Students

NextGen Cyber Talent is now participating in the Google Career Certificate program, allowing us to offer our candidates training for six professional certificates. We're kicking off with the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate.

Professional Certificate - 8 course series
Prepare for a new career in the high-growth field of cybersecurity, no degree or experience required. Get professional training designed and delivered by subject matter experts at Google and have the opportunity to connect with top employers.

Organizations must continuously protect themselves and the people they serve from cyber-related threats, like fraud and phishing. They rely on cybersecurity to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of their internal systems and information. Cybersecurity analysts use a collection of methods and technologies to safeguard against threats and unauthorized access — and to create and implement solutions should a threat get through.

During the 8 courses in this certificate program, you’ll learn from cybersecurity experts at Google and gain in-demand skills that prepare you for entry-level roles like cybersecurity analyst, security operations center (SOC) analyst, and more. At under 10 hours per week, you can complete the certificate in less than 6 months.

Upon completion of the certificate, you can directly apply for jobs with Google and over 150 U.S. employers, including American Express, Deloitte, Colgate-Palmolive, Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud), T-Mobile, and Walmart.

The Google Cybersecurity Certificate helps prepare you for the CompTIA Security+ exam, the industry leading certification for cybersecurity roles. You’ll earn a dual credential when you complete both.

Applied Learning Project

This program includes 170 hours of instruction and hundreds of practice-based assessments and activities that simulate real-world cybersecurity scenarios that are critical for success in the workplace. Through a mix of videos, assessments, and hands-on labs, you’ll become familiar with the cybersecurity tools, platforms, and skills required for an entry-level job.

Skills you’ll gain will include: Python, Linux, SQL, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), communication, collaboration, analysis, problem solving and more!

Additionally, each course includes portfolio activities through which you’ll showcase examples of cybersecurity skills that you can share with potential employers. Acquire concrete skills that top employers are hiring for right now.

Registration Opens: 10th December '24

Cloud Security refers to the set of policies, technologies, and controls designed to protect data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud computing environments. It focuses on ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of resources stored and processed in the cloud.

This course is designed to explore Cloud Security and its related concepts in detail. After introducing the student to the basics of Cloud Security, it details how organizations adhere to Cloud Security compliance requirements and common risk factors that should be addressed with proper security controls. Following this, it details how organizations follow industry best practices to mitigate risks by adopting a set of guidelines, policies, and procedures. Lastly, it discusses how organizations implement Cloud Security tools to help protect and enhance their cloud computing environment.

Students will be guided through a series of interactive virtual presentations, where they will be met with knowledge checks along the way. As they progress through each module, the students will gain a deeper understanding of cloud security and its compliance requirements, common risk factors, proper security controls, best practices, and Cloud Security tools. At the end of the training, students will walk through a case study and take a final exam to test their knowledge of the subject matter.

Schedule:
A 3-part self-paced training, with progressive and interactive training modules:

Part 1:
• Module 1 Introduction to Cloud Security: This module introduces Cloud Security and the most popular deployment models. Additionally, it provides an overview of the different cloud service models as well as the importance of cloud security framework.
• Module 2: Compliance and Frameworks: This module covers the various common compliance requirements that organizations need to consider for cloud security. It dives further into the common standards that are included in relevant publications.
• Module 3: Cloud Security Risks: This module highlights the importance of understanding Cloud Security risks and common factors associated with these risks. Students will gain a better understanding of common risks which are: Data Breaches, Inadequate Access Management, Malware injections, Shared infrastructure vulnerabilities, and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

Part 2:
• Module 4: Cloud Security Controls: This module focuses on how to implement Cloud Security controls to mitigate the risks mentioned in the previous module. After explaining the importance of the controls, students will learn about Identity and Access Management and Encryption.
• Module 5: Cloud Security Best Practices: This module explains Cloud Security best practices and how they can be adopted to mitigate risks. After learning what the difference is between
controls and best practices, students will discover industry best practices as well as common challenges that may be encountered during implementation. • Module 6: Cloud Security Tools: This module explores various Cloud Security tools that help organizations protect and enhance their cloud environments. In addition to providing an overview of each of the tools, key functionalities and/or features of each tool are covered in the module as well.

