About Phase2 Advantage
Phase2 Advantage is a cybersecurity training and certification company based in Savannah, Georgia. The company provides a wide range of curriculum development and teaching services for military and government organizations, private sector corporations, law enforcement agencies, and academic institutions.
Founded in 2014, Phase2 Advantage has extended its training and services within the United States and to more than 18 countries worldwide. The company’s publishing unit provides textbooks, workbooks, and labs to several college systems for undergraduate and graduate cybersecurity programs and works with industry partners in all sectors to develop practical and sustainable cybersecurity programs in emerging markets
Why are we Different?
We believe that entry-level students and seasoned professionals alike should have access to affordable cybersecurity training programs which are practical and based on both experiential and immersive learning.
We believe all instructors should be as passionate about teaching as the students in our classes are about learning. They should possess the intuition to know that students in any class learn as much from those on their left and right as they do from the front of the class, and therefore foster an environment of engagement and interaction. It should be an experience that provides long-term and continuous value for everyone involved in the training program.
To accomplish this goal, the core staff at Phase2 Advantage responsible for content development and course instruction were selected for their high levels of multidisciplinary experience and diverse backgrounds that include cybersecurity, military intelligence, law enforcement, and the corporate sector.
Our Training Philosophy
Our experience in conducting cybersecurity courses has reinforced the recognition that a “Theory vs. Reality” disconnect exists on a wide scale, and our training philosophy has been developed to acknowledge this fact and bridge this gap for our students. Phase2 Advantage requires the development and instruction of its training courses meet the five fundamental criteria listed below.
- Practical: If the student enjoys the training experience, scores well on the exam, and walks away with an earned credential – but cannot apply the knowledge gained on their first day back to work – their time and their employer’s money have been wasted.
2. Holistic: Teaching students the “how” of a task (the technical skill) without revealing the aspect of “why” (the context and purpose of the implementation) diminishes the student’s understanding of the body of knowledge being presented during the training.
3. Multidisciplinary: If students are only provided with the technical functions of cybersecurity without realizing their professional roles will require a multidisciplinary foundation of abilities – interpersonal skills, communicating with business leaders, interacting in team environments – they will not be adequately prepared for real-world positions.
4. Immersive: Students must be provided with experiential learning presented by instructors who subject matter experts in their field to associate theoretical knowledge with practical application. They must also be exposed to immersive training in the form of labs and exercises to build confidence and mastery in the body of knowledge of their discipline of study.
5. Retainable: If students attend intensive cybersecurity training programs and rely on rote memorization to pass a certification exam – but cannot retain the knowledge and pass the same exam six months later – it is a disservice to them and a poor reflection on the training organization. They must experience a balanced combination of intensive instruction and extended exposure to guarantee the highest probability the body of knowledge presented can be retained and recalled when needed.
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MICHAEL I. KAPLAN
Michael I. Kaplan is the founder of Phase2 Advantage and currently serves in the role of Director of Operations and primary course instructor. He is also the Chairman of the Savannah Technical College Cybersecurity Advisory Committee and extensively involved in the school’s cybersecurity curriculum development and educational support initiatives. Michael has developed a partnership with the Economic Development division of the Technical College System of Georgia which provides the Learning Management System used in Phase2 Advantage programs and allows the company to engage in numerous workforce and professional development initiatives throughout the State of Georgia.
Michael is a military veteran and a national advocate for the military affiliate community. After attending the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Center of Excellence at Fort Huachuca in Arizona in 1983, he attended the Defense Language Institute, Airborne School, several specialized Schools at FT. Bragg in North Carolina, and was assigned to the 11th Special Forces Group (AGR).
Michael was recruited in 1989 to Special Projects Group and served as an instructor an operator on a Federal International Fugitive Task Force (his FBI letters of reference can be viewed on his LinkedIn profile). He was responsible for supervising and training 325 agents who were responsible for more than 3,000 UFAP apprehensions in seven years. Michael left government service in 1994 to pursue a career in High-Threat Executive Protection as an instructor and operator, then founded Phase2 Advantage in 2014. During each of these career stages, he always maintained the official position of “instructor,” and the unofficial position of “team computer geek.”
From 1994 to 2014, Michael earned over 20 cybersecurity certifications and developed a passion for writing and instructional design. He has written five of the primary texts used in Phase2 Advantage training courses and developed a dedicated publishing unit for the company. These texts, registered with the U.S. ISBN Agency (Bowker) and available through all major book resellers, can be viewed below. You can click the covers of the textbooks to read additional details about them on Amazon.
LTC SCOTT C. SCHEIDT (RET)
Scott C. Scheidt is the Director of Cybersecurity Education for Phase2 Advantage and an adjunct professor in the Cyber and Related Programs Department at Savannah Technical College, Savannah, Georgia. He is a Certified Cybersecurity professional with experience in cyber offensive and defensive operations, vulnerability assessments, risk mitigation, business management, enterprise security, and the development of cyber policy and strategy.
Scott retired from the Georgia Army National Guard in 2019 after leading the GA Cyber Mission Forces, helping to lead the formation of the GA National Guard Cyber Protection Team, and conducting intelligence and cyber operations for over 16 years. He is well versed in the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework and helping organizations institutionalize CMMC activities. You are invited to connect with Scott on social media and LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scott-c-scheidt
JAMEY B. KISTNER
Jamey B. Kistner is the Director of Strategic Programs at Phase2 Advantage. As a multidisciplinarian, teacher, father, and a student of life, Jamey leverages a vast wealth of knowledge in his pursuit of the mission at Phase2, which is forging the Cybersecurity Warriors needed to defend the modern threat landscape. Jamey is a Subject Matter Expert and public speaker across many Cybersecurity and Infosec disciplines. An advocate for veterans, neurodiversity in the workplace, and new-to-cyber job seekers.
He possesses over 30 years of career experience spanning military, aeronautics, marine, industrial, automotive, recycling technologies, CNC Machining / programming, Mycology, Permaculture, Sales and Marketing, and customer support. As a former Gray Hat hacker, Jamey brings a unique perspective to the security industry through the lens of a professional who has knowledge of the Cybersecurity keyboard from both ends of the technology spectrum. You are invited to connect with Jamey on social media and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameykistner
BRETT P. LANG
Brett P. Lang is the Chief Editor and an Assistant Instructor for Phase2 Advantage, a cybersecurity training and publishing company based in Savannah, Georgia. Brett has edited numerous academic textbooks in the Phase2 “Practical Cybersecurity Series” to include Network Defense and Investigations, Disaster Response and Recovery, Incident Investigations and Response, and Cybersecurity Defense and Operations.
Brett’s technical areas of specialization in his role as an Assistant Instructor are Incident Handling and Response Investigations, and Disaster Response and Recovery program development. He has taught cybersecurity courses both domestically and internationally, to include University Graduate Programs in Dubai (UAE), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Sydney (Australia). You are invited to connect with Brett on social media and LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brettlang
Contact Us to Learn More
To find out more about Phase2 Advantage and our full range of available client services, contact us today via the phone number or email address listed below.
OFFICE:
(912) 335-2217