business acumen alongside technical knowledge.

Relevant Job Roles

Cyber Legal, Policy & Compliance Officer

European Cybersecurity Skills Framework

Manages compliance with cybersecurity-related standards, legal and regulatory frameworks based on the organisation’s strategy and legal requirements.

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Incident Management (USUP)

Skills Framework for the Information Age

Co-ordination of detection, response, and recovery activities across teams and systems. Emphasis is placed on minimising impact, restoring services, and maintaining clear communication during disruptions.

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Strategic Planning (ITSP)

Skills Framework for the Information Age

Development of long-term technology roadmaps that support enterprise goals and capability development. Focus includes alignment of IT investments with business outcomes.

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Secure Project Management (OPM 802)

NICE: Oversight and Governance

Responsible for overseeing and directly managing technology projects. Ensures cybersecurity is built into projects to protect the organization’s critical infrastructure and assets, reduce risk, and meet organizational goals. Tracks and communicates project status and demonstrates project value to the organization.

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Systems Security Management (OPM 722)

NICE: Oversight and Governance

Responsible for managing the cybersecurity of a program, organization, system, or enclave.

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Risk Management (BURM)

Skills Framework for the Information Age

Analysis of threats, vulnerabilities, and potential impacts to support prioritised risk mitigation. Outputs inform investment decisions and align cyber risk with business tolerance levels.

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Senior Security Leader

Cybersecurity Leadership

Daily focus is on the oversight of technical teams while aligning them to overall business strategies. Includes titles such as Technical Director, Information Security Officer, and CISO.

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Governance (GOVN)

Skills Framework for the Information Age

Development of frameworks that align technology use with business objectives and regulatory requirements. Focus areas include policy design, risk controls, and enterprise accountability structures.

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