Cybersecurity Certification

MCSI Certification

MCL - Certified Cybersecurity Leader

This certification training prepares you for the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) role.

If you want to develop your leadership skills for high-level positions, then this course will advance your career.

Some of the topics covered include: recruiting and managing talent, personal brand management, business negotiations, budgeting and metrics.

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Intermediate Level MCSI Certification Intermediate
ic-certificate Certification
ic-clock 600+ hours
ic-money $450
No Expiry, No Renewals

Course Overview

MCSI Certified Cybersecurity Leader:

  • Discover the type of CISO you want to be and how you will lead yourself
  • Obtain budgets to support crucial cybersecurity activities
  • Measure and report the success of your investments
  • Recruit top cybersecurity talent and manage their performance
  • Manage key stakeholders and demonstrate leadership is all the areas of your portfolio
  • Act as a leader when facing major cyber incidents
  • Plan and execute IT security transformation programmes

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities You Will Acquire

MCSI is one of the most respected and trusted names in cyber security education and training. Our certifications teach critical skills, knowledge and abilities needed to advance a career in cyber security. Our courses are comprehensive and up-to-date, and our instructors are experienced professionals who are dedicated to helping students learn. MCSI provides the real-world skills and knowledge you need to protect any organization from cyber threats.

  • Budgeting for cybersecurity investments
    • Calculating the Return on Security Investments (ROSI)
    • Identifying the key factors that inform cybersecurity budgets
    • Writing business cases
  • Measuring the effectiveness of cybersecurity investments
    • Quantitative and qualitative metric
    • Historical trends
    • Reporting to the Board of Directors
    • Properly articulating what metrics means
  • Recruiting and managing talent
    • Fostering a team culture
    • Developing interview questions
    • Creating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
    • Drafting Position Descriptions
    • Constructing a doctrine that meet your recruitment goals
    • Mentoring teams members
    • Delegate responsibilities and tasks
    • Addressing and resolving cultural issues
  • Managing key stakeholders and third-party vendors
    • Stakeholder Analysis
    • Four Ways of Seeing Analysis
    • Rapport Building
    • Negotiation Tactics
    • Conversation Trees
    • Supervise Acquisition Programmes
  • Managing major cyber incidents
    • Technical Cause Analysis (TCA)
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
    • Developing Incident Statements
    • Dimensioning Incidents
    • Reporting to the Board of Directors
    • Reporting to customers and the public
  • Developing and executing IT security transformation programmes

Career Outcomes

This certification thoroughly prepares you for the following roles:

  • Chief Information Security Officer
  • Head of Information Security
Certification Detail

MCSI certifications are highly respected, showcasing your expertise and commitment to excellence. With cutting-edge, hands-on content, our exercises teach in-demand skills for immediate application. Certifications are valid for life, with no renewal fees or time limits.

Syllabus

Training Modules

This course provides you with multiple training modules, each of which is designed to teach you practical skills that can help you solve important cyber problems. Each module offers exercises that will help you build your skills and capabilities.

  • MCL-001: Foundational Knowledge and Concepts - 4 exercises
  • MCL-002: Governance Concepts - 3 exercises
  • MCL-101: Professional Ethics and Morals - 6 exercises
  • MCL-102: Measuring Cyber Security Investments and Performance using Metrics - 9 exercises
  • MCL-103: Budgeting for Cyber Security Investments - 12 exercises
  • MCL-104: Recruiting and Managing Talent - 18 exercises
  • MCL-105: Stakeholder Management - 10 exercises
  • MCL-106: Third Party Management - Under construction
  • MCL-107: Personal Brand Management - 13 exercises
  • MCL-108: Professional Writing - Under construction
  • MCL-201: Managing Major Incidents - 10 exercises
  • MCL-202: Business Negotiations - 10 exercises
  • MCL-203: Addressing Cultural Issues - Under construction
  • MCL-301: Product Evangelism - Under construction
  • MCL-302: Security Transformation - Under construction
  • MCL-303: Mentoring and Stewardship - Under construction
  • MCL-401: Case Studies - 3 exercises

Scenarios

Cyber professionals must be ready for everything. The typical security training strategy, which focuses on individual skills and tools, is insufficient. You must be able to operate as part of a team, see the big picture, and respond swiftly and effectively to unforeseen circumstances. That's why, as part of our training, we use replays of whole cyber missions. Our scenarios help you prepare for the demands of the job and give you confidence in your ability to work professionally.

