Digital Infrastructure
Hardware, operating systems, file systems and permissions, virtualization, and how enterprise computing environments are assembled and maintained.
Tier I · Cyber Foundations
Build the foundation before you build the specialization.
Cyber Foundations is the entry point into the CyberVisionaries Institute development model.
Cyber Foundations is the entry point into the CyberVisionaries Institute learning ecosystem. Over 12 weeks — one onboarding week plus eleven instructional weeks — participants develop the technical knowledge, professional discipline, and applied experience required before advancing into a Tier II specialization cohort.
We don’t sell dreams. We help create visions.
#DisruptTheIndustry
Applications are open for the September 14, 2026 cohort.
Why Cyber Foundations exists
The industry doesn’t need more courses. It needs better pathways.
Most people entering cybersecurity are asked to specialize before they have anything to specialize on. They collect courses, accumulate acronyms, and still struggle to explain how systems work together or why security decisions are made.
Cyber Foundations was built for the layer that keeps getting skipped. It moves deliberately — infrastructure, then networking and cloud, then cryptography, then identity — so that each concept has somewhere to land.
Competency is developed through structured progression, applied accountability, practical experience, and professional development. Not through speed.
Program snapshot
12
Weeks
1 onboarding week + 11 instructional weeks
5
Core competencies
Sequenced, not scattered
10
Hands-on labs
Applied practice in every module
5
GitHub deliverables
Major documented portfolio work
90 minutes
Live session
Instructor-led each week
6–8
Hours per week
Live instruction, labs, coursework, and portfolio work
Tier I
Prerequisite
Required before any Tier II cohort
Mixed
Skill levels
Beginners and some IT exposure welcome
Cohort-based
Enrollment
Applications open for announced cohort dates.
How the program is delivered
- Weekly 90-minute live instruction with the cohort
- Guided labs, coursework, and portfolio work between sessions
- Community and discussion in Circle
- Hands-on labs delivered through a private student portal
- Deliverables documented in GitHub
Participants should plan for approximately 6–8 hours each week across live instruction, labs, coursework, and portfolio development. The CyberFoundations Lab Portal is CVI’s enrolled-student lab environment. It is private to active participants.
Certification alignment
Content is aligned with CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ objectives. Alignment supports the learning — competency and practical readiness are the objective. Cyber Foundations is not a certification course and does not guarantee certification.
Who it’s for
Built for mixed skill levels — including complete beginners.
No prior degree or certification is required.
- Complete beginners with no technical background
- Career changers moving in from another field
- Professionals with some IT exposure who want structure
- Recent graduates and returning professionals
Not Ready to Enroll Yet?
Experience Cyber Foundations before making your decision.
Explore selected lessons, see how the learning experience is organized, and ask questions inside our Circle learning platform.
Five core competencies
Networking & Cloud
Addressing, routing, ports and protocols, remote access, cloud service models, and core cloud security configuration.
Practical Cryptography
Symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing, certificates and certificate authorities, and how digital trust is established and verified.
Security Fundamentals & IAM
Identity and access management, directory concepts, authentication and authorization, Zero Trust principles, and foundational risk concepts.
Technical Communication
Documentation standards, GitHub repository and README quality, incident reporting, and communicating findings to non-technical stakeholders.
Learn by building
Build a portfolio that can actually be reviewed.
- Module
- Hands-on lab
- GitHub deliverable
- Professional portfolio
- Capstone
- 10 hands-on labs
- 5 major GitHub deliverables
- Professional GitHub portfolio
- Capstone incident report
- Executive summary
- Live portfolio presentation
The 12-week journey
One onboarding week followed by eleven instructional weeks.
Week 1
Onboarding and program orientation
Weeks 2–4
Digital Infrastructure
Weeks 5–7
Networking & Cloud
Weeks 8–9
Practical Cryptography
Weeks 10–11
Security Fundamentals & IAM
Week 12
Technical Communication and capstone portfolio presentation
Explore the Curriculum
Explore the major learning areas across the 12-week program.
Completion requirements
Completion is earned, not attended.
- 01
Labs and practical work
Submit at least 85% of required labs and complete every designated core deliverable. Optional stretch labs do not affect completion.
- 02
Module assessments
Complete every required assessment and earn at least 70% on each. Reassessment is available after remediation.
- 03
Attendance and participation
Earn credit for at least 9 of 12 live sessions. A live session requires at least 60 minutes; approved asynchronous work may replace missed sessions.
- 04
Capstone
Submit the capstone incident report and executive summary and earn at least 70% on the capstone rubric.
- 05
Competency
Demonstrate competency across all five core areas. Remediation is available when a competency is not initially demonstrated.
- 06
Career readiness
Complete a career map identifying a target pathway or Tier II specialization, then present the final portfolio and capstone. An approved recorded or individual presentation is available when a live presentation is not accessible.
Specific cohort communications and handbooks govern deadlines and remediation windows.
What you earn on successful completion
These outcomes are earned by meeting every completion requirement above.
