New to this board and would appreciate your feedback/input:

I am planning to attend CISSP bootcamp and is considering either thru IntenseSchool or thru TechNow. Was wondering does one have any feedback on the above schools (Pro/Con etc...) and also if bootcamp is really necessary ( can I do it by myself on this cert.?)

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

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I would like to know the information too regarding intense school

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Intense school had 80 students in one class!! they charge about $4500 !! OUCH. and they only done it once. Get real. The other school never did a class before, and vigilar try to sell you consulting service. Go visit cissp.com and look at their training. Boot camps don't work with the cissp certification. Its not another MCSE !

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I agree whole heartedly that boot camps do not work. You might be able to pass the test - but can you do the job??? While I believe this was by lightyears the hardest exam so far (PMP here I come!) you really have to know your stuff if you want to work in the field.

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I agree. ALthough I do not have the CISSP -- and I want to make that clear so you know to take this post with a grain of salt -- I do not think that this particular cert lends itself to the boot camp format.

This being said, Timmy that is an impressive list of certs you got there!

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Having some experience with boot camps, I would also concur that this format is not the best for the CISSP, particularily with 80 in a class. As the CISSP has no lab, they can afford to 'squeez' as many as a location can accomodate. However, if there are concepts such as in cryptography, the distribution process of private and public keys, and you have a question, you might not get enough detail or background to satisfy your question(s).

A study group that is co-led by each of you for each of the 10 domains is free, effective, and builds your knowledge base by sharing each other's expertise. Boot camps can serve some professionals who have years of experience and exposure in the 10 domains. In this respect, they do have a place. For those clients, Boot Camps can serve as a refresher or brushup course.

For those new to the field, Boot Camps can provide an overview. They can help clarify objectives and key terms or concepts you need to focus on as the process is a long and sometimes confusing one. Often, because the material is presented fast and furious, you might feel lost. If you can, ensure that you're able to re-sit through another session of the Boot Camp in case you don't get what you need on the first pass.

While Boot camps can and do prepare you for the contents of the CISSP test, they do not prepare for the experience you need when faced with the actual job. Competence as a CISSP (or the lack of just because you could pass a written test), will more than likely be challenged. It's not a matter of if it will occur, just a matter of when...Will you truly be ready?

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great post. Thanks for your vision and experience.

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Ok I have not been there but......
Intense School has the instructor and security ace Shon Harris.


Lead Trainer
SHON HARRIS - CISSP INSTRUCTOR

Shon Harris, CISSP, MCSE, CCNA, is a security consultant who provides security assessments and analysis, vulnerability testing, and solutions to a wide range of different business. She is a member of the Information Warfare unit in the Air force, which performs military base assessments and “red-teaming” activities during aggressor exercises. In addition to CISSP, Shon has taught Network Security and Ethical Hacking courses at various colleges.

Shon is the Author of the CISSP All-In-One Study Guide for McGraw-Hill. She is also a contributing author to Hacker’s Challenge: Test your incident Response Skills using 20 Scenarios, by Mike Schiffman (McGraw-Hill / Osbourne, 2001. She is currently authoring Exam Cram CISSP book for McGraw Hill and a Network Security book for SANS, due out at the end of this year. ). Shon also contributes to Information Security Magazine and Windows 2000 Skills.

I think the bio speaks for itself.

Good Luck,

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Hello Everyone,

I have been doing some investigatin of my own. And I learned a couple of things about both schools. In reference to Sean She is no longer teaching the Intense School Classes and per their sales rep they have gone thru 2 since her. However she did write the course material. TechNow is using an instructor named Jason Rader he has his CISSP, MCSE, CIW, and several other certs. One other main difference is the class size. From the chat rooms I have seen that Intense Schools packs up to 80 in a class. TechNow states that a maxium of 15 per class is allowed. That's a great one on one ratio!
And the biggest one of all has got to be the cost. TechNow has them beat hands down!

But I will also say this, The CISSP Certification is not one to be taken lightly and the guys that said you need the experience are right. Three years is definately a minimum on that requirement. I've also noticed that alot of people suggest THE ORANGE BOOK and THE RED BOOK are also great study guides to look at.

Good Luck everyone!
Cheers!

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newcissp
Junior Member

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Boynton Beach, FL
Posts: 1
June 2002 Intense CISSP Course
I just completed the Intense School CISSP course held 2-8 June 2002 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and I have to say that it was one of the best courses I have ever attended. My other industry certifications include CCNA, MCSE+I, CCSE, CCSA and a few others so I can say that I have been to many training courses over the years.

Here's the reason's why I was impressed with Intense School's CISSP course:
- The instructor for the course was Eric Ouellet, who has many, many years of real world, international experience. He made the course very interesting, was able to provide specific examples within each domain that he himself has performed in the real world of how that technology or system was used. He maintained control of discussions, and kept us all involved during our 10-12 hour days, and made himself available to us outside of "classroom" hours.
- There were a total of 25 students from a wide variety of backgrounds and experience, all of which added to the discussions, questions and exchange of knowledge. The hotel conference room was appropriately sized for the class and worked out well.
- I liked the way the class schedule was layed out. We started on a Sunday and covered two domains per day thru Thursday. All day Friday was review and then ISC2 came in on Saturday and gave the exam.
- I have never been to a class that had a supply of snacks and drinks like this one. There was a fully stocked refridgerator with soda, water, juice, etc., and a table filled with all kinds of snacks. Another table with regular and decaf coffee, and hot water for tea. Another table with admin supplies - pens, highlighters, pencils, notepads, stickies, paperclips, stapler, you name it, not to mention other thnigs like bandaids, antacids and the like. All these tables were right there in the back of the classroom.
- A strong backpack type book bag to carry the volumes of books we had for the course.
- A school rep was on site daily for anything we needed, plus gave us cell phone numbers to call, if needed. The School CTO sat in on a couple of the classes to check on the quality of instruction, student needs, etc.

And the BEST part of all was the instruction provided was more than enough to allow me to pass the CISSP exam on Saturday. I even received my email notification of passing on the following Thursday...only 5 days after testing.

If other Intense School courses that they offer are run like this one, I would highly recommend it to anyone. I know that I will be signing up soon for the Applied Hacking and Countermeasures Course!

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