Palo Alto Networks

TechNow has been involved in enterprise security architectures and education since 1990. TechNow’s training program has followed the evolution of enterprise computing into security architectures. Palo Alto Networks represents the current state of security product evolution. With next generation firewall technology, the reunification of your security architecture is possible. TechNow can present the ramifications of many centralized strategies. All courses utilize enterprise security professionals with experience as instructors and can discuss the detail of implementation and the integration into an existing infrastructure.

Palo Alto Networks Certifications: Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE) take EDU-201; Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) take EDU-201 + EDU-205 + EDU-221

TechNow is a mobile Pearson VUE Authorized Testing Center. Palo Alto courses can be delivered on the customer site, with certificadtion testing on the last day of the course. Take the course and get certfied, without logistical effort of getting students to a training facility and the hassle of scheduling testing.

TechNow, Inc. is not associated in any way with Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

TN-855: Advanced and In-Depth ICD 503 RMF, Controls, and Assessments

Course Overview:

This course is very hands-on with respect to SP 800-53 controls as related to ICD-503, leveraging experience with DCD 6/3, and incorporating a broad array of technologies found in the field. Assessors and Auditors have to face many technologies that are not part of the main stream. TechNow has gone to great efforts to build a very broad, comprehensive, and complex lab to simulate many scenarios and architectures. Technologies such as a network appliance that is not a typical infrastructure product, a radio/satellite communications device, or many other technologies that build up a weapon system. Students learn how controls are integrated into many different devices and how they fit in the overall security architecture of monitoring, reporting, and compliance testing.

Directly discussed are overlays for different requirements i.e.: tactical, medical, network type: JWICS, SIPR; IC or AF. TechNow has developed a funnel concept to overlays to exemplify the encapsulation of a control within different requirements. TechNow has over 15 years experience in Trusted Solaris/Trusted Extensions and labeled security. Cross Domain overlays are presented that fits the work flow of an assesor. PII overlays and any overlays that an organization uses and can be made available are also presented.

This course allows the student to leverage years of experience in DoD DCD 6/34 for transition to the Risk Management Framework (RMF) applied to the Intelligence Community as mandated by ICD 503. Utilizing NIST SP 800-37 to establish a baseline of RMF knowledge, the student learns how to integrate the NIST pubs to provide cohesive information assurance architectures and compliance. ICD 503 scorecard evaluations are integral in demonstrating a successful ICD 503 compliance program. TechNow's ICD 503 course provides students with the skill to assess security programs and evaluate ICD 503 compliance to build an improvement and sustainable program for score consistency. TechNow's instructors have unparralleled expertise in federal compliance initiatives, and we bring this expertise instructing students on the complete life cycle of RMF.

More than a simple checklist, we instruct students not only how to validate essential security controls, programs, and metrics, but that they are operating effectively. The student leaves the course knowing how to: identify gaps where controls, programs, or metrics are incomplete, missing or ineffective, and provide actionable findings and recommend remediation strategies. Students learn to internalize NIST pubs to meaningul and effective IA guidelines and work with the Body of Evidence templates which include: Risk Assessment Report (RAR), Systems Security Plan (SSP), Security Assessment Report (SAR), and Plans of Action and Milestone (POAM).

TechNow training materials are aligned with the most recent set of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS), and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) policies standards, processes, policies and instructions to be addressed/explained include ICD 503, ICS 503-1, ICS 500-16, ICS 500-18, ICS 500-27, ICD 502, NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-30, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-53A, NIST SP 800-137, NIST SP 800-47, CNSSP 22, CNSSI 1253, and CNSSI 4009.

A majority of time is spent on in-depth compliance review of NIST SP 800-53 controls. Instruction discusses which method should be used to test and validate each security control and what evidence should be gathered. This course is not theory or death by power point. Real scenarios are presented as exercises. A complete live cyber range simulating the IC is utilized for hands-on labs for techniques of validating and documenting compliance of NIST SP 800-53 controls as related to ICD 503.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

Establish a baseline of RMF knowledge
Validate essential security controls, programs, and metrics
DoD DCD 6/3 to ICD 503 Transition
Lab Environtment and the Cyber Range
Overlays: Tactical, Medical, Network type(JWICS, SIPR; IC or AF), Cross Domain, PII
Risk Assessment Report (RAR)
Systems Security Plan (SSP)
Security Assessment Report (SAR)
Plans of Action and Milestone (POAM)

Prerequisites:

Experience in the field of auditing and assesments.

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Observations of Instructor Led Training with Real Hardware

TechNow has heard many students talk about virtualized/remote training that TechNow Does Not Do. While training our most recent offering of PA-215: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials FastTrack a student told his story of how he endend up in our course. His story we have heard for other technologies like Cisco, VMware, BlueCoat and other products.