CVI Certificate of Completion
Verified digital badge
Professional GitHub portfolio
5 documented portfolio deliverables
Mentorship and pathway support
Interview Preparation and Professional Networking
Guided practice and access to CVI learning and professional-development opportunities.
Personalized 30/60/90 career roadmap
Eligibility to apply for a Tier II specialization cohort
Cyber Foundations does not guarantee employment, certification, or placement in a Tier II cohort.
Tuition and enrollment
Cyber Foundations Tuition
Cyber Foundations tuition is $800 for the complete 12-week cohort. A $50 enrollment deposit is required to secure your place and is applied toward the $800 total tuition.
Program Tuition
800 US dollarsUSD
This is the complete tuition for the 12-week Cyber Foundations cohort.
Tuition includes
- Weekly 90-minute live instruction
- Guided hands-on labs
- GitHub portfolio development
- Capstone project
- Community access
- Eligibility for applicable CVI completion credentials upon successful completion
Enrollment Deposit
50 US dollars
A $50 enrollment deposit secures your place in the cohort and is applied toward the $800 program tuition.
The enrollment deposit is non-refundable and is excluded from the 3-Week Money-Back Guarantee.
After the enrollment deposit is applied, the remaining tuition balance is $750.
3-Week Money-Back Guarantee
Make Sure Cyber Foundations Is the Right Fit
We want you to have enough time inside the program to determine whether Cyber Foundations is the right fit for you.
If, during the first three weeks of the program, you are not satisfied with the experience or decide the program is not the right fit, you may request a refund of the eligible tuition payments you have made.
The $50 enrollment deposit is non-refundable and is deducted from any refund issued under the guarantee.
Refund requests under the 3-Week Money-Back Guarantee must be submitted within the first three weeks of the program and are governed by the published Refund & Withdrawal Policy.
Enrollment Policies
Before confirming enrollment, review the Institute's enrollment, tuition, refund, and conduct policies. Cyber Foundations tuition is $800, including the $50 non-refundable enrollment deposit. Payment structures and the 3-Week Money-Back Guarantee are governed by the published policies.
Choose Your Payment Structure
After the $50 enrollment deposit is applied, the remaining Cyber Foundations tuition balance is $750. Choose the payment structure that works best for you.
All Cyber Foundations tuition must be paid in full by the end of Week 8, regardless of the payment structure selected.
Choosing a payment structure does not change the $800 total program tuition.
Access Partnership
CyberNeu Scholarship-Supported Cyber Foundations Seats
Through CyberVisionaries Institute's partnership with CyberNeu, a limited number of scholarship-supported seats are available for eligible neurodivergent adults enrolling in the Cyber Foundations program.
CyberNeu's grant program helps reduce financial barriers by providing scholarship support for qualified participants while connecting members of its community with foundational cybersecurity training.
Applicants awarded a CyberNeu scholarship must still complete the CyberVisionaries Institute admissions process and satisfy all program participation requirements.
Scholarship awards, eligibility, and funding decisions are administered independently through CyberNeu.
Important
Scholarship funding is limited and subject to CyberNeu's eligibility requirements, grant availability, and selection process. Receiving a scholarship does not guarantee admission to Cyber Foundations, and admission to Cyber Foundations does not guarantee scholarship funding.
What Comes Next
Your journey doesn’t end here.
Successful completion of Cyber Foundations establishes the Tier I prerequisite for current advanced pathways at CyberVisionaries Institute.
From there, eligible graduates may explore CVI specialization cohorts and select industry-partner opportunities, each with its own requirements, application process, and availability.
Current opportunities include the PKI Career Pathway Cohort and an eligible-to-apply GRC apprenticeship pathway through Koitecc Solutions.
Completion of Cyber Foundations does not guarantee admission to a Tier II cohort, apprenticeship, employment, placement, funding, or any partner opportunity. Each pathway has separate requirements and availability.
Partner opportunity
Residency referral follows program completion.
Cyber Foundations completion is the prerequisite; the residency does not define program completion. Graduates may be considered for referral to partner opportunities such as Koitecc Solutions’ one-year GRC Residency.
Residency referral readiness includes
- Successful completion of Cyber Foundations
- No outstanding core deliverables
- All required assessments completed with at least an 80% average
- At least 80% on the capstone
- Demonstrated competency in residency-relevant areas
- A completed career-readiness plan
- Confirmed interest in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
Meeting referral-readiness criteria does not guarantee referral, acceptance, employment, or placement. Koitecc Solutions makes its own final selection decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Every expert starts with a foundation.
At CyberVisionaries Institute, we believe lasting careers are built intentionally — one layer at a time. Cyber Foundations prepares you not only for your next program, but for a lifetime of growth in cybersecurity.
We don’t sell dreams. We help create visions.
#DisruptTheIndustry
Applications are open for the September 14, 2026 cohort.
Foundations rarely stands alone. Many participants continue with Mentorship and then a Tier II specialization such as the PKI Career Pathway Cohort. Neither is required, and neither is automatic.