What Technology Advancement Center does

Technology Advancement Center (TAC) is a Columbia, Maryland-based nonprofit cybersecurity organization founded around 2018-2019 (originally operating as MISI before rebranding) that operates as an integrated training, innovation-brokerage, and partnership platform for U.S. critical infrastructure and defense cyber workforce development. Its portfolio centers on the TAC Training Hub platform and two purpose-built physical cyber ranges — the Adega Airport Cyber Range (replicating real airport technology including runway lighting, RADAR, ACARS, fuel handling, baggage handling, and access control) and the TechValley Cyber Range (an HO-scale model city spanning 12 platforms with live PLCs, power grid, traffic, water, and surveillance systems). The flagship product is the 5-day OT BoOTcamp, a hands-on foundational course covering PLCs, ladder logic, Modbus/TCP, the Purdue Model, and the OT Cyber Kill Chain, aligned to NICE and DoD 8140 cyber work roles, priced at $6,000 per student ($3,495 for CertNexus CAIP) with cohorts of 6-20 students delivered in-person at TheLink facility (a 72,000-square-foot independent, non-government-owned hub) or via mobile delivery at client sites.

TAC's business model layers five revenue streams: (1) individual and enterprise training tuition, (2) tiered Corporate Partner Program memberships (Mission Critical, Enabling, Enhancing, Associate) with philanthropic investment in exchange for cyber range access, IV&V services, media/content, events, technical consulting, and cross-promotion, (3) conference sponsorships and registration for the annual Defend the Airport Collaborative (President tier $100,000 down to Passenger at $2,500), (4) state and government grants including a Maryland Department of Commerce Build Our Future award (part of a $6.95M statewide program), and (5) facility rentals at TheLink for cadet conferences, K-12 events, and third-party gatherings. Customer segments span U.S. federal and defense (DoD, Air Force, Space Force, Army Research Lab, CISA, FBI, FAA, BWI), critical infrastructure operators across the 16 CISA-designated sectors, higher education institutions (WVU, Capitol Tech, UMGC, Dakota State, U.S. Naval Academy), and individual cybersecurity professionals.

The organization leverages a 1,000+ partner ecosystem across nonprofits, Fortune 500 firms, Silicon Valley innovators, and academia, formalized through a June 2025 DoD-wide Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory enabling on-demand Tiger Teams and a Virtual Tech Proving Ground across all DoD components. A Zero Trust multi-vendor proof of concept with Elastic, Vectra, Gigamon, CrowdStrike, and AWS targets the 2027 DoD Zero Trust mandate. To date TAC reports training over 5,000 professionals and warfighters and 3,000 students across its programs. The organization is led by CEO Chris Hollifield (appointed August 2025, 27-year Intelligence/Cyber Operations veteran), CTO Yonald Chery, Director of Research Steve Hutchinson, and Board Member Linda Singh, with former CEO Gregg Smith continuing on the Board.

Name

Technology Advancement Center

Legal name

Technology Advancement Center

Website

https://thetac.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Technology Advancement Center is a Columbia, Maryland-based nonprofit that delivers hands-on OT/ICS cybersecurity training through proprietary physical cyber ranges (Adega Airport and TechValley), serving U.S. federal/defense agencies, critical infrastructure operators, universities, and individual professionals via training tuition, corporate partnerships, conferences, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Training and Workforce Development

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Phishing, Social Engineering & Business Email Compromise (BEC) Training (EDABAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

IT, Systems & Tools Onboarding (Access, Apps, Security Basics) (EDABAOAE), Wireless, Mobility & Network Access (Wi‑Fi/NAC) (EDAOAIAM)

