Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
CYBER DEFENSE CENTER ACADEMY
educate. equip. empower.
The Cyber Defense Center Academy develops capability across every layer of cyber defense. From workforce awareness and operational engineering to product assurance, organizational resilience, executive leadership, and collective defense, each Academy strengthens a different dimension of readiness while supporting a common mission.
These Eight Academies focuses on a distinct dimension of readiness while contributing to a common mission: developing defenders, strengthening organizations, and advancing collective defense.
welcome to the academy
INTEGRATED LEARNING ECOSYSTEM
Welcome to the great hall of learning. The Academy represents a new approach to cyber security training and certification that is built on over a decade of research into cyber security opportunities and failures. The Academy is the first integrated learning ecosystem built for the age of AI that will help you build capability, strengthen readiness, and defend what matters.
The Cyber Defense Center Academy develops capability across every layer of cyber defense. From workforce awareness and operational security to technology engineering, executive leadership, organizational resilience, product assurance, and national preparedness, our programs are designed to build the knowledge, skills, and mindset required to defend what matters most.
Unlike traditional training programs that focus on isolated technologies or compliance objectives, the Academy develops defenders across the complete cyber defense ecosystem. Each Academy represents a specialized discipline with its own body of knowledge, certifications, and professional development pathways, while collectively contributing to a common mission of strengthening readiness, improving resilience, and advancing collective defense.
Together, these eight Academies create an integrated learning ecosystem that develops capable individuals, resilient organizations, trusted technologies, prepared leaders, and stronger communities. Whether you are beginning your cybersecurity journey, advancing technical expertise, validating products, or preparing for wartime operations, the Academy provides a progressive pathway to measurable capability and professional recognition.
Developing Defenders. Strengthening Organizations. Advancing Collective Defense.
The Cyber Defense Center is the only training and certification body in the world that offers all organizational levels of certification to holistically align the company, products and services, workforce, and defenders under a unified defense mission.
This is the most comprehensive and advanced training and certification program on the market. We have the frameworks, methods, tools and capabilities to help you succeed where fragmented historical training has failed. This is the only AI ready complete cyber training program on the planet.
BUILD CAPABILITY | STRENGTHEN READINESS | DEFEND WHAT MATTERS
mission areas
SWAT™ (Security Workforce Awareness Training)
People Focus Areas → Security Culture • Human Defense • Workforce Readiness
OPSEC™ (Operational Security Education & Certification)
Operations Focus Areas → Operational Security • Mission Readiness • Wartime Preparation
OTSEC™ (Operational Technology Security Education & Certification
Technology Focus Areas → Operational Technology • Critical Infrastructure • Engineering Defense
Artificial Intelligence Coming Soon
Artificial Intelligence Focus Areas → AI Governance • AI Engineering • AI Resilience
FORGE™ Leadership Development (Coming Soon)
Leadership Focus Areas → Executive Readiness• Strategic Leadership• Crisis Decision Making
FORTIFY™ Organizational Certifications
Organization Focus Areas → Organizational Maturity • Operational Resilience • Continuous Improvement
SECURE™ Product Certifications
Product Focus Areas → Product Assurance • Independent Validation • Capability Certification
SHIELD™ National Readiness (Coming Soon)
Community Focus Areas → Collective Defense • National Readiness • Civil Cyber Defense
certification portfolio
Build Your Career. Earn Recognition. Advance Collective Defense.
The Cyber Defense Center Academy offers one of the most comprehensive cybersecurity certification ecosystems available, developing capability across people, operations, technology, leadership, organizations, products, artificial intelligence, and national preparedness.
Unlike traditional certification providers that concentrate on isolated technical domains, our certifications are organized into specialized Academies that progressively develop practitioners from foundational knowledge to advanced operational capability. Each certification emphasizes authentic assessment, measurable performance, and real world application, ensuring graduates are prepared to defend missions rather than simply pass examinations.
Explore the certifications available across each Academy and discover the pathway that aligns with your career, your organization, and your mission.
certification portfolio
SWAT™ (Security Workforce Awareness Training)
People Focus Areas → Security Culture • Human Defense • Workforce Readiness
SWAT AWARE
$12,500
The SWAT AWARE workforce and cultural certification demonstrates that your organization understands threats and recognizes risk.
SWAT ALERT
$22,000
The SWAT ALERT workforce and cultural certification verifies that your organization demonstrates secure behaviors and actively identifies threats.
SWAT GUARDED
$34,500
The SWAT GUARDED organizational certification validates that security culture is embedded and consistently demonstrated across the organization.
OTSEC™ (Operational Technology Security Education & Certification
Technology Focus Areas → Operational Technology • Critical Infrastructure • Engineering Defense
CYBER DEFENSE ASSOCIATE CERTIFICATION (CDAC)
$4900
The OTSEC CDAC is a critical infrastructure certification. You may select any sector designation and your issued certification will reflect your sector.
Price incudes training and certification test.
CYBER DEFENSE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION (CDPC)
$6200
The OTSEC CDPC is a critical infrastructure certification. A CDAC (any sector) is a prerequisite. You must be verified for your sector CDPC designation.
Price incudes training and certification test.
CYBER DEFENSE EXPERT CERTIFICATION (CDEC)
$11,600
The OTSEC CDEC is a critical infrastructure certification. A CDPC in good standing in a specific sector is required prior to CDEC registration. You must be verified for your sector CDEC designation and this much match your CDPC designation.