  • MCL-SC-01: Your First 30 Days As a New CISO - 8 exercises
  • MCL-SC-02: Dark Risk Management - 7 exercises
  • MCL-SC-03: Challenges with Metrics and Performance Management - 4 exercises
  • MCL-SC-04: Team Management - 4 exercises
  • MCL-SC-05: Stakeholder Management - 8 exercises

Enroll now with lifetime access for $450

Certifications

MCSI Industry Certifications are important for you to earn because they signify that you have the skills required to work in a cybersecurity. Certificates of Completion are also important to earn because they signify that you have completed an exercise. Earning Certificates of Completion and Industry Certifications demonstrates that you are willing to put in the extra work to be successful.

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Learn in-demand practical skills

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Receive tailored feedback

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Earn certificates & build a portfolio

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Unlock career opportunities

Sample Exercises

Under construction.

Help and Support

Unmatched Mentorship: Accelerate Your Growth

At MCSI, mentorship is built to unlock your full potential. Receive personalized insights from multiple experts, tackle real-world challenges, and get the guidance you need to grow rapidly and excel in your cybersecurity career.

  • Personalized feedback with an average instructor response time of 1 business day
  • Direct access to instructors and peers via a 24/7 Discord server
  • Progress tracking and milestone assessments to keep you on course toward success
  • 95% of MCSI graduates land cybersecurity jobs with expert mentoring and feedback

24/7/365 Discord Community:

If you're looking for additional support during your studies, consider joining our Discord server. Our community of fellow students and instructors is always available to provide help and answer any questions you may have.

Personalized Support:

Your submissions will be reviewed by MCSI instructors, who will provide you with personalized feedback. This input is critical since it can assist you in identifying the areas where you need to enhance your skills. The instructor's feedback will also tell you how well you did an exercise and what you can do to improve your performance even further.

Click here to see an example of personalized feedback.

Our personalized support will take your skills to the next level. Read what a student says about it:

Quick Questions:

If you have any questions or need clarification on any of the exercises, MCSI offers a Quick Questions section on each exercise where you can ask for help. This is a great resource to use if you need assistance. This feature is only available for paid courses.

Prerequisites

Training Laptop Requirement

This course can be completed on a standard training laptop. To ensure you have the necessary hardware to complete the course, your machine should meet the following specifications:

  • 64-bit Intel i5/i7 2.0+ GHz processor or equivalent
  • 8GB of RAM
  • Ability to run at least (1) virtual machine using Virtual Box, or an equivalent virtualization software
  • Windows 10 or later, macOS 10 or later, or Linux
  • Local administrator privileges
Do you support older operating systems?

Yes. Many of the exercises can be completed on older OS versions. A few of our students are successfully using older equipment to learn cyber security.

Proficiency in the English language

You must have the ability to comfortably read and understand IT documentation written in English. Ideally, they have an IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 6 (or equivalent).

Note: You can register for this course without having undertaken an English test.

Professional Experience

We recommend that you have at least two (2) years of experience working in a large organization.

Note: 2 years of field experience is not sufficient to work as a CISO. However, it should have given you sufficient exposure to how organizations operate to commence aligning your career development goals with the CISO role.

Lab Environment

This course teaches you how to setup and configure your own cybersecurity lab.

