A tailored course, built for your situation
Mastering CIS Controls for Infrastructure Architects in Regulated Environments
Build defensible, auditable infrastructure with precision and visibility.
$199 one-time
24-hour access provisioning
30-day money-back guarantee
Hand-built implementation playbook
12 modules. 12 chapters per module. 144 chapters total.
12 modules, each with 12 chapters (144 chapters total), text-based, plus downloadable templates and a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Spending cycles explaining how your architecture meets controls instead of just proving it?
The situation this course is for
Too many infrastructure leads are forced to retrofit compliance narratives after deployment, leading to repeated findings, shadow remediation, and missed influence in security governance conversations. The gap isn't technical skill, it's structured articulation of control alignment from day one.
Who this is for
Senior Infrastructure or Cloud Architect operating in regulated or audit-heavy environments (finance, healthcare, cloud infrastructure) who owns design-to-compliance traceability.
Who this is not for
Entry-level engineers, helpdesk teams, or IT generalists looking for introductory security hygiene. This is not a 'what is CIS' course , it's for practitioners already applying controls who want to own the narrative.
What you walk away with
- Produce implementation-ready CIS control mappings that audit teams accept without revision
- Structure infrastructure blueprints so security teams pull them as reference, not question them
- Own the narrative between architecture intent and compliance evidence in cross-functional reviews
- Reduce rework by baking control alignment into early design decisions, not post-deployment checks
- Become the default internal source for hardened infrastructure patterns in audit-critical domains
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
Module 1. CIS Controls Overview and Relevance to Enterprise Infrastructure
Ground your work in the current CIS v8 framework structure, with emphasis on where infrastructure architects have outsized influence.
12 chapters in this module
- Understanding the evolution from CIS v7 to v8 and its impact on cloud design
- Mapping CIS control families to infrastructure ownership zones in large firms
- Differentiating between foundational, governance, and deployment-specific controls
- The role of automation in achieving CIS compliance at scale
- How CIS integrates with NIST CSF and ISO 27001 for holistic alignment
- Common misinterpretations of control language by engineering teams
- Benchmarking your current environment against CIS Level 1 and Level 2
- The role of asset inventory in anchoring control applicability
- Prioritizing controls based on infrastructure risk exposure
- Integrating CIS benchmarks into architecture review boards
- Using CIS to pre-empt auditor findings in virtualization layers
- Documenting control rationale for peer and leadership review
Module 2. Inventory and Control of Software Assets
Ensure every software component in your stack is authorized, tracked, and justified.
12 chapters in this module
- Establishing a software inventory baseline using agentless and agent-based methods
- Automating discovery of unauthorized software in hybrid cloud environments
- Managing exceptions for legacy systems without weakening posture
- Integrating software inventory with configuration management databases
- Detecting shadow IT through endpoint telemetry correlation
- Enforcing software approval workflows in CI/CD pipelines
- Building compliance evidence from software usage patterns
- Handling open-source and third-party software in inventory reports
- Reducing attack surface by removing unnecessary software packages
- Aligning software inventory with patch management cadence
- Reporting software compliance to security operations teams
- Using machine learning to flag anomalous software behavior
Module 3. Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software
Turn secure baselines into repeatable, auditable deployment artifacts.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining secure configuration baselines for servers and containers
- Using Infrastructure as Code to enforce CIS-compliant templates
- Hardening operating systems per CIS benchmark recommendations
- Managing configuration drift in long-running instances
- Integrating configuration scans into deployment pipelines
- Documenting configuration exceptions with risk justification
- Aligning secure configs with cloud provider native services
- Validating configuration integrity across environment tiers
- Creating audit-ready configuration snapshots on demand
- Reducing false positives in configuration compliance tools
- Optimizing scan frequency for performance and accuracy
- Training teams to recognize high-risk configuration deviations
Module 4. Continuous Vulnerability Management
Shift from reactive scanning to proactive, architecture-driven vulnerability reduction.
12 chapters in this module
- Integrating vulnerability scanning into design and pre-production phases
- Prioritizing vulnerabilities using CIS-defined criticality tiers
- Reducing noise by filtering out non-exploitable findings
- Linking vulnerability data to asset criticality and exposure
- Automating remediation workflows for common CVE classes
- Measuring time-to-fix across infrastructure domains
- Building feedback loops between patching and architecture teams
- Using CIS controls to validate patch completeness
- Tracking vulnerability trends across cloud and on-prem environments
- Reporting vulnerability posture to security leadership
- Integrating threat intelligence into vulnerability prioritization
- Avoiding 'scan fatigue' through targeted assessment cycles
Module 5. Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges
Design systems that minimize privileged access while maintaining operability.
12 chapters in this module
- Mapping administrative roles to infrastructure components
- Implementing just-in-time privilege elevation for emergency access
- Using identity-aware proxies for privileged session management
- Eliminating standing admin accounts in cloud environments
- Enforcing multi-factor authentication for all admin actions
- Auditing privileged commands with immutable logging
- Integrating PAM solutions with infrastructure automation tools
- Designing systems to operate without admin rights
- Reducing attack surface by segmenting admin networks
- Documenting privilege access workflows for auditors
- Training operators on least-privilege operational patterns
- Monitoring for anomalous admin behavior using UEBA
Module 6. Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs
Ensure logs are comprehensive, protected, and useful for investigations.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining minimum log requirements per CIS control
- Ensuring log integrity using hashing and write-once storage
- Centralizing logs from hybrid infrastructure components
- Protecting logs from tampering and deletion
- Setting retention policies aligned with compliance needs
- Using SIEM integration for real-time log analysis
- Querying logs to prove control effectiveness
- Generating audit-ready log evidence packages
- Detecting log manipulation attempts
- Correlating logs across cloud and on-prem systems
- Automating log review for high-risk events
- Training incident responders to use logs effectively
Module 7. Email and Web Browser Protections
Address risks at user endpoints without overstepping architectural boundaries.
