Only 46 more days. It’s almost time to start the FRSecure CISSP Mentor Program!

As of yesterday (2/23/21), we have more than 3,500 registered students for the 2021 class. That’s awesome! (and a little nuts) For context, we started the program in 2010 with six students. At the time, FRSecure was a teeny startup (3 employees), but our size didn’t matter. We started with a simple goal:

Provide quality information security training for free.

No strings. No ulterior motive. No marketing gimmicks. Nothing but helping people on their journey.

Why this goal?

We love people. By proxy, we love people in our industry, and by (another) proxy, we love the people served by our industry. Our mission (“to fix the broken industry”) is born from and rooted in love, and we will always do right by our mission. Makes sense, yeah? We’re all #MissionBeforeMoney around here!

Fast forward, this will be our 12th consecutive year. We’ve been a positive influence (to one degree or another) in the lives of more than 6,000 people through the CISSP Mentor Program in the past two years alone (3,500+ students this year so far, 2,400+ students last year). Everyone is welcome here, regardless of background, experience or education. If you don’t want to take the CISSP exam, or don’t feel ready, join us anyway. You’ll learn more about information security, and maybe you’ll pick up some life skills along the way!

Welcome Message

Posted in the 2021 CISSP Mentor Program Study Group on 2/19/21:

Hello 2021 FRSecure CISSP Mentor Program Class,

I’m Evan Francen, the founder and CEO of FRSecure (and SecurityStudio) and one of the instructors here. We’ll get to know each other once class gets going, but I wanted to introduce myself now and welcome you.

Welcome to the 2021 FRSecure CISSP Mentor Program!

I’m excited that you’re here and honored to be part of your journey.

A little history…

In 2008, we started FRSecure with this mission:

To fix the broken information security industry.

Our mission came from a deep passion to do things right and serve others. You see, information security isn’t about information or security as much as it is about people. People cause the havoc (intentionally or accidentally) and people suffer the consequences. If nobody suffered, nobody would care.

The information security industry is still young. There’s no shortage of work to do, and the sooner we get to work on the right things, the better off everyone will be. Two things are at (or near) the core of our information security industry problems:

• People take advantage of other people. If there was a single motivator for me, this would be it.Attackers – people who don’t hide their intent to do others harm. Most people think we’re only concerned about the attackers, but there’s much more.Frenemies – people in our industry who sell products and services that are not in the best interests of the buyer and/or do not do what they claim.
  • “Experts” – yes, in quotes. There are people in our industry who are in it for the wrong reasons. They are motivated by selfishness and not to serve others. This wouldn’t seem so bad, but most of these people are charged with securing information that does not belong to them. Inflated egos intimidate and discourage others, ignorance leads to poor decisions, comfort leads to inactivity, etc., etc.
• Information security fundamentals are not universally understood or applied. This is true in the public sector and private industry. It’s also true at home. If we (as an industry) mastered the application of fundamental information security concepts, we’d reduce the number of breaches by as much as ~80-90% (my conservative estimate) and significantly reduce the impact to society.

Fixing these problems is certainly easier said than done, but the pursuit continues…

So, where does the FRSecure CISSP Mentor Program fit in this equation, and what does it mean for you?

Simple. Our industry needs more good information security people. We need you!

The FRSecure CISSP Mentor Program was born out of our mission. In our first year (2010), there were six students. All six students went on to pass their exams and became CISSPs. Today, they are all working in our industry and making a positive difference in the lives of others. Last year was the 11th consecutive year for the program, and we had more than 2,400 registrations. It’s been an incredible experience for us, and for me personally. We do this because we love people, and we do it for no other reason. No strings, just #MissionBeforeMoney!

The 2021 CISSP Mentor Program

We’re sticking with the formula that works. Due to COVID still being COVID, we will once again teach all classes remotely. We’ve already surpassed last year’s record number of student registrations, and we’re on track for more than 5,000! This will be the best class yet, and I’m VERY excited to get to know some of you along the way! You’ll see me and some of the other FRSecure folks drop in here (the study group) from time to time. We’re here to help you as much as we are able (given day job and family stuff).

Once again, welcome! Thank you for letting us be part of your success. In know I speak for the other instructors (Brad Nigh and Ryan Cloutier) and the entire FRSecure team when I say that.

Let’s do this!

If you’ve thought about signing up, but haven’t yet, go do it. If you know somebody who could use some of this, tell them about it. See, more simple!