  • Save thousands by avoiding the costs of pre-built labs
  • Customize your lab with the hardware and software you prefer
  • Gain practical skills in networking, system administration, and technical troubleshooting
  • Build confidence by practicing tasks you'll need to perform in real-world jobs
  • Manage and maintain your own tools—just as employers expect in the workplace

Aptitude Test (Optional)

This is an intermediate course. It includes exercises for novices but assumes that they have competent IT skills and a strong understanding of cybersecurity concepts.

Aptitude Test:

If you're not sure if you'll be able to fully enjoy this course, then contact us via email to organize a free aptitude test. This test will determine whether you meet the course's basic baseline criteria. If you've never studied with us before, it will also introduce you to the MCSI Method™.

Why MCSI's Cybersecurity Leadership Certification is World Class

why MCSI certifications

Comprehensive, Effective, Exceeds Standards

Students must completed 100 practical exercises relevant to the CISO role. Upon completion, they have demonstrated skills and knowledge required act as a CISO. This includes budgeting, measuring the effectiveness of investments, recruiting talent, and managing stakeholders. All of which are crucial to success in the field.

why MCSI certifications

Real Life Case Studies

Real-world case studies drive all the materials included in this course. Upon graduation, students have faced the best and worst case scenarios. They are ready for breaches, parliamentary inquiries, discovering fraud, and dark risk management. They are also prepared to manage toxic relationships.

why MCSI certifications

Leadership

This course develops your leadership skills. It will get you to think critically about how you behave and handle difficult situations. You will create mental models, personal doctrines, ways of working, and a leadership style best suited to your personality.

Enrollment and Fees

Fees

Your next breakthrough starts with bold action—take it today with MCSI, buy now:

$699

What You Receive

MCSI delivers unmatched benefits, expertly combined to give you a competitive edge:

  • Lifetime access with no renewal fees or hidden costs
  • All updates free, with regularly refreshed content.
  • certifications in one purchase
  • Personalized feedback and direct access to instructors for continuous support
  • Join a community of 35,000+ users to network, collaborate, and grow

Click here to read student testimonials to see firsthand accounts of their experiences with MCSI training.

Time to Value

After just 5 exercises, 66% of users report stronger problem-solving skills as a direct result of their MCSI training.

Put in the effort, and we guarantee you'll see measurable improvements in your skills within weeks. Depending on your starting point, the MCSI Method will help you become a competent professional within the specific cyber domain taught in this course in just a few months.

Actively Maintained Course

This course is actively maintained, regularly tested, and updated with industry support to ensure accuracy, quality, and the most up-to-date skills—setting it apart as one of the best in the market.

Terms and Conditions

Cooling-Off Policy

Received a full refund if you changed your mind about a purchase within 24 hours. No questions asked. Read the full details here.

Don't Buy This Course

Don't buy this course if you believe cybersecurity is simple, can be mastered in hours, or that passive consumption of videos and books is enough.

Our competitors deceive you with promises that video courses and open-book certificates are sufficient. Cybersecurity demands hundreds of hours facing real challenges, with experts guiding you to strengthen your weaknesses. Only when you embrace this will you grasp the value of the MCSI Method™ and the transformation it offers.

By purchasing, you commit to our 100% practical MCSI Method™—no solutions, no walkthroughs, only critical thinking, problem-solving and research like in the real-world. Unsure? Try the free version first.

How does MCSI Compare?

MCSI is 95% more cost-effective with 20x more practical training hours:

Traditional Vendors Conference Workshop Cybersecurity Bootcamps MCSI Certifications Return on Your Investment
Cost: $5,000+ $4,000+ $10,000+ $450 Save between $3,500 to $9,500
Hours of Practical Training: 30 20 150 600+ hours 20x more practical training hours
Travel Expenses: $8,000+ $4,000+ $6,000+ $0 (online) Save between $4,000 to $6,000

Enroll now with lifetime access for $450

Bloom's Taxonomy

Employers seek problem-solvers who deliver real value. With MCSI, you'll develop practical, in-demand skills applicable across diverse cyber roles.