12 chapters in this module
- Understanding CIS recommendations for browser security settings
- Enforcing safe browsing policies via group policy or MDM
- Blocking malicious domains at DNS and proxy layers
- Reducing phishing success with email filtering and training
- Configuring secure email gateways for outbound content
- Isolating browser sessions for high-risk users
- Using threat intelligence to block known malicious URLs
- Monitoring for credential theft attempts via email
- Integrating browser security with endpoint protection
- Validating email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Hardening SSL/TLS configurations in browsers
- Auditing browser compliance across user populations
Module 8. Malware Defenses and Endpoint Protection
Design infrastructure that assumes compromise and contains lateral movement.
12 chapters in this module
- Implementing host-based intrusion prevention systems
- Enforcing application whitelisting on critical servers
- Using EDR solutions for continuous endpoint monitoring
- Detecting and blocking fileless malware techniques
- Isolating infected systems automatically
- Protecting backup systems from ransomware attacks
- Validating anti-malware coverage across OS types
- Integrating malware detection with incident response plans
- Using threat hunting to find undetected malware
- Measuring effectiveness of endpoint protection layers
- Reducing false positives in malware detection
- Auditing malware defense configurations quarterly
Module 9. Limitation and Control of Network Privileges
Enforce least privilege at the network layer through design.
12 chapters in this module
- Designing micro-segmentation for east-west traffic control
- Implementing zero-trust network access principles
- Using VLANs and firewalls to enforce access boundaries
- Enforcing network-level encryption for sensitive traffic
- Monitoring for unauthorized network access attempts
- Integrating network access control with identity systems
- Reducing reliance on flat network architectures
- Validating network segmentation through penetration tests
- Documenting network privilege policies for auditors
- Automating network access reviews
- Detecting lateral movement using network telemetry
- Applying CIS controls to cloud network configurations
Module 10. Data Recovery and Backup Integrity
Ensure recoverability while protecting backup systems from compromise.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining recovery point and recovery time objectives
- Implementing immutable backups to resist ransomware
- Testing backup restoration procedures regularly
- Protecting backup credentials and access
- Using air-gapped or offline backups for critical data
- Monitoring backup jobs for failures or tampering
- Validating backup integrity using cryptographic hashes
- Integrating backups into disaster recovery plans
- Documenting backup architecture for auditors
- Aligning backup frequency with business needs
- Using versioning to recover from data corruption
- Auditing backup access and modification events
Module 11. Security Awareness and Phishing Drills
Support organizational resilience through engineered feedback loops.
12 chapters in this module
- Understanding CIS requirements for security training
- Designing infrastructure to support phishing simulation
- Measuring user susceptibility to social engineering
- Automating security reminders based on behavior
- Integrating training data with identity systems
- Reducing false alarms in phishing detection
- Using gamification to improve engagement
- Tracking awareness improvements over time
- Aligning training content with infrastructure risks
- Auditing training completion for compliance
- Protecting training systems from compromise
- Reporting program effectiveness to leadership
Module 12. Incident Response and Forensic Readiness
Ensure infrastructure is designed for rapid investigation and recovery.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining incident response roles in architecture documentation
- Pre-staging forensic tools and evidence collection scripts
- Ensuring logging supports root cause analysis
- Using automation to preserve evidence during incidents
- Integrating with SOAR platforms for faster response
- Validating response playbooks through tabletop exercises
- Reducing mean time to contain with preparedness
- Documenting incident lessons in architecture updates
- Protecting forensic data from tampering
- Auditing response actions for compliance
- Using threat intelligence to anticipate attack patterns
- Reporting incident trends to improve defenses
How this maps to your situation
- Initial design and control alignment
- Ongoing operations and monitoring
- Incident response and audit preparation
- Leadership engagement and influence
Before vs. after
Before
Spends cycles justifying architecture to security and audit teams
After
Security teams pull their designs as reference in cross-functional reviews
What's included with your purchase
- 12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters)
- Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Delivery and format
- Course and learning environment access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Time investment: 90 minutes per week for 4 weeks, with lifetime access to materials.
If nothing changes
Without structured control implementation, even the most secure designs risk being questioned or overridden during audits, delaying deployments and diminishing influence.
How this compares to the alternatives
Unlike generic CIS overviews, this course is tailored to infrastructure architects who need to translate controls into deployable, auditable designs , not just understand them.
Frequently asked
Is this course focused on cloud or on-prem environments?
It covers both, with modules structured to apply to hybrid and multi-cloud contexts where infrastructure architects operate.
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Do I need prior CIS experience?
No , but the course assumes you're already working in infrastructure and want to strengthen your compliance narrative.
$199 one-time. 90 minutes per week for 4 weeks, with lifetime access to materials..
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.
30-day money-back guarantee·
144 chapters·
Hand-built playbook included·
Account access within 24 hours