Keywords

• Operational technology training
• Cyber range exercises
• IT certification courses
• Critical infrastructure security
• Cybersecurity workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Course Fees: Individual and enterprise tuition for the 5-day OT BoOTcamp (regularly $6,000/student, with limited-time promotional price of $1,000) and IT certification prep courses (CISSP, Security+, PenTest+, CAIP at $3,495). Includes take-home hardware kits (microcontrollers, Raspberry Pis, wiring kits).
2. Enterprise/Military Training Packages: Custom enterprise and military/government training packages with discounted nonprofit and military pricing, mobile training delivery (TAC brings the OT BoOTcamp to client sites), and enterprise cyber range access.
3. Conference Sponsorships and Registration: Tiered sponsorship packages (President $100,000, Captain $25,000, First Officer $15,000, Attendant $7,500, Passenger $2,500) and registration passes (Industry 2-Day Pass $450 with lunch, Government/Academia $12/day with lunch, free for airlines) for events such as Defend the Airport Collaborative.
4. Corporate Partner Program Tiers: Four-tier Corporate Partner Program (Mission Critical, Enabling, Enhancing, Associate) generating philanthropic investment in exchange for cyber range access, IV&V services, media/content services, event services, technical consulting, and cross-promotion/branding benefits.
5. Government Grants: State government grants such as the Maryland Department of Commerce 'Build Our Future' Grant Pilot Program funding innovation infrastructure development.
6. Facility Rentals and Event Hosting: Revenue from renting TheLink facility and event spaces for conferences, cadet conferences, junior interview days, and other gatherings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Technology Advancement Center (TAC) is a nonprofit that delivers hands-on cybersecurity training and workforce development programs, centered on a 5-day Operational Technology BoOTcamp (OT BoOTcamp) covering PLCs, ladder logic, Modbus, the Purdue Model, and OT Cyber Kill Chain response. Training is delivered in two proprietary physical cyber range environments — the Adega Airport Cyber Range (with real airport technology such as runway lighting, RADAR, ACARS, and baggage handling) and TechValley (an HO-scale model city spanning 12 platforms with live power grid, traffic, water, and PLC-controlled infrastructure) — together with IT certification prep courses (CISSP, Security+, PenTest+, CertNexus CAIP, AWS, Microsoft, Cisco), hosted at TAC's 72,000-square-foot TheLink facility in Columbia, MD or delivered via mobile training teams to client sites.

Product overview

Technology Advancement Center (TAC) is a non-profit cybersecurity and innovation hub whose offering is best described as an integrated portfolio rather than a single product. The center of the portfolio is the TAC Training Hub platform, which delivers the OT BoOTcamp foundational certification course and a catalog of IT Certification Courses (CISSP, Security+, PenTest+, CAIP, AWS, Microsoft, Cisco, Python, etc.). Two purpose-built cyber range environments — the Adega Airport Cyber Range (aviation/OT scenarios) and the Tech Valley Cyber Range (critical infrastructure scenarios) — provide immersive hands-on training. All in-person activities are hosted at TheLink, TAC's 72,000-square-foot independent facility in Columbia, MD. Complementary offerings include the annual Defend the Airport Collaborative conference, the tiered Corporate Partner Program ecosystem, the TAC Talks video library, and workforce-development programs (internships and SkillBridge). Together these components serve a unified mission: advancing cybersecurity and operational-technology defense capability for U.S. critical infrastructure, government, and warfighters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OT BoOTcamp: TAC's flagship Operational Technology Cybersecurity Bootcamp, a foundational 5-day hands-on course for securing OT and Industrial Control Systems (ICS).
• Adega Airport Cyber Range
• TechValley Cyber Range
• TheLink
• Defend The Airport Collaborative