Part 3: Summary and Practice Case Study
• Module 7: Summary & Key Takeaways: To conclude and prepare students for the case study/exam, this module provides an overview of the key topics and takeaways from the previous 6 modules.
• Module 8: Case Study: This module contains a practice business case, applying the content covered in the previous modules to a real-world scenario. Students will be required to use the knowledge gained throughout the course to answer a series of questions based on the information provided in the case.
After reviewing the course material and applying it to the case study, students will test their knowledge of Cloud Security with the following:

• Final Exam: A 30 multiple-choice question final exam concludes this training.

Registration Opens: 10th January '25

In today’s digital world where individuals regularly transact and socialize through online platforms, privacy has become an important issue for consumers and organizations alike. Personal data is ubiquitously collected, linked, and leveraged by organizations for a variety of purposes ranging from business operations, product/service improvements, data insights, and often for purposes unknown or unclear to the consumer.

The methods and tools used to collect user data have advanced through evolving technologies, and organizations holding such data have become susceptible to data breaches and security incidents where user data has been exposed or compromised. In parallel, individuals are becoming increasingly concerned with how and why their information is being collected and used. This has led to an emergence of robust laws and regulations created to establish accountability for the handling of personal data and afford individuals meaningful access and control over their data.

This training course will provide an overview of the following topics, each of which provide foundational knowledge of privacy and data protection in today’s climate:

• What is privacy and why is it important
• Regulatory landscape of privacy in the United States and Europe
• Building and operationalizing a privacy program
• Privacy automation and technology
• Emerging privacy trends
• Professional certifications

This course aligns to the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) certification exams (CIPT, CIPP/US, and CIPP/E), with the hope that the information covered will supplement the studying process. OneTrust demos and trainings throughout this course will also provide students a strong foundation and background on the tool’s capabilities with the hope that the information covered will supplement the training and studying processes to receive the OneTrust Professional Certification.

Note: The cohort schedule is currently tentative and subject to change.

Registration Opens: 10th February '25

The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act is a United States federal law, passed in 2002, that enacted strict rules for financial reporting and accountability of corporations. It was created with the goal of promoting financial transparency, accuracy, and fairness. While it was initially created to restore consumer trust in accounting practices following a series of financial scandals, this act continues to have a significant impact on corporate governance and financial reporting practices, ensuring all publicly traded companies have controls in place to maintain SOX compliance.

This course is designed to outline ITs critical role in ensuring compliance with the SOX Act. After introducing the students to the basics of IT SOX, this course details how to identify and manage IT risk, as well as implement and test proper IT controls.

Students will be guided through an interactive virtual presentation, where they will be met with knowledge checks along the way. As they progress through a series of modules, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the SOX Act, ITS role in SOX compliance, and how to effectively assess IT controls. At the end of all modules, students will take a final exam to test their knowledge of the subject matter.

Schedule:
Online self-paced training, with progressive and interactive training modules:
• Module 1: Introduction to SOX and IT Audit – This module introduces the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act and how it relates to IT. Additionally, it provides students with an introduction to IT Audit, which is closely tied to IT SOX compliance.
• Module 2: IT Risk – Risks arising from IT can have a large impact on financial reporting. This module covers some of the potential risks arising from IT, focusing on three core areas: access systems, system change control, and data center and network operations.
• Module 3: Controls and IT Environment - This module outlines the ways that risks are mitigated using internal controls. After reviewing the most frequently utilized control frameworks and types of controls, it takes a deep dive into the components of an IT environment and their functions.
• Module 4: Testing IT Controls – This module covers the various areas to focus on when performing an IT control test. From evaluating a control’s design to its operating effectiveness, students will discover the determining factors of an IT control’s success.
• Module 5: Evaluating Results & Deficiencies - This module outlines the steps to take following a control test, with a focus on identifying, classifying, and addressing deficiencies.
• Module 6: Summary & Key Takeaways: To conclude and prepare students for the case study/exam, this module provides an overview of the key topics and takeaways from the previous 5 modules.

Students can test their knowledge gained through the course with the following:
• Module 7: Case Study: This module contains a practice business case, applying the content covered in the previous modules to a real-world scenario. Students will be required to use the knowledge gained throughout the course to answer a series of questions based on the information provided in the case.
• Final Exam: A 25 multiple-choice question final exam concludes this training

Registration Opens: 10th March '25

Technology Resilience refers to the ability of company to withstand and recover from unexpected technology disruptions, failures, or attacks while maintaining essential business functions. In today’s interconnected and technology-dependent world, Technology Resilience has become an increasingly important topic.

