Project Ares vs. Practice Labs

ACI Learning delivers hands-on IT and cybersecurity training that goes beyond theory—helping learners build real, job-ready skills that stick. Our approach is practical and results-driven, combining immersive virtual labs, certification prep, and instruction led by seasoned industry professionals who understand what it takes to succeed in the field. Whether you’re managing a team or investing in your own growth, myACI—ACI Learning’s all-in-one training platform—bridges the gap between learning and doing. It’s designed to transform knowledge into measurable performance, empowering learners to apply what they’ve learned immediately on the job. myACI keeps engagement high with expert-led video content, gamified elements like skill points, and learning paths. For leaders, robust dashboards and analytics make it easy to assign training, track progress, and connect learning to business outcomes. Enterprise-ready and globally trusted, myACI also offers Marketplace access to expand training beyond IT and cybersecurity. Scalable, flexible, and built for today’s workforce, ACI Learning helps you build a stronger team and prove the ROI of every training initiative.

ThreatLocker is a Zero Trust platform designed to prevent cyber threats by ensuring only trusted applications and processes are allowed to operate. It eliminates persistent admin privileges, applies least privilege controls, and gives organizations granular control over how software runs. Through application allowlisting, ringfencing, and storage controls, it blocks ransomware, zero day attacks, and unauthorized behavior before anything can execute. Built for today’s IT and security teams, ThreatLocker delivers centralized control and real time visibility across endpoints, users, and applications. It reduces attack surface, limits lateral movement, and supports compliance with detailed logging and audit trails. With rapid deployment, a continuously maintained application library, and efficient approval processes, organizations can enhance security while lowering operational complexity and maintaining uptime.

DriveLock’s HYPERSECURE Platform aims to strengthen IT infrastructures against cyber threats effectively. Just as one would naturally secure their home, it is equally vital to ensure that business-critical data and endpoints are protected effortlessly. By leveraging cutting-edge technology alongside extensive industry knowledge, DriveLock’s security solutions provide comprehensive data protection throughout its entire lifecycle. In contrast to conventional security approaches that depend on fixing vulnerabilities after the fact, the DriveLock Zero Trust Platform takes a proactive stance by blocking unauthorized access. Through centralized policy enforcement, it guarantees that only verified users and endpoints can access crucial data and applications, consistently following the principle of never trusting and always verifying while ensuring a robust layer of security. This not only enhances the overall security posture but also fosters a culture of vigilance within organizations.

For over 25 years, CBT Nuggets has established itself as a frontrunner in providing on-demand IT training. Subscribers can access a wide range of training materials from renowned vendors such as Cisco, Microsoft, and AWS at any time. In addition to IT-specific courses, the training library includes productivity courses tailored for project managers and end-user training on essential topics like security best practices and Microsoft Office. The team behind CBT Nuggets comprises seasoned professionals with certifications in various fields, including networking, wireless technology, cybersecurity, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Many of the courses offered align with IT certification exams, serving as valuable resources for those pursuing certification. CBT Nuggets also simplifies complex technical subjects into manageable skills, making it a practical resource for employees in their day-to-day roles. Furthermore, training administrators can assign specific videos to staff members and monitor their advancement through the program. No matter what your objectives may be, CBT Nuggets equips you with the necessary training to excel in your career. The platform’s comprehensive offerings ensure that learners have the tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

SOCRadar Extended Threat Intelligence is an all-encompassing platform built to proactively identify and evaluate cyber threats, offering actionable insights that are contextually relevant. As organizations strive for improved visibility into their publicly available assets and the vulnerabilities linked to them, relying only on External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solutions proves insufficient for effectively managing cyber risks; these technologies should be integrated within a broader enterprise vulnerability management strategy. Businesses are increasingly focused on safeguarding their digital assets from every conceivable risk factor. The traditional emphasis on monitoring social media and the dark web is no longer adequate, as threat actors continually adapt and innovate their attack strategies. Thus, comprehensive monitoring across various environments, including cloud storage and the dark web, is vital for empowering security teams to respond effectively. Furthermore, a robust approach to Digital Risk Protection necessitates the inclusion of services such as site takedown and automated remediation processes. By adopting this multifaceted approach, organizations can significantly enhance their resilience in the face of an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, ensuring they can respond proactively to emerging risks. This continuous adaptation is crucial for maintaining a strong security posture in today's digital environment.