Products and services

• OT BoOTcamp A 5-day immersive hands-on Operational Technology cybersecurity certification bootcamp covering PLCs, ladder logic, Modbus/TCP, Purdue Model network architecture, OT attacks/defense, and incident response. Curriculum aligns to NICE and DoD 8140 cyber work roles (OT/ICS Security Specialist, Cyber Defense Analyst, Network Operations Specialist, Control Systems Security Engineer, OT Cybersecurity Analyst) and uses pre-configured laptops, breadboards, microcontrollers, Raspberry Pis, and wiring kits. Priced at $6,000/student (regular) with limited-time promotional pricing of $1,000; enterprise/military pricing with nonprofit discount available; mobile delivery to client sites is offered.
• Adega Airport Cyber Range TAC's purpose-built industrial cybersecurity training environment that mirrors the complexity of real-world aviation and critical infrastructure systems; simulates actual airport technology including runway lighting (ALCMS), RADAR Approach Control (RAPCON), aircraft communications (ACARS), fuel storage and handling (AFSHD), access control (ACS), ADS-B, perimeter security, digital surveillance, and baggage handling for RED vs BLUE team OT/ICS exercises.
• TechValley Cyber Range An HO-scale model city cybersecurity training environment spanning 12 custom-built platforms simulating critical infrastructure including power grids, water treatment, traffic management, surveillance, and sewage; powered by PLCs with HMI touch-screen control from a public works cart for red/blue/purple team, SOC analyst, and OT engineer exercises.
• IT Certification Courses Live virtual instructor-led certification preparation courses across vendors including (ISC)2 CISSP, CompTIA Security+ and PenTest+, CertNexus CAIP, AWS, Microsoft, Cisco, Python, Scrumstudy, PMI, ISACA, EC-Council, Six Sigma, and DevOps Institute; courses include vendor-approved pre-tests and are delivered in partnership with Applied Technology Academy.
• CertNexus Certified AI Practitioner (CAIP) Course 5-day live online instructor-led preparation course for the CertNexus CAIP certification (Exam AIP-210), covering linear regression, classification, clustering, decision trees/random forests, SVMs, ANNs (MLP, CNN, RNN), and operationalizing ML models via MLOps; delivered in partnership with Applied Technology Academy at $3,495 per course with 20% off first course via WELCOME-20 code.
• Defend the Airport Collaborative Annual two-day aviation cybersecurity conference featuring keynote speakers, expert panels, industry-led tabletop simulations inside the Adega Airport Cyber Range, and policy-writing sessions to advance cyber resilience across airport facilities and aviation infrastructure.
• TAC Training Hub Comprehensive cybersecurity training platform hosting the OT BoOTcamp, the Adega Airport and Tech Valley cyber range training environments, and live instructor-led IT/cyber certification prep courses (CISSP, Security+, PenTest+, CAIP, AWS, Microsoft, Cisco, Python, etc.); delivered virtually or in-person at TheLink facility.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40-50% faster incident response for organizations participating in simulated cyber range exercises (CISA finding)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

36 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship / core and minor.