OPSEC™ (Operational Security Education & Certification)
Operations Focus Areas → Operational Security • Mission Readiness • Wartime Preparation
OPERATIONAL SECURTIY ASSOCIATE CERTIFICATION (OSA)
$5,000 per tabletop
The OPSEC OSA™ certification adds achievement ribbons to the certification badge based on the number of Cyber Defense Center certified tabletop exercises successfully completed by the facilitator and sponsoring organization, recognizing continued excellence and demonstrated operational experience.
OPERATIONAL SECRUTIY PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION (OSP)
$10,000 per tabletop
The OPSEC OSP™ certification badge is enhanced with achievement ribbons that recognize the number of Cyber Defense Center facilitated, observed, or validated tabletop exercises successfully completed by the facilitator and sponsoring organization, demonstrating advanced operational experience and continued excellence in exercise leadership.
WARTIME TABLETOP FACILITATOR (WTF) CERTIFICATION
$6200
The OPSEC WTF™ certification recognizes individuals who have demonstrated advanced expertise in designing, facilitating, and evaluating wartime cyber defense tabletop exercises. As the Cyber Defense Center's highest tabletop facilitator credential, it signifies excellence in preparing organizations for high consequence cyber incidents and operational decision making under uncertainty.
FORTIFY™ Organizational Certifications
Organization Focus Areas → Organizational Maturity • Operational Resilience • Continuous Improvement
FORTIFY READY Certification
request quote
FORTIFY READY ™ organizational certification recognizes organizations that are building a culture of cyber defense. By demonstrating investment in people, preparedness, and operational resilience, certified organizations distinguish themselves as leaders committed to protecting their mission, customers, and communities.
FORTIFY REINFORCED Certification
request quote
The FORTIFY REINFORCED™ organizational certification recognizes organizations that have progressed beyond foundational readiness by integrating cyber defense capabilities into daily operations. Through continuous improvement, validated resilience practices, and measurable operational maturity, certified organizations demonstrate a proactive commitment to strengthening security across people, processes, and technology.
FORTIFY RESILIENT Certification
request quote
The FORTIFY RESILIENT™ organizational certification recognizes organizations that have demonstrated the ability to withstand, recover from, and adapt to cyber adversity. Through validated resilience, mature governance, and a culture of continuous preparedness, certified organizations exemplify operational excellence and are recognized as leaders in organizational cyber resilience.
SECURE™ Product Certifications
Product Focus Areas → Product Assurance • Independent Validation • Capability Certification
SECURE CAPABLE PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
$3500
The SECURE CAPABLE product certification verifies that the product demonstrates the capabilities required to perform its intended cyber defense functions.
The product is subject to Self-attestation, a demonstration and assessment inquiry, and optional lab testing only.
SECURE TRUSTED PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
$12,000
The SECURE TRUSTED product certification verifies that the product has demonstrated effective performance through operational evaluation, capability validation, and practical application.
The product is subject to rigorous independent evaluation accompanied with lab and operational testing.
SECURE EFFECTIVE PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
request quote
The SECURE EFFECTIVE product certification validates that the product has demonstrated mature operational capability, reliability, and effectiveness across diverse deployment environments.
The product is subject to rigorous independent evaluation accompanied with production deployment testing.
SECURE DISTINGUISHED PRODUCT CERTIFICATION
request quote
The SECURE DISTINGUISHED product certification
recognizes exceptional innovation, operational excellence, and demonstrated contribution to advancing the practice of cyber defense.
The product is subject to rigorous independent evaluation accompanied with production deployment testing.
SHIELD™ National Readiness
Community Focus Areas → Collective Defense • National Readiness • Civil Cyber Defense
WARTIME CYBER DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION CERTIFICATION (WCDAC)
coming soon
This is our first in a series of Jefferson Cyber Defense Doctrine certifications that are under development. Stay tuned!
COLLECTIVE DEFENSE CENTIFICATIONS (COMING SOON)
coming 2027
Multiple certifications that support the Jefferson Cyber Defense Doctrine are under development. Stay tuned!
Artificial Intelligence (Coming Soon)
Built from our Age of AI research, Four Certification Paths for AI certification is Coming Soon. Artificial Intelligence Focus Areas → AI Governance • AI Engineering • AI Resilience
AI CERTIFICATIONS
coming soon
Four NEW AI certifications are being accredited and nearly ready for launch. These are very exciting. Stay tuned!
FORGE™ Leadership Development (Coming Soon)
Built from our CISO Series and CISO War Stories research, a new cyber defense leadership certification is Coming Soon.
CYBER DEFENSE LEADERSHIP CERTIFICATION
coming 2027
Our Security Leadership Certification is under development. Stay tuned!
Build Capability. Demonstrate Readiness. Earn Recognition.
A DIFFERENT WAY TO TRAIN AND CERTIFY
At the Cyber Defense Center, we are creating something larger than a collection of training courses. We are building a culture where professionals take pride in mastering their craft, organizations celebrate measurable improvement, and operational readiness is visible, recognized, and continuously strengthened.
Build Capability. Demonstrate Readiness. Earn Recognition.
EARN TO EXCELLENCE
The path to excellence individually, for your products, and for you company starts here. We offer the ONLY Training program on the planet that builds capability and culture - a Culture of Resilience.