This course is designed to explore Technology Resilience and its related concepts in detail. After introducing the student to the basics of Technology Resilience, it details how organizations can determine their most critical technology requirements. Following this, it details how organizations create Technology Resilience strategies and plans to protect critical technologies in case of a disruption. Lastly, it discusses how organizations conduct exercises to familiarize recovery teams with their plans.

Students will be guided through a series of interactive virtual presentations, where they will be met with knowledge checks along the way. As they progress through each module, the students will gain a deeper understanding of technology resilience and its requirements, governance, strategies, plans, and exercising. At the end of the training, students will walk through a case study and take a final exam to test their knowledge of the subject matter.

Schedule:
A 3-part self-paced training, with progressive and interactive training modules:

Part 1:
• Module 1: Introduction to Resilience and Technology Concepts - This module introduces Technology Resilience and current Technology Resilience trends. Additionally, it provides students with an overview of the Technology Resilience Framework alongside common definitions and related topics.
• Module 2: Technology Resilience Governance: This module explores the role of governance within Technology Resilience. After outlining the activities required to develop Technology Resilience governance, it covers Technology Resilience policy and reporting.
• Module 3: Requirements Analysis (BIA & TIA): This module focuses on how organizations conduct a thorough analysis of their critical business processes, systems, and technologies. After introducing the students to Business Impact Analysis (BIA), this module provides a detailed explanation of the Technology Impact Analysis (TIA) process, which is used to inform the development of Technology Resilience strategies and plans.

Part 2:
• Module 4: Technology Resilience Strategies: This module delves into the strategies and methodologies for designing resilient technology systems and infrastructure. From on-premise and cloud strategies to hybrid strategies that mix the two, this module explains the ways organizations can implement resilience strategies to mitigate potential disruptions.
• Module 5: Technology Resilience Plans: This module covers Technology Resilience plans, which serve as a crucial reference when building a resilient technology infrastructure. After introducing the concept of resilience plans, students will learn about the three main types of Technology Resilience Plans: Infrastructure Recovery Plans, Application Recovery Plans, and Orchestration Plans.
• Module 6: Technology Resilience Testing/Exercising: This module emphasizes the importance of regularly exercising and validating Technology Resilience plans. From tabletop to full exercises, students will learn how each type of exercise plays a critical role in ensuring continued Technology Resilience.

Part 3: Summary and Practice Case Study
• Module 7: Summary & Key Takeaways: To conclude and prepare students for the case study/exam, this module provides an overview of the key topics and takeaways from the previous 6 modules.
• Module 8: Case Study: This module contains a practice business case, applying the content covered in the previous modules to a real-world scenario. Students will be required to use the knowledge gained throughout the course to answer a series of questions based on the information provided in the case.

After reviewing the course material and applying it to the case study, students will test their knowledge of Technology Resilience with the following:
• Final Exam: A 30 multiple-choice question final exam concludes this training.

Registration Opens: 10th April '25

The goal of this course is to build foundational knowledge about the vast amount of Internet of Things (IoT) devices deployed today and what it takes to secure this constellation of network-connected devices inside of an organization. We will start off by discussing the basics of the Internet and progress towards gaining visibility and insights into all of the connected devices inside of a modern enterprise.

This course will be highly interactive and contains 4 hands-on labs for students to gain familiarity with the tools and processes organizations use to tackle this emerging challenge.

Note: The cohort schedule is currently tentative and subject to change.
Registration Opens: 10th May 2025

In this course, you will discover the challenges with conventional, qualitative risk management methods. We will
introduce you to the FAIR Standard and methodology, associated processes, and terminology. You will also learn key
measurement concepts, calibrated estimation methods necessary to conduct quantitative risk analysis in your agency
or department, and best practices to communicate analyses to stakeholders. The learning experience is further solidified by hands-on work on applicable use cases.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

* Know the FAIR Standard (variables, definitions, relationships, forms of loss, etc.)
* Explain the FAIR risk analysis process
* Properly scope scenarios for analysis
* Use calibrated estimation in quantitative risk analysis
* Map controls to the FAIR Standard to analyze risk mitigation
* Interpret the results of a FAIR analysis and create reports for stakeholders
* Apply their knowledge to case studies based on real-life scenarios

Note: The cohort schedule is currently tentative and subject to change.

Registration Opens: 10th June 2025