Protect your personal data with advanced military-grade encryption while enjoying seamless access to websites and streaming platforms worldwide. Hotspot Shield guarantees that your connection is secured through its strict no-logs policy, shielding your identity and confidential information from hackers and cyber threats. With an extensive network of servers spanning over 80 countries and more than 35 cities, our innovative Hydra protocol elevates your VPN experience, offering fast and secure connections perfect for gaming, streaming, downloading, P2P sharing, and more. Relish in the reassurance that your online activities remain protected and private, enabling you to browse freely without fear. Seize control of your online presence and enhance your security today!

Adaptive Security was founded in 2024 by seasoned entrepreneurs Brian Long and Andrew Jones. Since inception, the company has raised over $50 million from top-tier investors including OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, and executives from Google Cloud, Fidelity, Plaid, Shopify, and other industry leaders. Adaptive defends organizations against sophisticated, AI-driven cyber threats such as deepfakes, vishing, smishing, and spear phishing. Its next-generation security awareness training and AI phishing simulation platform enables security teams to deliver ultra-personalized training that adapts to each employee’s role, access level, and exposure. This training leverages real-time open-source intelligence (OSINT) and features highly convincing deepfake content—including synthetic media of a company’s own executives—to mirror real-world attack vectors. Through AI-powered simulations, customers can continuously assess and improve organizational resilience. Hyper-realistic phishing tests across voice, SMS, email, and video channels evaluate risk across every major vector. These simulations are fueled by Adaptive’s AI OSINT engine, giving teams deep visibility into how attackers might exploit their digital footprint. Today, Adaptive serves global leaders like Figma, The Dallas Mavericks, BMC Software, and Stone Point Capital. With an industry-leading Net Promoter Score of 94, Adaptive is redefining excellence in cybersecurity.

Bitdefender Small Business Security delivers powerful, enterprise-grade cybersecurity specifically designed for smaller enterprises, ensuring comprehensive protection across multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Its intuitive centralized management system empowers organizations without specialized IT staff to effectively implement and manage their security protocols from a single dashboard. The solution employs a multi-faceted strategy for endpoint protection, utilizing machine learning, behavioral analytics, real-time surveillance, process termination, and rollback features to defend against both established and emerging threats. Furthermore, it includes mechanisms for ransomware deterrence and recovery, which identify suspicious encryption activities and enable restoration of files from backups. Users also benefit from defenses against fileless attacks, incorporating techniques like memory injection blocking and script prevention. In addition, the software bolsters security by shielding users from phishing attempts and fraud through the blocking of harmful websites and timely notifications, while providing sophisticated exploit protection with real-time defenses for commonly used applications, including browsers, Office software, and Adobe Reader. This extensive array of functionalities makes Bitdefender Small Business Security an exceptional option for small enterprises aiming to enhance their cybersecurity measures significantly. Ultimately, its user-friendly design combined with robust protective features enables small businesses to maintain a fortified digital environment.

Macaw AMS serves as a robust platform for selling insurance, utilized by brokers, MGAs, MGUs, Program Managers, and Lloyds Coverholders to streamline their business processes effectively. Designed with a focus on customer needs, it encompasses functionalities for CRM, Sales, and Underwriting, providing customers, producers, and service providers with access to user-friendly self-service portals. Additionally, Macaw AMS includes integrated Document Management and Task Management features, along with adaptors for seamless services such as eSignature, Payments, OFAC checks, and Mass Emailing, utilizing third-party solutions. The data analytics capabilities of Macaw AMS deliver advanced data visualization through predefined dashboards, enabling users to upload datasets and explore dynamic charts that offer insightful, multi-dimensional perspectives. With interactive, real-time visualizations, users can identify trends and derive insights that promote well-informed decision-making. Hosted on a secure cloud infrastructure, Macaw AMS is built on a relational database, with its primary Java-based components crafted in Java, allowing for efficient processing of 500-1000 policies daily at peak performance. As a notable benefit, Macaw AMS aims to decrease the per-policy costs by 30%, making it an attractive choice for insurance professionals looking to optimize operations. Ultimately, its comprehensive features and cost-saving potential position Macaw AMS as a transformative solution in the insurance industry.

GoAnywhere MFT provides businesses with a reliable solution for secure file transfers. This software can be utilized in various environments, including on-premise, cloud, or hybrid setups. It enables organizations to safely share data among employees, clients, trading partners, and different systems. Additionally, GoAnywhere MFT has been recognized with the Cybersecurity Excellence Award for its excellence in secure file transfer capabilities, highlighting its effectiveness in the industry. This recognition underscores the software's commitment to maintaining high security standards in data exchange.