A tailored course, built for your situation
Mastering CIS Controls for Principal Growth Strategists
Build unshakeable command of cybersecurity priorities through structured control mastery
$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.
Falling behind on control fluency slows influence and stalls strategic credibility
The situation this course is for
Even senior leaders hesitate when asked to justify control priorities across teams. Without deep command of frameworks like CIS, decisions default to specialists, and influence erodes.
Who this is for
Principal-level strategist shaping growth infrastructure with cross-functional security alignment demands
Who this is not for
Individuals focused only on hands-on implementation or compliance checklists without leadership context
What you walk away with
- Navigate all 18 CIS Controls with precision and contextual fluency
- Map controls directly to cloud infrastructure decisions and growth initiatives
- Lead cross-functional discussions with source-backed reasoning, not generalities
- Anticipate auditor and engineering questions before they arise
- Turn control maturity into a strategic growth enabler, not a compliance hurdle
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
Module 1. Introduction to CIS Controls and Strategic Relevance
Establish the role of CIS Controls in modern security frameworks and their growing use in cloud-first enterprises. Understand why depth here differentiates strategic leaders from coordinators.
12 chapters in this module
- What the CIS Controls are and why they matter today
- How leading organizations apply the framework in practice
- Differences between implementation teams and leadership fluency
- Mapping CIS to broader growth infrastructure decisions
- Why control depth increases leadership credibility
- How CIS interconnects with NIST CSF and ISO 27001
- Real-world audit triggers tied to CIS compliance
- Growth constraints solved by early control alignment
- Security debt reduction through proactive control design
- Benchmarking control maturity across peer organizations
- Identifying high-impact controls for cloud environments
- Building credibility by speaking to control intent
Module 2. Control Group 1: Inventory and Control of Hardware Assets
Master precise tracking and secure management of hardware in dynamic cloud environments, with emphasis on asset visibility and ownership accountability.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining hardware inventory in hybrid cloud setups
- Maintaining accurate asset registers with automation
- Mapping ownership to teams and lifecycle stages
- Preventing shadow infrastructure through policy design
- Integrating discovery tools with asset control workflows
- Handling decommissioning and retirement securely
- Avoiding false positives through configuration hygiene
- Aligning hardware control with cloud cost governance
- Setting thresholds for acceptable asset drift
- Generating audit-ready evidence for hardware controls
- Linking asset control to incident response readiness
- Common pitfalls in multi-cloud hardware tracking
Module 3. Control Group 2: Inventory and Control of Software Assets
Gain fluency in managing software inventory across distributed teams, with attention to licensing, updates, and unauthorized application risks.
12 chapters in this module
- Tracking software across development and production environments
- Enforcing software approval and change workflows
- Identifying unauthorized or risky applications
- Integrating software inventory with CI/CD pipelines
- Managing open-source components securely
- Reducing attack surface through application whitelisting
- Maintaining compliance with licensing requirements
- Automating software updates and patch deployment
- Detecting end-of-life software proactively
- Documenting software decisions for auditor review
- Balancing agility with control in fast-moving teams
- Creating baseline standards for software procurement
Module 4. Control Group 3: Continuous Vulnerability Management
Lead effective vulnerability scanning and remediation workflows by understanding prioritization, tool integration, and business context.
12 chapters in this module
- Scheduling regular vulnerability scans across environments
- Prioritizing findings based on exploitability and impact
- Integrating scanners with ticketing and project systems
- Reducing noise through accurate asset and ownership data
- Escalating critical risks to engineering leadership
- Measuring time-to-remediation across teams
- Using CVSS scores meaningfully in decision-making
- Managing false positives and configuration exceptions
- Aligning patch cycles with business operations
- Documenting risk acceptance with clear justification
- Reporting vulnerability trends to stakeholders
- Avoiding alert fatigue through intelligent filtering
Module 5. Control Group 4: Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges
Enforce least privilege and secure admin access across systems through policy, monitoring, and role design.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining administrative accounts with strict controls
- Limiting standing admin privileges across teams
- Implementing time-bound access for elevated roles
- Monitoring privileged session activity for anomalies
- Auditing admin actions regularly and consistently
- Using just-in-time access models in cloud platforms
- Securing service accounts and automation credentials
- Applying multi-factor authentication to admin roles
- Creating separation of duties for critical functions
- Designing admin workflows that scale securely
- Reducing risk from shared admin accounts
- Training teams on secure privilege practices
Module 6. Control Group 5: Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software
Ensure systems are configured securely by default and remain so through change control and monitoring.
12 chapters in this module
- Establishing secure baseline configurations for servers
- Applying CIS Benchmarks to operating systems
- Managing configuration drift across environments
- Automating compliance checks with configuration tools
- Integrating secure config into provisioning workflows
- Handling exceptions with documented justification
- Reducing misconfiguration-related incidents
- Auditing configuration state across cloud instances
- Aligning customization with security policy
- Using golden images in virtualized environments
- Enforcing secure settings in container platforms
- Monitoring configuration changes in real time
Module 7. Control Group 6: Maintenance, Monitoring, and Logging
Implement consistent logging and monitoring practices that support incident detection and response.
