The Hybrid Approach - RiskLens FAIR Training in 2021 and Beyond

June 7, 2021  Josh Griffis

FAIR Training - Jack Jones 32020 was game-changing for just about everyone across the globe. Most of us in the tech industry moved overnight from working in an office to working from home, and we at RiskLens Academy were not any different. We had to move from teaching our customers Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR™) on-site and figure out a way to deliver the same content remotely.

Thankfully, RiskLens Academy already had a self-paced online training for FAIR Analysis Fundamentals, taught by FAIR creator Jack Jones and experienced RiskLens consultants. But how would we deliver the same quality of involvement and expertise without working with customers in person?

Enter the Hybrid approach. Members of our Services and Training teams took the activities we use in our live trainings (such as a small team working together to draw the FAIR standard from memory without using any notes) and walk-throughs of real-world case studies in the RiskLens platform with an instructor. Using web conferencing services, we created a curriculum that took our previous on-site, two-day course into the perfect blend of online self-study and four two-hour instructor-led office-hour activity sessions that can be split across a workweek, making it easier for learners to budget time for classes in their busy schedules.


Learn more and enroll for FAIR training from RiskLens Academy


But we didn’t stop there. Our US Government customers asked us to tailor the FAIR Fundamentals training for the unique use cases for government. Unlike private organizations, most government organizations (with a couple of exceptions) are not self-funded but have to fight for their budgets. Also, all US government organizations must use the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and are looking for ways that FAIR analysis can complement the Framework.

FAIR Analysis Training for Government - LogoA crack team of Services and Training team professionals took the existing FAIR Analysis Fundamentals training, modified sections that are different for the US government (such as the SIx Forms of Loss), added two brand-new government-focused case studies plus sections that covered the NIST CSF and POA&M (Plan of Action & Milestones) prioritization – and released the FAIR Analysis Fundamentals for US Government hybrid course to rave reviews.
 

So, what is on the horizon for 2021?

One of the many asks RiskLens Academy has had over the years is to offer a small-scale class for Executives/Board Members/Decision-makers so they can understand the concepts and principles of FAIR and quantitative risk analysis without getting into how the sausage is made. Later this year, RiskLens Academy is planning to release such a self-paced course for these busy individuals to help them understand FAIR enough to make informed decisions based on quantitative analyses presented to them.

Also, RiskLens Academy will release a course to help new RiskLens users hit the ground running for use of the RiskLens platform. Using our tried and true hybrid approach, this course will be taken by new customers after FAIR Analysis Fundamentals and before the Services engagement to stand up their own RiskLens platform instance.

This training will walk learners through the Rapid Risk Assessment capability and reusable data, such as Data Helpers, Assets and Loss Tables. These time-saving techniques will also get organizations up and running with Top Risk Assessments and Risk Treatment Analyses that can be used for cost-benefit analysis. This hybrid course is scheduled to be released sometime in Q2 of 2021.

So, though it wasn’t planned as a long-term solution, the hybrid approach to RiskLens Training is here to stay and will continue to supplement RiskLens Academy Courses well into the future.

If you have any feedback or ideas for the RiskLens Academy courses, feel free to reach out to us at training@risklens.com. And remember, it is through this type of feedback that we are able to continuously bring you our high-quality training materials.

Learn more and enroll for FAIR training from RiskLens Academy