A tailored course, built for your situation
Sources and specific examples on hand when peers push back
Build unshakable technical reasoning for DevOps decisions , rooted in real-world implementations and public-sector precedents
$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.
The situation this course is for
Who this is for
Senior DevOps Engineer in government-contractor environments who must justify design choices to peers, auditors, and multi-vendor teams
Who this is not for
Entry-level engineers learning core tooling, or leaders focused only on cost or resource allocation without technical depth
What you walk away with
- Trace every pipeline decision back to a documented security or compliance requirement
- Reference real NIST-aligned implementations when debating toolchain choices
- Walk through the why of IaC templates using public DISA STIG examples
- Defend CI/CD guardrail placements with cited incidents from federal cloud audits
- Cite cross-contractor patterns when challenged on environment segregation
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
Module 1. Mapping NIST 800-145 to container deployment decisions
Translate cloud-essential definitions into justifiable architecture choices for Kubernetes and serverless.
12 chapters in this module
- What NIST says about cloud boundaries
- How it applies to DoD container use
- Recent audit findings from CMMC reviews
- Where AWS GovCloud fits in the model
- Common misalignments in access controls
- Linking RBAC to NIST role definitions
- When serverless breaks the model
- Documenting exceptions with citations
- Cross-walk with DISA’s cloud guidance
- Using the model in design reviews
- Template: Cloud boundary justification
- Template: Role mapping evidence pack
Module 2. Defending CI/CD pipeline structure with public precedents
Use documented pipelines from federal projects to justify your own gate placements and approval logic.
12 chapters in this module
- GSA’s 18F pipeline design principles
- How approvals were structured in CMS migration
- CISA’s open-source CI/CD playbook
- Applying lessons to your deployment gates
- When to require peer review
- Justifying automated rollbacks
- Logging levels for auditability
- Security scanning integration points
- Environment promotion logic
- Handling emergency bypasses
- Template: Pipeline justification memo
- Template: Gate rationale document
Module 3. Infrastructure as Code: Sourcing the why behind every module
Turn Terraform and CloudFormation decisions into traceable, defensible artifacts aligned with policy.
12 chapters in this module
- Naming conventions from DISA STIGs
- How to reference security baselines
- VPC design from public AWS blueprints
- Subnet segmentation in DoD projects
- DNS and routing standards
- Tagging requirements for CMDB
- Using open TF modules from state projects
- Custom module justification
- Variables vs. hardcoded values
- Version pinning policy
- Template: IaC decision log
- Template: Module sourcing checklist
Module 4. Secrets management: Justifying vault choices and access patterns
Align secrets handling to known DoD and civilian agency implementations.
12 chapters in this module
- Secrets storage in CISA’s incident reports
- Vault vs. KMS: when each is preferred
- Access review frequency benchmarks
- Break-glass procedures from audits
- How 18F structures role access
- Short-lived token implementations
- Integration with IAM providers
- Auditing secret access at scale
- Disaster recovery considerations
- Justifying rotation intervals
- Template: Secrets access review log
- Template: Break-glass justification
Module 5. Logging and observability design with audit intent
Structure logging layers so they defend your architecture during compliance reviews.
12 chapters in this module
- What CMMC expects in logs
- How long to retain artifacts
- Which fields are non-negotiable
- Correlating logs across services
- Using structured JSON consistently
- Sampling strategies for cost
- Alerting thresholds from real outages
- Third-party tool integration
- Avoiding over-collection
- Documenting log lineage
- Template: Log schema standard
- Template: Retention policy justification
Module 6. Network segmentation: Building the case for zero-trust zones
Use federal zero-trust directives to justify micro-segmentation and trust boundaries.
12 chapters in this module
- NSA’s zero-trust guidance for DevOps
- Zone definitions from recent audits
- East-west traffic controls
- Justifying firewall placement
- DNS filtering in zero-trust
- Service mesh adoption patterns
- Identity-based routing
- How DoD classifies trust zones
- Documenting zone transitions
- Template: Zone boundary rationale
- Template: Service mesh justification
- Template: Access flow diagram
Module 7. Compliance automation: Turning controls into code with citations
Map compliance requirements directly to automated checks with documented sources.
