Group Purchasing
Group Purchasing

Ryan Nicholson

Senior InstructorOwner at Blue Mountain Cyber, LLC

Specialities

Cyber Defense, Cloud Security

Connect with Ryan

Ryan Nicholson

About Ryan Nicholson

Ryan Nicholson is a Senior Instructor and course author at the SANS Institute, where he helps cloud security professionals build, monitor, and protect modern cloud environments. He is the author of SEC502: Cloud Security Tactical Defense and co-author of SEC541: Cloud Security Threat Detection, courses designed to help practitioners close the gap between attacker innovation and defender readiness.

Ryan’s passion for technology started early. In high school, he was already modifying school computers and calculators to do things they were not designed to do, building simple games out of curiosity. That interest led him to study computer science and intern at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), where he first saw the importance of protecting critical systems. After graduating, he began his career as a system administrator within the Department of Defense and quickly moved into a Network Security Officer role, shifting his focus from maintaining systems to defending them.

He later spent over a decade in DoD and DISA environments, advancing into auditing, engineering, and training roles that shaped his perspective on defense at scale. Ryan eventually moved into cloud security, serving as a Cybersecurity Lead supporting large-scale DoD cloud environments and helping guide the migration of sensitive systems into secure architectures. He also contributed to SANS Blue Team Operations courseware and Cyber Defense NetWars development. These experiences directly inform his courses, where students work through real-world challenges in cloud defense, threat detection, and incident response.

Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance and multiple industry certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), and 20 GIAC Certifications. As an instructor, he focuses on helping students think like defenders and apply what they learn in real environments. He emphasizes not only solving technical problems but influencing change within organizations. For Ryan, the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing students connect the dots and apply those lessons in the field. Outside the classroom, Ryan channels his creativity through music, often found playing guitar.

Qualifications Summary
  • Roles and Affiliations: Senior Instructor and Course Author, SANS Institute; Owner, Blue Mountain Cyber LLC; Contributor to Blue Team Operations courseware.
  • Credentials: Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity & Information Assurance; Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), and 20 GIAC Certifications including: GIAC Security Leadership (GSLC), GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC), GIAC Defensible Security Architecture (GDSA), GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT), GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA), GIAC Cloud Security Essentials (GCLD), GIAC Cloud Penetration Tester (GCPN), GIAC Public Cloud Security (GPCS), GIAC Cloud Security Automation (GCSA), GIAC Certified Web Application Defender (GWEB), GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP), GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN), GIAC Security Expert Certification (GSE), GIAC Security Professional (GSP), GIAC Experienced Cybersecurity Specialist (GX-CS), GIAC Experienced Intrusion Analyst (GX-IA), GIAC Experienced Incident Handler (GX-IH), GIAC Certified Detection Analyst (GCDA), and GIAC Python Coder (GPYC)
  • Key Achievements: 20+ years in blue team and DoD environments; led cloud security efforts for sensitive systems; contributor to Cyber Defense NetWars and SANS courseware
  • Publications and Tools: Co-author of Cyber Defense NetWars; contributor to Blue Team Operations training content
  • Courses Taught / Authored: SEC502: Cloud Security Tactical Defense; SEC541: Cloud Security Threat Detection
  • Community Roles: Speaker and mentor within blue team and cloud security communities

Press & Media