Frequently Asked Questions

BCR Cyber is a Maryland-based cybersecurity training and workforce development company. Since 2017 it has delivered hands-on IT and cybersecurity training to jobseekers, incumbent workers, government agencies, and employers. BCR Cyber also awards its own certifications, develops and hosts the Series 3000 Cyber Range, provides proficiency testing for FedRAMP third-party assessment organizations, and offers job placement services. More about BCR Cyber.

BCR Cyber is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Most training is delivered virtually, so participants can take part from anywhere with an internet connection. In-person training is also available at the Baltimore training facility for organizations that prefer it. Contact information.

Three main groups: people entering IT and cybersecurity for the first time (students, career changers, and jobseekers), workers who already hold IT or security roles and want to upskill, and employees of state and local government agencies. BCR Cyber also trains instructors at colleges and other institutions that use its cyber range.

BCR Cyber runs several workforce programs, each aimed at a different audience: the Cyber Workforce Accelerator (CWA) Workforce Development Program for Maryland jobseekers through the community colleges, ICE-T for unemployed and underemployed entry-level candidates, COMET for Maryland state and local government employees, and ACT for people moving into governance, risk, and compliance roles. BCR Cyber also builds customized training for organizations. See all programs.

Many BCR Cyber programs are funded by state and federal workforce grants, such as the Maryland Department of Labor’s EARN program and the SNAP Employment and Training program, so eligible participants pay nothing. Funding and eligibility differ by program and change over time, so each program page lists the current details. Program pages.

Each program has its own application, and the program page explains who is eligible and how to apply. ICE-T applications start on the Apply page. COMET and ACT have their own pages. The CWA Workforce Development Program is entered by registering through a participating Maryland community college, which you can find on the digital registration page.

It depends on the program. SOCOA I training, for example, is 48 hours, including 8 hours of hands-on exercises on the cyber range. ICE-T is a six-month program that includes CompTIA certification training. Each program page lists its schedule.

The Cyber Workforce Accelerator is a statewide workforce development program established in 2024 by BCR Cyber and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. It gives all 16 Maryland community colleges access to BCR Cyber Series 3000 Cyber Ranges and has two parts: a Workforce Development Program that trains and certifies jobseekers, and an Academic Program that brings the range into classroom instruction. About the CWA.

BCR Cyber awards three certifications of its own: SOC Operations Analyst I (SOCOA I) for entry-level security operations work; Governance, Risk, and Compliance Applied Fundamentals (GRC-AF) for applied governance, risk, and compliance skills; and Fundamentals of AI in Cybersecurity (FAIC) for how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used in security operations. BCR Cyber programs also prepare participants for industry certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+.

Yes. SOCOA I is approved by the Maryland State Department of Education as an Industry-Recognized Credential (IRC). It is earned by passing a certification examination and completing a team-based exercise on the BCR Cyber Series 3000 Cyber Range.

Every BCR Cyber certification is earned by passing an assessment. Depending on the certification, that means a proctored examination, a hands-on exercise on the cyber range, or both. Candidates who do not pass can retake the assessment under the rules on each certification page.

Employers and schools can verify a certification by sending the certificate number and the holder’s name to bcradmin@bcrcyber.com.

A cyber range is a training environment that recreates a real enterprise computer network, with the servers, workstations, security tools, and everyday traffic of a working organization, and then runs live cyberattacks against it. Trainees defend that network in real time, working as a security operations team, with no risk to real systems. It is the cybersecurity equivalent of a flight simulator: the closest thing to handling a real attack, without the consequences of one.

The Series 3000 is BCR Cyber’s own cyber range platform, now in its fourth generation, and the centerpiece of every BCR Cyber training program and certification. It recreates a full enterprise network and launches realistic attack scenarios against it, from ransomware to insider threats, while trainees work as a security operations team to detect, mitigate, and remediate each attack and an instructor runs the attack and guides the response. The platform is developed, hosted, and supported by BCR Cyber, and it is the same range Maryland’s community colleges use through the Cyber Workforce Accelerator. About the Series 3000.

Yes. BCR Cyber makes the Series 3000 available to colleges, school systems, government agencies, and employers, and trains their instructors to run it. Remote workstations connect classrooms and offices to a range hosted by BCR Cyber, so nothing has to be built on site. Contact inquiry@bcrcyber.com to start the conversation.

Employers can hire from the BCR Cyber graduate pool, enroll their own staff in upskilling programs, and join the Industry Consortium of more than 40 employers that helps shape the training. BCR Cyber’s placement services connect graduates with internships, apprenticeships, and full-time positions. Placement services.

BCR Cyber is the exclusive provider of technical proficiency testing for third-party assessment organizations (3PAOs) under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). The exercise is a real-time assessment of a simulated cloud environment. About proficiency testing.