• Horizon3.aicoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2026Uses TAC's TheLink facility in the DMV to engage customers face-to-face and run live NodeZero demonstrations. Sponsors the Defend the Airport 2.0 Breakout Session 'Defending the Airport with the World's Best AI Hacker: NodeZero.' Also referenced in the Project Glasswing industry coalition.
• Capitol Technology UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026University partnership focused on advancing OT cybersecurity education. TAC will design and develop a dedicated OT cybersecurity lab within CapTechU's new facility to support the OT Bootcamp program and provide hands-on experience for students. Plans include expanded curriculum and real-world collaboration to solve industry challenges.
• West Virginia University (WVU)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Strategic partnership established November 12-13, 2025 to advance education, research, and workforce development in national security, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure protection. WVU will offer TAC's OT Bootcamp with academic accreditation, with plans to develop additional academic course pathways centered around the OT Bootcamp experience.
• N2K (N2K Networks)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2025Partnered with TAC to strengthen cybersecurity workforce certification readiness. N2K appears in TAC's training partner ecosystem and on the IT Certifications and Prep-Tests page.
• Maryland Department of CommercecoreOthers · 10 June 2025Awarded TAC a 'Build Our Future' Grant as part of a $6.95M, 10-project grant pilot program to advance innovation infrastructure in Maryland. TAC uses the funding to advance cyber range and OT training in the state.
• U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratoryflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2025On June 4, 2025, TAC (with IT-AAC) signed a DoD-wide Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory, designated as the executive agent in coordination with the Army CIO. The PIA unlocks agile acquisition and digital transformation frameworks, on-demand Tiger Teams, a virtual Tech Proving Ground, and tools to modernize legacy systems across all DoD components.
• IT Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC) / Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2025Co-collaborator on the DoD-wide PIA with Army Research Lab. IT-AAC is a subsidiary of the Interoperability Clearinghouse; together they provide government program managers tools, methodologies, and elastic Tiger Teams drawn from over two dozen leading nonprofits, Fortune 500, and Silicon Valley innovators.
• Elasticflagship / coreTechnology or Integration · 21 February 2025Foundational partner. Collaborated on a Zero Trust multi-vendor proof of concept with Vectra, Gigamon, CrowdStrike, and TAC using AWS cloud infrastructure. Featured as an Elastic partner on TAC's main site and 'Thank You To Our Foundational Partners' section.
• Vectra AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 21 February 2025Co-built the Zero Trust multi-vendor POC with Elastic, Gigamon, CrowdStrike, and TAC to help U.S. government agencies meet the 2027 Zero Trust mandate by demonstrating combined security technologies for end-to-end defense on AWS cloud infrastructure.
• GigamoncoreTechnology or Integration · 21 February 2025Co-built the Zero Trust multi-vendor POC with Elastic, Vectra, CrowdStrike, and TAC to demonstrate combined security technologies for end-to-end Zero Trust defenses across government environments.
• CrowdStrikeflagship / coreTechnology or Integration · 21 February 2025Co-built the Zero Trust multi-vendor POC with Elastic, Vectra, Gigamon, and TAC. Also referenced in the Project Glasswing article as part of an industry coalition working to secure infrastructure before attackers can exploit it.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or Integration · 21 February 2025Provided the cloud infrastructure for the Zero Trust multi-vendor proof of concept jointly built by Elastic, Vectra, Gigamon, CrowdStrike, and TAC, demonstrating how combined security technologies provide end-to-end Zero Trust defenses.
• Applied Technology Academy (ATA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 December 2024Training delivered in partnership with ATA, providing instructor-led certification prep courses (e.g., CertNexus CAIP). ATA logo displayed on TAC's IT Certifications and Prep-Tests page.
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAC collaborates with CISA on critical infrastructure cybersecurity. CISA's Acting Director Nick Andersen was a keynote speaker at Defend the Airport 2.0; CISA Senior Data Scientist Arun Seelagen publicly endorses TAC.
• COPT Defense PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundational partner of TAC; COPT Defense is featured as a foundational partner logo on TAC's main site and Defend the Airport 2.0 sponsor materials. COPT employees have attended TAC's OT BoOTcamp.
• Bureau VeritascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and Day 1 / Day 2 Breakout Session leader at Defend the Airport 2.0, hosting the 'Crisis Simulation Workshop: Navigating Cyber Threats in Critical Infrastructure' developed with the TAC team and adapted from Security Innovation's framework.
• Maryland Air National GuardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts a Breakout Session 'Cyber Warfare and Intelligence in the Maryland Air National Guard' at Defend the Airport 2.0 and is a participating organization of the event.
• Digital Global Systems (DGS)coreTechnology or IntegrationDay 1 / Day 2 Breakout Session leader at Defend the Airport 2.0 — 'Clear the Spectrum: RF Management for Airport Security' presenting the CLEARSKY™ AI-driven spectrum intelligence platform for airport RF threat detection.
• StealthpathcoreTechnology or IntegrationDay 1 / Day 2 Breakout Session leader at Defend the Airport 2.0 — 'Seeing What's There: Passive Discovery and Defense of Airport OT Networks,' running live passive network discovery against the exercise environment.
• DynicscoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-leads the 'Airport Infrastructure: Challenges, Preparedness, and Awareness' Breakout Session with Phosphorus and TAC CTO Yonald Chery. Provides network segmentation and traffic policy enforcement in TAC's exercise environments. Sponsor of Defend the Airport 2.0.
• PhosphoruscoreTechnology or IntegrationCo-leads the 'Airport Infrastructure: Challenges, Preparedness, and Awareness' Breakout Session with Dynics and TAC CTO Yonald Chery. Provides OT/IoT device identification and management. Sponsor of Defend the Airport 2.0.
• Building Cyber Security (BCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundational nonprofit partner; CEO Lucian Niemeyer moderates panels at Defend the Airport 2.0. BCS focuses on assessing OT cyber risk in buildings using ISA62443 and CIS framework standards. E.J. von Schaumburg is a BCS founding board member.
• Lockheed MartincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0 collaborative.
• Recorded FuturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0 collaborative.
• BWI (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; BWI leadership speakers include Jeffrey Johnson (Acting Director, Office of Infrastructure Services Airport Technology) and David Rodski (FBI Special Agent assigned to BWI).
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; FAA personnel participate in the 'Military Airfield Threats and Vulnerabilities in Cyberspace' panel.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; FBI Special Agent David Rodski (Baltimore Field Office) participates as a panelist.
• Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; Senior VP Christopher Bidwell participates in the Aviation Cyber National Security panel.
• Schweitzer Engineering LaboratoriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0.
• Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0 collaborative.
• CMA Technology Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosts the Day 1 Defend the Airport Networking & Cocktail Reception.
• Tampa International AirportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and participating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; Sr. Manager of Information Security Ray Secrest participates as panelist.
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization of Defend the Airport 2.0; Chief Innovation Officer Brian Cobb participates on the 'What Does Resilient Airport Actually Mean?' panel.
• U.S. Department of War / Department of Defense (DoD)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of Defend the Airport 2.0; Mr. John J. Garstka (Director, Cyber Warfare, OUSW Acquisition & Sustainment) participates as a speaker.
• MANTECHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor General George Franz (Ret.), Executive Operations Director of MANTECH's Global Cyber Practice, participates in the Day 1 Town Hall at Defend the Airport 2.0.
• Capitol Technology UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Ronald Martin from Capitol Technology University appeared as a guest on TacTalks discussing 'The Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI.' CapTechU is a partner and is featured on TAC's training collateral.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Dragos: OT cybersecurity vendor specializing in industrial control system threat detection, incident response, and ICS/SCADA training (Dragos Academy). Comparable to TAC as a fellow OT/ICS cybersecurity specialist, though Dragos is product-led while TAC is training/range-led.
• Claroty: OT/IoT cybersecurity platform for critical infrastructure (xDome, Medigate, Continuous Threat Detection) with training and certification programs. Comparable to TAC because both serve the same OT security buyer in critical infrastructure sectors, though Claroty sells software while TAC sells training/range access.

