About This Course
Cyberattacks, data breaches, and digital disruptions have become defining threats of the modern organisational landscape. Whether triggered by ransomware, insider threats, natural disasters, or systemic infrastructure failures, crises that compromise data and digital systems can cripple operations, erode stakeholder trust, and expose organisations to severe regulatory and financial penalties. The ability to respond swiftly, protect sensitive information, and restore systems securely is no longer optional — it is a core organisational competency.
This five-day programme, Cybersecurity and Data Protection in Crisis Recovery Training, is designed to bridge the gap between cybersecurity practice and crisis management. It provides professionals with a structured, end-to-end understanding of how to defend digital assets before a crisis strikes, manage cyber incidents effectively as they unfold, and recover data and systems in a manner that preserves integrity, compliance, and operational continuity.
Participants will work through real-world scenarios drawn from sectors including finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, developing hands-on skills in risk assessment, incident response, data backup and recovery, forensic analysis, and post-crisis communication. The course places equal emphasis on technical controls and organisational governance, recognising that effective cybersecurity in crisis situations demands both technical depth and leadership clarity.
TrainingComplex has designed this programme for the realities facing organisations across Africa, the Middle East, and beyond — environments where digital transformation is accelerating while regulatory frameworks and cyber resilience maturity are still evolving. Graduates will leave with immediately applicable tools, frameworks, and response plans that strengthen their organisations against the next inevitable digital disruption.
Who Should Attend
- IT and Systems Administrators responsible for infrastructure security and recovery
- Information Security Officers and Cybersecurity Analysts
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planners
- Risk and Compliance Managers overseeing data protection obligations
- Crisis Management and Emergency Response Team Members
- Data Protection Officers managing regulatory compliance under frameworks such as GDPR or national data laws
- IT Project Managers leading digital transformation or system migration initiatives
- Senior Managers and Executives accountable for organisational resilience and recovery
Learning Objectives
- Explain the intersection of cybersecurity threats and crisis events, and how each amplifies the other
- Conduct a cybersecurity risk assessment specific to crisis scenarios, including supply chain and third-party exposures
- Apply established frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and CIS Controls to pre-crisis preparedness planning
- Develop and execute a structured Cyber Incident Response Plan aligned with organisational risk appetite
- Implement data backup, encryption, and integrity verification protocols to protect critical assets during disruption
- Perform initial digital forensic triage to preserve evidence and support post-incident investigation
- Navigate data protection legislation and regulatory notification requirements during and after a crisis
- Coordinate cross-functional recovery teams, including IT, legal, communications, and senior leadership
- Conduct post-crisis reviews and translate lessons learned into strengthened security controls and continuity plans
- Communicate cybersecurity incidents and recovery status clearly to technical teams, executives, and external stakeholders
Course Modules
Module 1: The Cyber-Crisis Nexus: Understanding the Threat Landscape
- How cyberattacks trigger and amplify organisational crises
- Typology of cyber threats: ransomware, DDoS, insider attacks, phishing, and APTs
- Case overview: notable cyber crises and their organisational impact
- The cascading effects of data breaches on operations, reputation, and finance
- Cyber threat actors: motivations, capabilities, and targeting patterns
- Emerging threat vectors in the context of digital transformation and remote work
Module 2: Cybersecurity Risk Assessment in Crisis Contexts
- Principles of cyber risk assessment and risk appetite definition
- Identifying and prioritising critical digital assets and data classifications
- Third-party and supply chain cyber risk exposure
- Vulnerability scanning concepts and threat modelling methodologies
- Mapping risk findings to business impact scenarios
- Documenting and presenting a cyber risk register for leadership review
Module 3: Cybersecurity Frameworks and Pre-Crisis Preparedness
- Overview of NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover)
- ISO/IEC 27001 information security management system fundamentals
- CIS Controls: prioritised security measures for crisis resilience
- Gap analysis: assessing current security posture against framework requirements
- Building a pre-crisis cybersecurity preparedness roadmap
- Governance structures: roles, ownership, and accountability for cyber preparedness
Module 4: Data Protection Law and Regulatory Obligations During a Crisis
- Key data protection frameworks: GDPR, African Union Convention, and national data laws
- Data processor and controller obligations during a security incident
- Regulatory breach notification timelines, thresholds, and reporting requirements
- Handling cross-border data flows during crisis recovery operations
- Documentation requirements: records of processing and incident logs
- Avoiding regulatory penalties through proactive compliance and evidence preservation
Module 5: Developing a Cyber Incident Response Plan
- Structure and components of an effective Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP)
- Defining incident severity levels and escalation triggers
- Establishing an Incident Response Team: roles, responsibilities, and contact protocols
- Playbook development for common incident types: ransomware, data exfiltration, system outage
- Integrating the CIRP with the broader organisational Crisis Management Plan
- Testing and maintaining the CIRP through tabletop exercises and scheduled reviews
Module 6: Detection, Containment, and Initial Response Operations
- Indicators of compromise (IoCs) and how to identify them quickly
- Network segmentation and isolation strategies to contain active threats
- Activating the incident response team and establishing a command structure
- Evidence preservation principles: avoiding common mistakes that compromise forensics
- Communication protocols within the response team during an active incident
- Engaging external support: CERTs, cybersecurity vendors, and law enforcement liaison
Module 7: Digital Forensics Fundamentals for Recovery Teams
- Principles of digital forensic investigation relevant to incident responders
- Chain of custody: documenting and preserving digital evidence
- Log analysis: interpreting system, network, and application logs for root cause identification
