When you’re building a cybersecurity pro, you need to get the foundations right

April 29, 2021 TH Author

Promo Cyber attackers are a diverse lot. They can strike from anywhere in the world, and may be motivated by greed, politics, status, or pure malevolence. And their techniques range from the dazzlingly sophisticated to the frankly crude, technically speaking.

So it makes sense that security pros also can – indeed should – come from a range of backgrounds and have a variety of motivations. Whether you’re leaping in straight out of school, are an experienced techie making a change mid-career, or are switching from line of business, the only essentials are a sense of curiosity and a willingness to learn. Which is why SANS has developed the SANS Foundations: Computers, Technology, and Security Course.

This is a brand new programme designed, as SANS says, to be the “best single course available to learn the core knowledge and develop practical skills in computers, technology, and security fundamentals that are needed to kickstart a career in cybersecurity.”

If you’re at the threshold of your cybersec career, be assured that the course has been designed for those with “zero technical and security knowledge” with the aim of giving them “sufficient theoretical understanding and applied practical skills that will enable students to speak the same language as industry professionals”.

Meanwhile those with existing tech knowledge can rest easy that they will swiftly move from fundamentals, including operating systems and containers, through practical programming, advanced computer hardware, and onto key security concepts. These include a grounding in forensics, reconnaissance, exploitation and privilege and escalation, and network and computer infiltration.

You’re in safe hands, as the course has been designed by SANS’ CTO James Lyne, who a well as being a self-described “massive geek” has also made cyber security highly accessible through his TED talks and TV appearances, and through his CyberStart learning platform for young adults. You can catch James for a walkthrough of the course where you can see an overview of the course modules, quizzes, the lab environment and much more next week! Sign up here.

This is all delivered through over 120 hours of curated content, including 4K video. The emphasis is on the practical, with hands on labs and exercises.

Throughout the course, you can check on your progress with quizzes designed to consolidate your learning, culminating in a proctored exam courtesy of GIAC, the most trusted name in security certifications. So, whether you’re an absolute beginner or a seasoned techie planning a career in cybersecurity and are looking for the that first step, or you’re a manager planning to launch someone else’s security career, check out the course syllabus now.

Sponsored by SANS Institue