Introducing the Cyber Leader Certification Program

A free online program to train Cyber Leaders in small and medium-sized businesses to help secure supply chains and reduce the risk of a cyber attack.


The Cyber Readiness Institute (CRI) has launched a free, comprehensive online professional credential program designed to train and certify Cyber Leaders in small and medium-sized businesses. CRI’s core mission is to help organizations build a cyber ready culture by focusing on human behavior. Having a designated, qualified Cyber Leader is crucial to making it happen.

Your company – and every company you connect to (suppliers, customers, service providers, etc.) – should have a trained Cyber Leader. You can be that Cyber Leader.

There are benefits to the organization and the individual participating. We initially created the Cyber Readiness Program to help small businesses reduce their cyber risk. A key feature of the Cyber Readiness Program was appointing a cyber leader to help guide the organization to develop practical policies and training to help prevent attacks and know how to respond to an incident. We found that many of the appointed cyber leaders were looking for even more knowledge.

The new online Cyber Leader Certification Program provides a deeper understanding of how people, process, and technology, work together in cybersecurity. Along the way, you’ll see how three people with very different backgrounds are effective Cyber Leaders in three very different organizations. You’ll see that technical knowledge is not required. For the individual, becoming a Certified Cyber Leader is a professional credential that can be a building block in your career path.

You’ll learn how to create a culture of cyber readiness by focusing on human behavior. There are tips and tools to help you influence human behavior so people develop good cyber habits. Many of the skills you will learn, like change management or effective communication, can be helpful in other aspects of your job.

People are key to cyber readiness. As the Cyber Leader, the program will help you incorporate cyber ready behavior into how everyone does their job. We’ll show you how to make it practical so you end up with a ‘cyber ready’ culture instead of a ‘workaround’ culture.

Technology plays a critical role in cybersecurity. Although Cyber Leaders do not need a technology background, the Cyber Leader plays an important role to demystify the technology for others in your organization. The program educates you about what questions to ask IT consultants, managed service providers, or cloud service providers and how to communicate the answers inside your organization.

To achieve Cyber Leader Certification you must lead an organization through the Cyber Readiness Program (time varies based on the organization), complete the Cyber Leader Certification Program, and pass the test (estimated time to complete the certification program: approximately four hours). You’ll receive a certificate from CRI proving your personal professional credential.

It is time for every company to take urgent action to improve cybersecurity. Become a Certified Cyber Leader and join the cyber readiness movement.

To learn more and get started go to: https://programs.cyberreadinessinstitute.org/courses/cyber-leader-program