The National Information Assurance Training and Education Center (NIATEC) is an intensive graduate-level training program at Idaho State University (ISU) and home to the CyberCorps Scholarship For Service federal training program – a unique program designed to improve the number and quality of federal information assurance and cyber professionals that protect the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources. The NIATEC program was the first program in the nation to be officially recognized by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE), and continues to distinguish itself as a leader in producing well-trained professionals who implement technology, federal policies, and business strategy with confidence. NIATEC is a highly respected participant in the information assurance industry. The program has proven itself many times over with many successful graduates employed in critical positions throughout the government, private sector, and academia. In addition to the rigorous academic studies and hands-on technical learning approach in the NIATEC lab, NIATEC students design and host the NIATEC Invitational Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NICCDC). This competition invites undergraduate teams from post-secondary schools in the intermountain west region to employ cyber security concepts and compete for scholarship money provided by the NSA. Competitors represent defensive teams working to harden their systems and develop policies and procedures to create secure information systems and environments. The NICCDC is educational in nature and strives to emphasize the importance of following best practices and standards that have been produced for the federal government. NICCDC is known as one of the most engaging, instructive, and fun competitions in the nation.