12 chapters in this module
- NIST 800-53 control AU-3
- Automating audit trail coverage
- DISA’s SCAP benchmarks
- How to implement AC-6 in pipelines
- CIS Benchmark mappings
- Using OpenSCAP in CI
- Documenting control exceptions
- Patch window compliance
- Time sync and logging
- Validation with public test suites
- Template: Control-to-code mapping
- Template: Exception justification
Module 8. Disaster recovery testing: Justifying frequency and scope
Use federal incident data to defend your DR testing schedule and scenarios.
12 chapters in this module
- Recent CISA outage reports
- Recovery time benchmarks
- Failover testing frequency
- Documenting test results
- Involving audit teams in drills
- Data consistency checks
- Backup integrity validation
- Testing multi-region failover
- Justifying test scope
- Template: DR test justification memo
- Template: Recovery checklist
- Template: Post-test review
Module 9. Vendor tool selection: Defending choices with public comparisons
Justify Jenkins vs. GitLab vs. CodeBuild using documented trade-offs from federal projects.
12 chapters in this module
- Tool choices in GSA projects
- Security considerations per tool
- Scaling costs in large teams
- Auditability features
- Integration with IdP
- Custom plugin risks
- Open-source vs. managed
- Disaster recovery support
- CISA tool advisories
- Documenting selection criteria
- Template: Tool selection scorecard
- Template: Justification memo
Module 10. Change management: Justifying pipeline-based approvals
Replace ad-hoc reviews with citable, repeatable change control patterns.
12 chapters in this module
- CMMC change control requirements
- How 18F structures approvals
- Automated vs. manual gates
- Emergency change tracking
- Documenting rollback plans
- Peer review expectations
- Using pull requests as audit trail
- Integrating Jira with CI/CD
- Justifying fast-tracked changes
- Template: Change control policy
- Template: Fast-track log
- Template: Review checklist
Module 11. Security scanning: Defining thresholds with public benchmarks
Set and defend CVE tolerance levels using data from federal incident response.
12 chapters in this module
- CISA’s known exploited vulnerabilities
- CVSS scoring in context
- When to block based on score
- Time-to-fix expectations
- False positive management
- Scanning layers: SAST, DAST, SCA
- Using dependency checks
- Container scanning depth
- Justifying risk acceptance
- Template: Vulnerability policy
- Template: Risk acceptance form
- Template: Scan configuration
Module 12. Cross-contractor collaboration: Defending common patterns
Use multi-vendor project examples to justify shared tooling and interfaces.
12 chapters in this module
- Inter-contractor API standards
- Shared logging schemas
- Common IaC modules
- Version alignment strategies
- Dispute resolution patterns
- Documenting interface contracts
- Using open APIs from GSA
- Aligning security tooling
- Justifying common CI platforms
- Template: Interface agreement
- Template: Collaboration playbook
- Template: Dispute log
How this maps to your situation
- When a peer questions your pipeline design
- Before an internal audit review
- During a multi-contractor architecture meeting
- When scoping a new environment build
Before vs. after
Before
Technical decisions are questioned frequently, and justification relies on tribal knowledge or personal preference.
After
Every design choice is backed by documented public-sector precedent, cited controls, or real-world implementation data.
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: Approximately 3 hours per module, with on-demand access for reference integration.
How this compares to the alternatives
Unlike generic DevOps courses, this program delivers citation-backed, public-sector-specific reasoning for real architecture debates , not just theory or tooling syntax.
Frequently asked
Is this about learning Kubernetes or Terraform syntax?
No. This course assumes technical proficiency. It focuses on justifying your choices with sources and precedents.
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Can I use the templates in my current project?
Yes. All templates are field-tested and adaptable to federal contractor environments.
$199 one-time. Approximately 3 hours per module, with on-demand access for reference integration..
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