Absolute Zero Academy¶
A program of the Open Zero Trust Project.
Zero Trust is not a product you install. It is a discipline you build — incrementally, continuously, across every layer of your organization. The Absolute Zero Academy exists to teach that discipline: the frameworks, the controls, the architecture decisions, and the judgment that comes from applying them in the real world.
The Academy is built around the same principle as Absolute Zero itself. The goal is not to pass a test and stop. The goal is to develop the knowledge and instincts to keep pursuing the ideal — and to help the organizations you work with do the same.
Three Tiers¶
The Academy offers three individual certification tiers, each building on the last.
AZ Foundations¶
For: Security practitioners, IT professionals, and anyone beginning their Zero Trust journey.
Covers:
- What Zero Trust is — and why perimeter-based security failed
- The three core tenets of Zero Trust (NIST SP 800-207)
- The five pillars of the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model
- Introduction to all four major ZT frameworks: NIST, CISA ZTMM, CIS Controls, and ISO 27001
- The OZTP Top 10 Zero Trust Controls
- How to read and act on a ZT maturity assessment
- Building a practical remediation roadmap
Earns: AZ Foundations Certificate
AZ Practitioner¶
For: Security engineers, architects, and blue team practitioners implementing Zero Trust controls.
Covers:
- Deep operational knowledge across all five CISA pillars
- Identity: MFA, privileged access management, just-in-time access, identity lifecycle automation
- Devices: MDM, endpoint detection and response, hardware attestation, device posture enforcement
- Networks: micro-segmentation, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), encrypted traffic inspection
- Applications: least-privilege access, continuous authorization, CI/CD security integration
- Data: classification frameworks, DLP, encryption at rest, in transit, and in use
- CIS Controls IG1 and IG2 in practice
- Running a Zero Trust maturity assessment for an organization
- Incident response within a Zero Trust architecture
Earns: AZ Practitioner Certificate
AZ Architect¶
For: Senior security practitioners, security architects, and those building or leading ZT programs — including future Absolute Zero recognition assessors.
Covers: - CISA ZTMM Optimal across all five pillars in practice - CIS Controls IG3 implementation - ISO 27001 ISMS design and continuous operation - Cross-framework gap analysis and multi-year roadmap design - Threat Intelligence Integration & Automated Guardrails - Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Alignment - Zero Trust architecture for complex, multi-environment organizations - Third-party risk and supply chain Zero Trust
Earns: AZ Architect Certificate + eligibility to serve as an Absolute Zero recognition assessor
How It Connects¶
The Academy and the Absolute Zero recognition program are two sides of the same ecosystem. The Academy certifies the individuals; the recognition program certifies the organizations. Architect-level graduates are trained to conduct the evidence reviews that org recognition requires.
| Academy Tier | Supports Org Recognition Tier |
|---|---|
| AZ Foundations | Absolute Zero Foundations |
| AZ Practitioner | Absolute Zero Advanced |
| AZ Architect | Absolute Zero Designation + assessor eligibility |
Open Access and Sustainability¶
The Absolute Zero Academy is built on the principle that essential cybersecurity knowledge should be accessible. To ensure the long-term sustainability, continuous updates, and validation integrity of the Academy, we distinguish between open-access learning and formal credentials:
- Open Curriculum: Educational frameworks, study documentation, and foundational objectives are openly licensed and accessible to individuals and organizations for self-study.
- Services & Validation: Official certification exam proctoring, formal credential issuance, and future instructor-led academy classes may include fees to cover platform scaling, administrative overhead, and rigorous identity verification.
Coming Soon¶
The Absolute Zero Academy curriculum is currently in development. The Foundations tier launches first.
If you want to be notified when the Academy opens, or if you want to contribute to curriculum development, we want to hear from you.
Contact OZTP → Explore Absolute Zero → Take the ZT Maturity Assessment →
The Absolute Zero Academy is a program of the Open Zero Trust Project. "Absolute Zero" as applied to Zero Trust security maturity was introduced by OZTP in 2026.