CvCISO® Foundations Course | January 2026

Overview

The Certified virtual Chief Information Security Officer (CvCISO®) Foundations Course is the intense introductory course of the SecurityStudio CvCISO® Program and is a required course for all CvCISO® certifications. This purchase includes everything needed to complete the course (i.e. curriculum material, LIVE classes, access to the CvCISO® community, weekly office hours support, 1 practice exam, 1 certification exam voucher, etc.)  

The course content covers all the basics of what a vCISO is and what a vCISO does. Students from all backgrounds and all levels of experience will benefit from this course. Students with no information security experience will gain an understanding of what makes a vCISO successful. These students will also attain enough knowledge to pass the CvCISO® Foundations exam and perform as a vCISO in limited environments with assistance.

Students with many years of information security experience will gain a better, more formalized understanding of how other (possibly more) successful vCISOs perform on the job. Students at the top end of the experience scale will attain enough knowledge to pass the exam and potentially attain the CvCISO®  Level 3 or Expert designation.

Schedule

Registration for the CvCISO® Foundations course is open, which gives you access to the course content so you can start learning NOW.  

This class is a prerequisite for taking the CvCISO® Foundations Certification Exam. Completing the CvCISO® Foundations course and passing the exam earns the student designation of “CvCISO®”.

LIVE classes are taught Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings from 4-6pm PST / 6-8pm CST / 7-8pm EST and run for 10 weeks.  

For an optimal learning experience, students are expected to review lesson material BEFORE attending the corresponding class. Attending classes is not required to complete the course but are strongly encouraged to get the most from the course. Classes are taught LIVE, spending time reviewing lesson content, asking questions, collaborating with fellow students, and getting time with various subject matter experts to learn even more.  

Additional support is available through our Office Hours, every Tuesday from 10-11am PST / 12-1pm CST / 1-2pm EST, and emailing us is always an option.

Course Outline

There are 10 chapters in the CvCISO® Foundations course. Each chapter covers one or more topics that are essential to the success of a certified vCISO (CvCISO® ).  

Course Length

The CvCISO® Foundations course runs for 10 weeks and includes 30 instructor-led 2-hour sessions (60 classroom hours in total). In addition to the classroom hours, students are expected to complete an additional 60 hours of practical assignments and study (to be successful).

Course Cost

The cost of the course is $3,500 per student, per cohort. This includes 15 months of:

• Continued Access to CvCISO® Foundations Legacy Curriculum
  This is the original CvCISO® Foundations course, with the video recording of Evan. You can revisit lessons, recorded sessions, and materials from this curriculum at any time.
• Continued Access to the CvCISO® Foundations 2026 Curriculum
  This is the 2026 version of the CvCISO® Foundations course currently being taught: new, and updated with multiple enhancements for an optimal learner experience.
• SecurityStudio Control Group Instruction Videos
  This series of videos walk through the SecurityStudio Risk Assessment platform, covering what they are, what they mean, an analogy of the control (in real-world scenarios), and additional information in support of the spirit of each particular control group.
• NFR SecurityStudio License (Not for resale)
  Retain hands-on access to SecurityStudio’s Risk Assessment platform for practice, exploration, experience, and further skill development.
• Live Class Attendance

Members of the CvCISO® with an active subscription can re-attend LIVE classes, to revisit and/or make up for previously missed classes.  

• Community Access
• CvCISO® Discord Server – Engage in real-time discussions and peer support.
• CvCISO® LinkedIn Group – Expand your professional network and share insights.
• Additional Resources
  SecurityStudio Academy is continuously developing resources in support of continued education and professional development. These resources are shared with CvCISO® graduates through this subscription.
• Exclusive Discounts
  Receive special pricing on future training courses, workshops, and events.

Experience Requirements

There are no prerequisites for the CvCISO® Foundations course, and technical expertise is NOT required. The ability to think critically and with discernment is helpful; however, we’ll do our best to teach this skill throughout the course as well. 

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Chapter 1 - Introduction to the CvCISO® Program

(1 Lesson/2 Hours)

Covers everything there is to know about the SecurityStudio Certified virtual Chief Information Security Officer Program and how to be successful with it.

Chapter 2 - Information Security Fundamentals

(15 Lessons/30 Hours)

The most intense portion of the CvCISO® Foundations course, this chapter introduces information security fundamentals without shortcuts and builds mastery critical to vCISO success.

Chapter 3 – vCISO/Customer Relationship

(1 Lesson/2 Hours)

This chapter covers setting the appropriate expectations and communicating effectively, especially with people who don’t speak the information security language natively.

Chapter 4 - Roles and Responsibilities

(1 Lesson/2 Hours)

This chapter covers how to establish good governance, including how to determine the most important roles, assigning the roles, and establishing accountability.

Chapter 5 - Risk Assessment

(3 Lessons/6 Hours)

In previous chapters, the vCISO should have established effective communication, determined (and assigned) roles, and established responsibilities. This chapter leverages previous work to conduct a comprehensive, objective, and measurable information security risk assessment. Students will learn how to lead an information security risk assessment and use SecurityStudio's S2Org to conduct one.

NOTE: Although S2Org is used in the class, CvCISO® certification is NOT dependent upon using any SecurityStudio product.

Chapter 6 - Building a Roadmap

(2 Lessons/4 Hours)

Risk assessment is only one part of the risk management process. Learning how to use a risk assessment is where skill and experience are put to the test. Risk decisions must be made and resources must be allocated to enact the decisions. This chapter teaches students how to build, communicate, and adjust information security roadmaps.

Chapter 7 - Asset Management

(2 Lessons/4 Hours)

It's only logical that we can't protect what we don't know we have. Students learn how to build and maintain effective asset management programs in this chapter.

Chapter 8 - Incident Management

(2 Lessons/4 Hours)

Information security incidents are a certainty that all information security leaders need to be prepared for. In this chapter, students will learn how to build functional incident management capabilities and integrate them into an organization seamlessly.

Chapter 9 - Third Party Information Security Risk Management (TPISRM)

(1 Lesson/2 Hours)

More than half of all information security incidents are caused directly or indirectly by third parties. In this Chapter, students will learn how to build a comprehensive third-party information security risk management program from building an inventory of third-party relationships to risk management and contract requirements.

Students will use S2Vendor to conduct third-party information security risk management activities for demonstration; however, S2Vendor-specific skills are not required for CvCISO® certification.

Chapter 10 - Maintaining Progress and Transition

(2 Lessons/4 Hours)

Information security processes must be continually maintained and eventually all vCISO contracts are terminated. In this Chapter, students learn strategies to ensure that information security progress is not lost and can be maintained over the long term. Students also learn how to gracefully transition vCISO leadership from themselves to someone else.

Bonus Chapter- CvCISO® Foundations Examination Preparation

(1 Lesson/2 Hours)

All the content has been delivered at this point. This session is dedicated to preparing the students for their certification examination.

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