12 chapters in this module
- Collecting logs from critical systems and networks
- Ensuring log integrity and preventing tampering
- Setting retention periods based on compliance needs
- Centralizing logs in a secure, accessible repository
- Monitoring for suspicious login patterns
- Detecting unauthorized configuration changes
- Alerting on critical system events in real time
- Using logs to reconstruct incidents post-event
- Integrating monitoring with ticketing and response
- Tuning alerts to reduce false positives
- Auditing log access and modification attempts
- Validating logging coverage across systems
Module 8. Control Group 7: Email and Web Browser Protections
Reduce risks from common attack vectors by securing email and browser configurations.
12 chapters in this module
- Applying secure browser settings across endpoints
- Blocking malicious scripts and drive-by downloads
- Using email filtering to block phishing attempts
- Enabling link and attachment scanning in real time
- Training users to recognize social engineering
- Reducing browser attack surface with extensions
- Enforcing HTTPS and secure browsing policies
- Monitoring for credential leaks and domain spoofing
- Applying content filtering for high-risk websites
- Auditing browser configuration compliance
- Responding to email-based threats quickly
- Integrating protections with endpoint detection tools
Module 9. Control Group 8: Malware Defenses
Deploy effective anti-malware solutions and ensure they remain updated and monitored.
12 chapters in this module
- Installing endpoint protection on all devices
- Ensuring real-time scanning is enabled
- Updating malware definitions automatically
- Blocking known malicious file types
- Quarantining infected systems immediately
- Analyzing malware behavior for incident response
- Integrating EDR tools with security workflows
- Monitoring for lateral movement after infection
- Preventing execution of scripts from email
- Auditing anti-malware coverage across assets
- Responding to zero-day threats with containment
- Reporting malware trends to leadership
Module 10. Control Group 9: Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services
Harden networks by minimizing exposed services and controlling traffic flows.
12 chapters in this module
- Identifying open ports and associated risks
- Disabling unnecessary services on servers
- Applying firewall rules to restrict traffic
- Using network segmentation for protection
- Monitoring for unauthorized port activity
- Controlling protocol usage across environments
- Enforcing TLS for internal and external traffic
- Auditing network configuration for compliance
- Responding to port-scan detection alerts
- Documenting allowed services with justification
- Integrating network controls with cloud security
- Reducing attack surface through service hardening
Module 11. Control Group 10: Data Recovery
Ensure reliable backups and recovery processes that maintain data integrity and availability.
12 chapters in this module
- Scheduling regular backups for critical systems
- Verifying backup integrity and completeness
- Storing backups securely and offsite
- Protecting backup systems from ransomware
- Testing restore procedures regularly
- Documenting recovery time and point objectives
- Automating backup verification workflows
- Monitoring backup success and failure rates
- Aligning backup frequency with business needs
- Recovering data during incident response
- Auditing access to backup repositories
- Ensuring compliance with data retention policies
Module 12. Control Group 11: Secure Development Lifecycle
Integrate security into every phase of software development using CIS guidance.
12 chapters in this module
- Applying security requirements to project initiation
- Conducting threat modeling for new features
- Using secure coding standards in development
- Integrating static analysis into CI pipelines
- Performing dynamic testing before deployment
- Managing third-party library risks
- Reviewing code changes for security flaws
- Training developers on secure practices
- Tracking security debt in backlog items
- Validating fixes through retesting
- Auditing SDLC compliance across teams
- Measuring improvement in secure delivery
How this maps to your situation
- Aligning cloud growth initiatives with control maturity
- Leading cross-functional teams on secure-by-design adoption
- Anticipating auditor expectations in complex environments
- Driving security decisions without deferring to specialists
Before vs. after
Before
Uncertain when guiding teams on control priorities or justifying architecture decisions
After
Confident leading technical and strategic discussions with full command of the CIS Controls
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, designed for completion over 4-6 weeks with flexibility for on-demand access.
If nothing changes
Without structured control mastery, influence erodes as specialists take ownership of security decisions, and credibility with engineering and audit teams weakens.
How this compares to the alternatives
Generic cybersecurity courses offer overview-level content. This course delivers precise, framework-specific command tailored to leadership roles shaping infrastructure and security alignment.
Frequently asked
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Who is this course for?
Senior strategy and growth leaders who shape secure infrastructure and lead cross-functional alignment on control adoption.
Is this course technical?
It assumes leadership context, not hands-on implementation. The focus is on command of control intent, mapping, and influence , not configuration syntax.
$199 one-time. Approximately 3 hours per module, designed for completion over 4-6 weeks with flexibility for on-demand access..
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