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Center for Internet Security

Engaged Employer

Regretting my decision to join CIS… - Engineer Center for Internet Security Employee Review

1.0
Feb 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly coworkers. Decent benefits such as $500 credit towards things like gym membership, nutrition programs or athletic gear. Company is entirely remote based so no in office requirements which is pretty cool.

Cons

Little to no structure and accountability for training new staff. You’re pretty much on your own or hope a coworker is willing to work with you because leadership is too busy doing God knows what in their ‘all day meetings.’ Documentation for team processes is horrible and not kept current. Executive leadership is detached and self serving. Reckless decision making cost the organization its $40+ million dollar contract with the federal government. Executive leadership lacks the industry experience to lead CIS into a profitable future. The company is basically going to have to shrink to survive under the current regime. There are no growth opportunities. Promotion rarely happen and if you do you’re workload is likely to remain the same while true all start employees stay stagnet and get piles of more and more workload loaded into them because teams have many employees that lack experience to create a meaningful impact on their teams. Some teams are fortunate to work on meaningful work while other teams are doing god knows what because multiple teams are doing the same jobs yet nobody knows who does what when asked but when you dig into it there are often 2, 3 or more people dedicated to the same job function. Meaning one person is doing the job, someone helps may be helping and a third is basically coasting by getting paid good money to do essentially nothing. This toxic behavior causes some teams to be drastically underfunded and other teams to be gloated. There is a heavy amount of turnover among teams. Good people leave voluntarily or a just pushed out because senior leadership can’t stomach the idea the folks in lower roles are more skilled and more experienced than they are and this creates a bitterness and toxicity in the air that is very easily noticed. ‘Growth’ is disguised as budget cuts and layoffs. This is what pays for raises, promotions and bonuses. Soon more layoffs and more budget cuts will be needed for more raises, promotions, and more executives to help cover for other executive that are inept. Their is no growth here anymore. Just noble mission clouded by the idea that SLTTs are going to start paying for services that they were essentially getting for free. Good luck with that. Especially since now competitors are quickly pivoting making better services and market solutions are much lower price points than CIS can afford to offer. The company is very top heavy and continues to get more top heavy after each ‘layoff’ and ‘budget cut.’

Explore other reviews about Center for Internet Security

5.0
Feb 10, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have been working for CIS now for 3 years and while the past year especially has been full of challenges, I have NEVER worked for an employer who ACTUALLY cares so much about their employees (and they put their money where their mouth is too). One of my favorite parts is the Nourish Your Soul events put on monthly where CIS provides us with 2+ hours of enrichment activities. They reward good work with spot bonuses & raises AND they have preserved the yearly cost-of-living increases.

Cons

Last year was a difficult with Doge cutting our government funding but I am incredibly proud of how the company handled this difficult transition while still expressing how much value their employees bring.

2.0
Jul 15, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The Name: Center For Internet Security The name carries weight. Trust gained brick by brick to help underserved SLTT communities (pockets of underfund entities) - earned through the products they provided trusted beyond the SLTT to the larger cyber community audience. Everyone know CIS Benchmarks (See Cons) They Seem To Care Overall: Every race and gender represented and all that represents culturally . Can you do the Job - period - that's all that matters (See Cons)

Cons

DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE! Center For Internet Security (CIS) is an external value add to those using their products (excellent there) - BUT - and its a big one. You would think for the bravado of CIS they themselves would implement their published works - They do not! Across multiple disciplines with any consistency. Couldn't believe it. Infrastructure was built poorly and stayed wrong. Couldn't keep up with the growth. As engineers leave, its hard to back fill the skill gap. Its great opportunities for junior personnel or those looking to expand into other areas. Hard Times Since the funding cut (look it up) last year they have gone through staff cuts, organization shifts and consolidated responsibility - with minimal staff. Bare metal. You hate to see it happen to the folks doing the hard work for the greater community. Management Hit or Miss I am fair. If you get a good manager - it WILL make the difference. You will be protected and highlighted for your good works. If you get a poor manager - Oh my goodness, hold on tight. If you don't agree with what they say you are the worst. If you are more knowledgeable, guess what. If you are senior to them and you tip your hand to that fact, guess what. Like a light switch. Gossipy and Immature. The joke will be that you will have seen worse in your other jobs - and they will think they are slick, but you can see them moving from a mile away. Until they pull out of this financial downturn... be careful working here. Everyone is on edge.

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