Masterclass

Two-day master class Effective teamwork for cybersecurity teams

In crisis situations and security incidents, it is critical to have good communication and coordination. You don't achieve that goal alone.

4 – 5 Sep 2025

4 Sep ‐ 9:00–17:00
5 Sep ‐ 9:00–17:00

2 days

SURF Utrecht, Moreelsepark 48

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Collaboration is the foundation

Whether you are a security specialist in a SOC, CSIRT, or in a policy-based security team, you regularly collaborate within your team and with other teams in your institution such as your board members, the communications department, third-party vendors, people from other institutions, and other key stakeholders. How do you ensure that these collaborations run smoothly and you form an efficient multi-team system? So that together you achieve cybersecurity goals, convey the same message to the organisation, and, ultimately, reduce your stress.

Getting started in practice

In this master class, you will learn how to shape effective collaboration, with practical exercises around communication, problem solving and decision-making. The programme also includes guided brainstorming sessions, with analogous forms of cooperation: what is the state of the cooperation, which steps can you take, how do you set colleagues in motion, which means of communication do you use, how do you share knowledge, what do you discuss in meetings, how do you reach broad-based decisions and what expectations do you set for colleagues?

What do you take home?

This master class offers concrete tools and strategies for improving cooperation within your cybersecurity team and with other teams. You can start working immediately to improve your own workplace experience and also improve the position of cybersecurity in your institution.

"The lecturers know how to quickly build trust between the different trainees which increases mutual trust within this group of trainees who are strangers to each other within which each one quickly feels at ease to safely put forward his/her own input, strengths and weaknesses. As a result, in addition to the lecturers' knowledge, we learn a lot from each other, it is often a feast of recognition and the tips and advice to each other are particularly valuable." Helmut Grams

Included: Individual coaching session

One online coaching session with one of the trainers is included for all registrants. The coaching session can be scheduled at the end of the course to take place via videoconference. In this session, you will delve deeper into a stressful workplace challenge and the trainer will give tailored advice. Places will be allocated in order of registration (one coaching session per organisation/team).

The programme

Day 1

9.00	Introduction: Setting clear expectations and learning objectives Anchoring exercise: Identifying stressful workplace challenges related to communication or coordination Collaboration module: Identifying team members' strengths and mapping out interactions within and between teams Interactive exercise: Leveraging team members' strengths while making decisions within and across teams Debrief of exercise: After action review & lessons learned
12.00	Lunch
13.00	Reconnect: Revisit expectations and learning objectives Collaboration module: Inclusive strategies for brainstorming ideas and proactively planning for unexpected events Interactive exercise: Sharing perspectives, being inclusive when reaching consensus, and enacting contingency plans Debrief of exercise: After action review & lessons learned Transfer action plan: What are we trying to accomplish? What are the barriers that are in the way? How will what we learned today help us overcome those barriers?
17.00	Closing

Day 2

9.00	Reconnect: revisit expectations and learning objectives Review: recap of Day 1 lessons learned Collaboration module: self-assessment of communication styles, understanding others' communication styles, and adapting to specific situations Interactive exercise: knowledge sharing and organizing information to collectively make decisions Debrief of exercise: after action review & lessons learned
12.00	Lunch
13.00	Reconnect: Revisit expectations and learning objectives Collaboration module: Connecting individual goals to team goals Interactive exercise: Operating within individual roles while staying connected to team goals Debrief of exercise: After action review & lessons learned Review: Recap of Day 2 lessons learned Transfer action plan: What are we trying to accomplish? What are the barriers that are in the way? How will what we learned in these two days help us overcome those barriers?
17.00	Closing

For whom

This master class is designed for cybersecurity professionals who want concrete tools and strategies to make collaboration within the team or with others in the organisation easier and, in turn, reduce their stress and burnout.

Register

Register no later than 10 August, full = full
Registration is not optional; read the cancellation conditions for SURF meetings.
Would you like to register a team? Then contact Rosanne Pouw, rosanne.pouw@surf.nl.
There is room for 24 participants per master class. If there are fewer than 16 participants, SURF will cancel the masterclass.

Costs

The cost of participation is €1,500 per person (excluding VAT). If you register as a team of 3 to 6 participants, you pay €1,250 per person (excluding VAT).

Lunch and dinner are included. SURF regulates the registration of the masterclasses. The SURF registration system only accepts direct payment (iDeal or credit card). After your registration you will receive an e-mail confirmation with the invoice attached.

About the Integr8 development programme

The masterclass is based on the Integr8 development programme for cybersecurity professionals. It focuses on developing essential skills for strong and effective teamwork in cybersecurity teams and multi-team systems. Over five years of research by US and European governments, including the Netherlands, forms the basis of this programme. This training is also accredited by the UK NCSC and has been showcased at Black Hat USA and SANS events.

Sign up now Two-day master class Effective teamwork for cybersecurity teams