Our proven training method elevates cyber operators to the top 10% of the industry—the results speak for themselves.

We empower both beginners and experts to accelerate their careers and reach new heights
  • 95% of users completing our Remote Internship or an intermediate course landed cybersecurity jobs
  • 84% reported an increased confidence in their real-world cybersecurity abilities
  • 76% said MCSI training opened new career opportunities
  • 71% said managers recognized their skills improvement
We elevate our users to elite levels through the most realistic cyber training on the planet
  • With just 600 hours of MCSI training, users transform from beginners to expert practitioners—creating tools, presenting at conferences, and being recognized as top talent in their organizations
  • 88% of users reported that MCSI transformed their work approach—enabling greater autonomy, fostering creativity, enhancing problem-solving skills, and improving their ability to meet work expectations
  • 44% of our top users are directly involved in protecting critical infrastructure and national security
Our training transforms lives, empowering users to achieve their personal goals
  • Many of our users have secured roles in tier-1 cybersecurity teams and contributed to high-profile projects featured in global news, thanks in part to our courses
  • Some users received visa sponsorships, enabling them to move from developing countries to the UK, United States, and Australia to work for top firms
  • Several users overcame financial challenges by securing remote freelance or contract roles, rising to the top 5% of IT earners in their countries

We certify cyber practitioners weekly, with results independently verifiable. Our users produce artifacts that employers can audit to confirm their skills—an unmatched capability for those who need to hire top talent.

Enroll now with lifetime access for $450

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the MCSI Method™?

    Watch this video:

  • Are solutions disclosed and available?
    • No. Our method of teaching cyber security consists of challenging you with real-world problem statements that you're expected to research and solve by doing your own research. This is how you'll be expected to work in the field. When you fail an exercise, we provide you with constructive feedback to improve and try again.
  • Do exercises, training content, or certificates ever expire? Am I expected to buy again in the future?
    • Upon purchase, all the materials permanently unlocked with no recurring or ongoing fees.
  • Do I need to buy the training and the certification separately?
    • No. The price provided covers both. You only pay once.
  • Do you offer any special offers and discounts?
    • We understand that many of our customers may be looking for discounts, and we would love to be able to offer them. However, we do not provide discounts because we believe that our prices are fair and reasonable. We work hard to keep our prices low, and we feel that discounts would be unfair to our other customers. We hope you understand.
  • If I can't solve the exercise where do I go for help?
  • Who reviews and marks exercises?
    • Trained cyber security instructors that work for Mossé Cyber Security Institute.
    • MCSI instructors are highly qualified and experienced professionals who are able to teach a variety of topics related to information security. They have the ability to tailor their teaching methods to meet the needs of each student, regardless of their experience level. In addition, they are always up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in information security, which enables them to provide students with the most relevant and current information.
  • We can't pay via credit card. Can you raise an invoice for wire payment instead?
    • Yes. Send us the list of bundles and certifications you want to purchase at [email protected]
  • Can I access a trial/demo the certification programmes prior to enrolling?
    • We provide a free curriculum with 100+ hours practical exercises you can try.
    • The Free Curriculum teaches Security Tools, Penetration Testing, Red Teaming, Threat Hunting, Cyber Defence, GRC and Windows Internals.
    • Try the Free Curriculum
  • Do you provide Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits?
    • Yes. Every single exercise offers CPE credits. The number of credits earned depends on the difficulty of the exercise completed. Below are the CPE Credits achieve for an exercise in each difficulty:
    • Novice exercises = 1 CPE credits
    • Advanced Beginner exercises = 2 CPE credits
    • Competent exercises = 5 CPE credits
  • Do I need to complete an exam to receive MCSI Certification?
    • No. MCSI Certifications are completed by solving practical cybersecurity exercises.
  • Do I need to purchase cybersecurity tools or subscriptions?
    • No. Only free or trial versions are used in our exercises. You do not require making any purchases.

More Kind Words from Students

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