Direct peers

• Circadence: Persistent cyber training and assessment platform (Project Ares) used by U.S. Department of Defense, federal agencies, and enterprises for hands-on cyber exercises. Directly comparable to TAC's cyber range training delivered to federal and defense buyers.
• RangeForce: Cloud-based cyber range and skills platform offering hands-on cybersecurity exercises for SOC analysts, incident responders, and OT defenders. Closely comparable to TAC's Training Hub and cyber range delivery model for individual practitioners and enterprise teams.
• SANS Institute: The dominant global cybersecurity training provider offering instructor-led and online courses, GIAC certifications, and the SANS Cyber Ranges (NetWars). Directly comparable to TAC because both sell cyber workforce training and certification prep to federal/defense and critical-infrastructure buyers.
• Cyberbit: Provides cyber range platforms (Cyberbit Range) and SOC/ICS training simulations used by enterprises, governments, and militaries. Directly comparable to TAC's Adega Airport and TechValley cyber ranges in the OT/ICS simulation and training category.
• ICS Village: Nonprofit organization that delivers ICS/SCADA cybersecurity training, hardware hacking workshops, and live hacking events at conferences (e.g., DEFCON, S4). Comparable to TAC's OT/ICS training mission, physical cyber range demonstrations, and event-driven community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• ManTech International: Federal/defense contractor with a Global Cyber Practice providing cyber training, range operations, and mission support to DoD, Intelligence Community, and federal agencies. Comparable to TAC as a federal cybersecurity training and range-services partner, though ManTech is a public, multi-billion-dollar contractor.
• OffSec (Offensive Security): Provider of penetration testing training and certifications (OSCP, OSCE) and enterprise cyber ranges. Comparable to TAC as a hands-on cybersecurity training brand serving federal/defense and enterprise customers, but operates at much broader IT/pen-test scale rather than OT specialization.

Others

• Perkins Coie (Critical Infrastructure / OT Cybersecurity Practice): Law and advisory firm with a critical-infrastructure cybersecurity practice advising on OT security regulatory compliance, cyber risk, and incident response. Listed as an indirect comparator as a non-training ecosystem participant serving the same federal and critical-infrastructure buyer community as TAC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TechAdvCenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tacinnovation232/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/technologyadvancementcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/TechAdvancementCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/technologyadvancementcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Technology Advancement Center