- Malware behaviour analysis: understanding what an attacker did and what data was accessed
- Forensic triage tools and techniques for non-specialist IT teams
- Producing a clear incident timeline to support internal review and legal proceedings
Module 8: Data Backup, Recovery, and System Restoration
- Backup strategy design: the 3-2-1 rule and its application in crisis planning
- Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) defined and applied
- Encryption of backup data and verification of backup integrity before a crisis strikes
- Secure restoration procedures that prevent reintroduction of malware or compromised data
- Cloud-based recovery options: benefits, risks, and configuration considerations
- Prioritising system restoration: sequencing recovery to restore critical operations first
Module 9: Crisis Communication and Stakeholder Management During Cyber Incidents
- Structuring internal communications during a cyber crisis to maintain operational clarity
- Crafting external communications: customers, partners, regulators, and media
- Managing reputational risk: transparency versus information security during disclosure
- Social media monitoring and response during a public cybersecurity incident
- Legal considerations in crisis communications: what to say, what to withhold, and why
- Post-breach customer and stakeholder engagement to rebuild trust and confidence
Module 10: Post-Crisis Review, Lessons Learned, and Continuous Resilience
- Conducting a structured post-incident review: the after-action report process
- Root cause analysis methodologies applied to cybersecurity failures
- Translating lessons learned into updated policies, controls, and response procedures
- Measuring cybersecurity resilience: key metrics and maturity indicators
- Building a culture of continuous improvement in cyber preparedness
- Presenting resilience improvement plans to executive leadership and the board
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have a foundational understanding of IT systems, networking concepts, or information security principles. Prior experience in an IT, compliance, risk, or business continuity role is recommended to maximise the practical value of the programme. No advanced programming or penetration testing skills are required, as the course focuses on governance, response strategy, and recovery operations rather than offensive security techniques.
Training Methodology
- Tabletop crisis simulation exercises where participants respond to a staged cyberattack unfolding in real time across multiple scenarios
- Case study analysis of documented cyber crises including ransomware attacks on public infrastructure, healthcare data breaches, and financial sector incidents
- Hands-on development of a Cyber Incident Response Plan tailored to participants' own organisational contexts
- Group role-play exercises replicating crisis war-room decision-making, with teams assigned IT, legal, communications, and executive roles
- Structured review and annotation of real data protection legislation and regulatory breach notification templates
- Guided walkthrough of cybersecurity frameworks including NIST CSF and ISO 27001 applied to recovery planning
- Peer review sessions where participants critique each other's risk assessments and recovery strategies using a structured feedback rubric
- Post-exercise debrief discussions that extract transferable lessons and link outcomes to participants' workplace realities
Organisational Benefits
- Reduced organisational downtime and financial loss resulting from cyber-enabled crises through faster, better-coordinated response
- Strengthened compliance posture under data protection and cybersecurity regulations, reducing the risk of regulatory penalties
- Clearer internal roles and responsibilities during cyber incidents, minimising confusion and decision-making delays
- More resilient data backup and recovery infrastructure, ensuring business-critical systems can be restored with minimal data loss
- Improved stakeholder confidence through demonstrated preparedness and transparent crisis communication practices
- A trained internal cadre of professionals capable of leading cyber crisis response without total dependence on external consultants
- Better integration between IT security teams and organisational crisis management structures
- A documented, tested Cyber Incident Response Plan that provides a practical foundation for ongoing resilience improvement
Where Is Cybersecurity and Data Protection in Crisis Recovery Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Dubai, Nairobi, Cape Town, Kigali, Abuja, Johannesburg, Kisumu, Naivasha, Arusha, Mombasa, Kampala, Pretoria, Accra, Nakuru, Addis Ababa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Riyadh, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Cape Town, South Africa |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Mombasa, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Kampala, Uganda |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
+235 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a cybersecurity specialist to attend this course?
No specialist cybersecurity background is required. The course is designed for IT professionals, risk and compliance managers, business continuity planners, and crisis management practitioners who need a strong working understanding of cybersecurity in a recovery context. Advanced programming or ethical hacking skills are not assumed or required.
Will participants receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes, all participants who complete the five-day programme will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Cybersecurity and Data Protection in Crisis Recovery. The certificate recognises professional development in cybersecurity incident response, data protection compliance, and crisis recovery strategy.
Is the course aligned with any internationally recognised cybersecurity frameworks?
Yes. The course draws directly on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO/IEC 27001, and CIS Controls, as well as data protection regulations including GDPR and African national data protection laws. Participants will leave with a practical understanding of how to apply these frameworks in real crisis response situations.
Can organisations send multiple staff members to attend together as a team?
Absolutely, and this is strongly encouraged. Sending a cross-functional team — including IT, compliance, communications, and management representatives — maximises the value of the tabletop exercises and role-play simulations, which are designed to reflect real multi-team crisis coordination dynamics.
Is this course available as an in-house or customised programme?
Yes. TrainingComplex can deliver a customised version of this programme exclusively for your organisation, tailored to your sector, regulatory environment, existing security infrastructure, and specific crisis scenarios. Please contact us directly to discuss your requirements and obtain a bespoke proposal.
