Security was added to your job, the budget was not? Risk register, policies, ISO 27001, SOC 2, incidents, board report
What You Will Learn:
- Build a security program: take 80+ templates, checklists, question lists and matrices from the lectures
- Plan your first 90 days as CISO and build a cyber risk register
- Write security policies and run an ISO 27001 or SOC 2 gap analysis
- Roll out identity and access management and MFA
- Run security awareness training and phishing drills
- Manage third-party risk and write an incident response plan
- Run tabletop exercises with an incident playbook
- Build a security budget and metrics and report to the board
- Use 17 working files, including a risk register, a policy pack builder and a board report builder
- Learn with Mike, the #1 HR instructor on Udemy: 1,800,000+ enrollments, 170,000 students, about 200 books on Amazon
The Survival Guide for the “Accidental” CISO
Let’s be honest for a second: most people don’t wake up one morning with a million-dollar security budget and a full team of analysts. Usually, you’re the IT Manager or a Senior Engineer, and suddenly, the CEO asks, “How are we looking on SOC 2 compliance?” or “What’s our plan if we get hit by ransomware?” Suddenly, security has been added to your job description, but the headcount and the cash didn’t follow. That is exactly where Mike’s CISO Training: Information Security Program steps in.
I’ve sat through dozens of theoretical bootcamps that put you to sleep with legal definitions. This isn’t that. This course is a tactical “survival kit” for anyone who needs to build a defensible security posture from scratch. Mike (who, let’s face it, has the stats to back it up with over 1.8 million enrollments) treats this like a business problem rather than just a technical one. He focuses on real-world projects—the kind that actually stop you from getting fired or sued. The standout feature here isn’t just the lectures; it’s the 100+ tools and the “first 90 days” roadmap. It takes you from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “I have a cyber risk register and a board-ready report” in a surprisingly logical flow.
Prerequisites: Who Should Actually Take This?
While the course claims to be beginner to advanced, I’d argue you need a baseline understanding of how a business operates. You don’t need to be a Python wizard or a packet-sniffing expert, but you should understand basic IT infrastructure. If you know what a server is and why MFA matters, you’re ready. It’s perfect for IT Directors, aspiring security managers, or GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) specialists who want job-ready skills that go beyond just clicking buttons in a dashboard. If you’re looking for a deep-dive “hands-on lab” where you’re exploiting buffer overflows, look elsewhere. This is for the architects and the leaders.
The Toolkit: Skills and Industry-Standard Tools
The “100+ tools” headline might sound like marketing fluff, but once you dive into the 17 working files, you see the value. The risk register and the policy pack builder are worth the price of admission alone. You’re not just learning about ISO 27001 or SOC 2; you’re getting a gap analysis matrix that you can actually use in your Monday morning meeting.
We’re talking about industry-standard tools and frameworks that allow you to roll out identity and access management without causing a revolt in the office. The course covers everything from phishing drills to third-party risk management—which is a massive headache for most modern companies. The focus on incident response plans and tabletop exercises is particularly sharp. Mike teaches you how to run a “war game” scenario so that when a real breach happens, your team isn’t running around like headless chickens.
Career Benefits and Job Roles
If you’re aiming for career growth in the cybersecurity space, understanding the “managerial” side of security is where the real money is. This course acts as a fantastic practical supplement to certification prep for the CISM or CISSP. It bridges the gap between “knowing the theory” and “executing the work.”
Common job roles that would benefit from this include:
- Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a startup or SMB.
- Security Program Manager looking to streamline compliance.
- IT Auditor who needs to understand how a program is built from the ground up.
- GRC Lead focused on ISO 27001 or SOC 2 frameworks.
Pros: Why It’s Worth Your Time
- Immediate Utility: The templates and checklists aren’t just for show. You can download the board report builder, swap in your company logo, and have a professional presentation ready in hours.
- Zero-Budget Mindset: Mike understands that not everyone has a Fortune 500 budget. He focuses on high-impact, low-cost wins that improve your security posture immediately.
- Holistic Approach: It covers the “soft” side of security—like security awareness training and stakeholder management—which most technical courses completely ignore.
- Clear Roadmap: The “first 90 days” plan is a brilliant way to structure the learning, making a massive field feel manageable.
Cons: The Honest Reality
If I’m being critical, the course can feel a bit “template-heavy.” If you’re a veteran CISO at a global bank, some of this will feel like a review of the basics. Also, because Mike comes from an HR and management background, the technical depth on MFA or IAM configurations is relatively light. It tells you *what* to do and *why*, but it won’t show you which specific CLI commands to run on a Cisco router. It’s a management course, not a sysadmin guide.
The Bottom Line: If you need to build a security program that doesn’t just look good on paper but actually works in the trenches, this is one of the most practical investments you can make for your career.