A large percentage of training is moving to the virtualized/remote lab environments. Students are asked to use some variant of remote access software and remote into the training company's lab environment. Our student in our Palo Alto Networks Firewall course informed us that he went to a very costly offering of that course from the vendor and was not able to perform any labs. There were either network connectivity issues, or issues with the remote access software, or other problems. The whole training experience was very frustrating and not productive.

We keep our labs open to students if they would like after hours, or before hours access. Repeatedly going through a lab engrains that knowledge for later recall. Touching hardware is so critical in understanding the problems that arise when a cable comes loose, or a cable gets plugged in the wrong port. There are other scenarios such as just pulling the power cable, or turning off a power strip, or accidently overwriting a configuration. These disaster scenarious requires hands-on physical access to hardware. Preventing and recovering from disasters is what it's all about, and that requires hands-on, instructor led, real hardware.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 1, 2026

TechNow, Inc. respects the privacy of our students and visitors to our website and is committed to protecting the information entrusted to us.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and the circumstances under which it may be disclosed.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information necessary to provide and administer our educational courses and related services.

This information may include:

Name
Mailing or billing address
Telephone or mobile phone number
Email address
Course enrollment information
Student account information
Course progress and quiz activity
Information necessary to process course registration and payment
Communications between the student and our organization concerning course administration

We collect only information that is reasonably necessary to operate our courses, administer student accounts, communicate with students, and provide related services.

2. How We Use Student Information

We use student information solely for legitimate business and educational purposes related to the delivery and administration of our courses.

This may include:

Registering students for courses
Creating and maintaining student accounts
Providing access to course materials and quizzes
Communicating course schedules and changes
Sending course reminders and administrative notifications
Communicating logistical information necessary for a course
Communicating urgent or emergency information related to the delivery of a course
Responding to student questions and requests
Administering payments and registrations
Maintaining records necessary to operate our business and educational programs
Providing technical support for our student platform
Protecting the security and integrity of our systems

3. No Sale or Marketing Use of Student Contact Information

We do not sell, rent, lease, or otherwise provide student telephone numbers, mobile phone numbers, email addresses, or other student contact information to third parties for their own marketing, advertising, lead generation, or sales purposes.

We do not use student contact information to conduct unrelated marketing campaigns.

We do not sell or exchange student contact information for leads, affiliate marketing, or other commercial marketing purposes.

Our communications with students are limited to information reasonably related to their enrollment, courses, student accounts, course logistics, and urgent or emergency matters associated with delivering a course.

4. SMS Text Messaging

Student SMS Notifications

We may use SMS text messaging to communicate with students who have student accounts associated with our courses.

We only take registrations over the phone and when asked for a preferred phone number you were asked: “Would you like to receive course-related text messages at this mobile number?” This is to initiate automated communications. Once logged into the TechNow Quiz Platform there is a button at the top of your dashboard “SMS: on“, with a mouse hover text tooltip of “You are currently enrolled to receive SMS notifications about your student account and courses. PRESS TO DISABLE SMS”. If you press the button it becomes “SMS: off“, with a mouse hover text tooltip of “You are currently NOT enrolled to receive SMS notifications about your student account and courses. PRESS TO ENABLE SMS”. Changes of “SMS: off” and “SMS:on” are logged as text messaging Opt-Out and Opt-in.

SMS messages are used for course-related and administrative communications, not marketing or promotional campaigns. Most TechNow communications is through email, SMS is used for time critical and emergency communications.

Examples of SMS communications may include:

Student account notifications
Course enrollment or welcome notifications
Course reminders
Class schedule information
Schedule changes
Class cancellations
Location or logistical information
Instructor or course-related administrative notifications
Urgent or emergency information related to the delivery of a course
Other communications reasonably necessary to administer a student’s participation in a course

We do not use student SMS messaging to send advertising, promotional offers, sales messages, or unrelated marketing communications.

SMS Consent

Students who elect to receive SMS messages authorize TechNow, Inc. to send course-related and administrative text messages to the mobile telephone number provided by the student.

SMS consent is not a condition of purchasing or enrolling in a course.

Message frequency varies depending on course enrollment, account activity, and circumstances requiring course-related communication. Message and data rates may apply.

Opting Out of SMS Messages

Students may disable SMS notifications through the SMS settings available within their student dashboard.

Students may also reply STOP to an SMS message to request that SMS messaging be discontinued.

After an SMS opt-out request is received, our platforms prevent additional SMS messages from being sent to that telephone number.

A student may request assistance regarding SMS messaging by replying HELP where supported or by contacting us using the contact information provided on our website.

Disabling SMS notifications does not prevent a student from accessing their student account or participating in a course. Students who disable SMS may still receive important information through other available communication methods when necessary.

SMS Information Is Not Sold or Shared for Marketing

We do not sell, rent, or share mobile telephone numbers or SMS consent information with third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes.

SMS consent information is used solely for administering our student communication program and providing the course-related communications described in this Privacy Policy.

5. TechNow Does NOT Share Information With Service Providers

Unlike most companies, TechNow does not use third-party service providers to operate our business, we are a SELF HOSTED company.

For example, we internally self host:

Website
Student-platform
Email
Information technology and security
Database and infrastructure services

TechNow interacts with a Bank for Payment Processing and with a trusted SMS provider for SMS delivery. A student’s mobile telephone number and message information may be transmitted through our trusted SMS service provider solely to deliver the requested or authorized course-related communication.

6. Course Platform Information

Students may receive an account on our course and quiz platform.

Information associated with a student account may include:

Login credentials
Course enrollment
Quiz and assessment activity
Course progress
Account settings
Communication preferences
SMS preferences

This information is used to provide and administer the student’s courses and account.

7. Payment Information

When payment is required for a course, payment information may be processed through a third-party payment processor.

We do not retain payment-card information on our student quiz platform unless specifically stated otherwise.

Payment processors may collect and process payment information according to their own privacy policies and security practices.

8. Cookies and Technical Information

Our website and student platform may use cookies, session information, logs, and similar technical mechanisms necessary to:

Maintain authenticated sessions
Keep students logged into their accounts
Provide website and application functionality
Maintain security
Detect and prevent unauthorized access
Diagnose technical problems
Improve the reliability of our services

We do not use student contact information for third-party advertising or behavioral marketing.

9. Information Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect student information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

No method of storing or transmitting information over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security of information.

10. Retention of Information

We retain student information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services, administer courses and student accounts, maintain appropriate business records, comply with legal or regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, and protect our rights and systems.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary for these purposes, we may securely delete or otherwise dispose of it.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our courses and services are intended for the individuals described by our course enrollment requirements. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children in violation of applicable law.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us without appropriate authorization, please contact us.

12. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of third-party websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of those websites before providing personal information.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, technology, business practices, or legal requirements.

When we make changes, we will update the Effective Date shown at the beginning of this Privacy Policy.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or our SMS messaging practices, please contact us:

TechNow Inc.
14117 Jones Maltsberger Rd
San Antonio, TX 53578
210 733-1093
technow-training@technow.com
technow.com

Effective Date: August 1, 2026

TN-813: Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC)

Course Overview:

TN-813: Certified in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (CGRC) course is for the (ISC)²® Certified in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (CGRC) credential previously known as Certified Authorization Professional (CAP). This course walks the student through the Risk Management Framework following practices the NIST pubs. CGRC is an objective measure of the knowledge, skills and abilities required for personnel involved in the process of certifying and accrediting security of information systems. Specifically, this credential applies to those responsible for formalizing processes used to assess risk and establish security requirements. Their decisions will ensure that information systems possess security commensurate with the level of exposure to potential risk, as well as damage to assets or individuals.The CGRC credential is appropriate for civilian, state and local governments in the U.S., as well as commercial markets. CGRC certification applies to job functions such as authorization officials, system owners, information owners, information system security officers, and certifiers. CGRC is crucial to the Management staff.

This course is the “why” of the entire security field. It provides a logical way of allocating resources where there is greatest risk and why we make the decisions we make in the field of security. It is TechNow’s view that of all the security courses we have seen, this course genuinely puts the “big picture” of security in front of the students. Students actually come to an understanding of truly what is critical to security of an enterprise versus a bunch of nuts and bolts of security.

TechNow’s CGRC course covers all of the (ISC)²® CGRC 7 Knowledge domains:

Security and Privacy Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance Program
Scope of the System
Selection and Approval of Framework, Security, and Privacy Controls
Implementation of Security and Privacy Controls
Assessment/ Audit of Security and Privacy Controls
System Compliance
Compliance Maintenance

RMF Related Steps

Prepare – Process Initiation
Categorize Information Systems
Establish the Security Control Baseline
Apply Security Controls
Assess Security Controls
Authorize Information System
Monitor Security Controls

TechNow’s CGRC Instructors have extensive knowledge and experience in the field, and have been working with organizations to build assessor teams for over 20 years.

Attendees to TN-813: Certified in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (CGRC) will receive TechNow authorized training materials, including access to the documentation of the CGRC Exam domains, and expert instruction.

Dates/Locations:

Date/Time	Event
09/08/2026 - 09/11/2026 08:00 -16:00	TN-813: Certified in Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC) TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX

Duration: 3 Days

Course Objectives:

Initiate the Preparation Phase
Perform Execution Phase
Perform Maintenance Phase
Understand the Purpose of Security Authorization

Prerequisites:

IT Security
Information Assurance
Information Risk Management certification and systems administration
1-2 years of general experience technical experience
2 years of general systems experience
1-2 years of Database/Systems Development/Network Experience
Information Security Policy Experience

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