What Is Security Awareness Training?

A security awareness training program is an educational program given to a company’s users to support human risk management by educating them about current and topical cybersecurity issues, security hygiene, and the dangers one can encounter when traversing the web. It strives to educate users on the steps they can take to protect themselves and the company network when faced with a range of real life cybersecurity challenges, training them to think independently and critically.

Why Do I Need SAT Training For My Users?

While a lot of the technology that has been developed to tackle cybersecurity threats, there are still attacks that evade these defenses. There are plenty of phishing scams that slip past these security parameters and tools, as well as more direct attacks that can occur within your company building that your users might not notice. Essentially, there will be plenty of times when the last line of defense between your company and a devastating breach and data loss is your users–so having them trained for these eventualities is absolutely critical. SAT teaches your users to think critically about their information and data hygiene, how they communicate, what they get in their inbox, and how to act and store information in their physical offices.

Features To Look For In A Security Awareness Training Solution

Some of the top features you need to consider when making a purchasing decision on SAT solutions are: Training Topics The topics that the training program offers are incredibly important. These are the learning modules that your employees will go through, and what is on offer is very important in shaping your workforce’s understanding of cybersecurity. Email-Based Phishing: Perhaps the most important topic of the training will be email phishing attempts and other email borne attacks. Globally, 81% of companies have seen an increase in email phishing attacks since early 2020. To say the problem is unprecedented is understating things. While email security tools do an excellent job at filtering out most threats, they’re not infallible and some things do slip past your defenses, and when they do your end-users need to be ready. It’s not necessarily a topic you need to look out for as any SAT worth its salt will cover email attacks, making sure that the training is extensive, in depth, and up to date is important. Email phishing attempts are getting more and more sophisticated, so SAT vendors also need to make sure they’re offering training that is constantly being updated and refined. Other Forms Of Phishing: It’s also important to note that while email phishing is the number one instance of phishing, email isn’t the only vector used by attackers. Phishing attempts can be instigated through other platforms, such as collaborative work applications, SMS messages, and more. The same logic and training for email phishing also applies to other avenues, teaching your employees to be wary of links and attachments and strange requests. Remote Working: while remote working isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s certainly taken off in recent years (looking at you, COVID) and there’s been increasing discourse in the cybersecurity industry on how to handle this ever changing, flexible new network perimeter. Remote working can open up new avenues for attacks, and a lack of coworkers around means people are less likely to seek advice or are unable to seek immediate advice if they receive a suspicious email. A good topic to look out for, if you have a remote or hybrid workforce, is one that covers how to work remotely safely. Password Security: Passwords are the number one method of authentication the world over. Online accounts for both work and personal applications are accessed with a username and a password, with the username often being the user’s email address. The problem with passwords is, due to their prevalence and not necessarily being that secure, they’ve become a huge attack vector for threat actors to take advantage of. Managing passwords can be hard and there’s a lot for your employees to consider, such as making sure they’re long and unpredictable, not reusing them, and storing them safely. Training modules that cover good password hygiene is critical to your network’s overall health. It educates your employees on how to safely store passwords, both digitally and in the office, and how to manage them. Data Management And Handling: Data is the most precious (and copious) thing a company has. A lot of the data a company handles is usually highly sensitive, containing information on customers, clients, and employees. It will also contain data on company records, plans, stats, and more. Basically, it’s all the stuff you’d want to keep inside the company and make sure it doesn’t go anywhere it’s not supposed to. Good SAT solutions will offer training on appropriate data handling, specifically covering how your users should access this data, where to access it, where to store it, how to keep it safe at all levels, and how to prevent potential data loss and leakages. Practical Guidance: While less concerned with actual measures concerning cybersecurity, good SAT solutions will run training on how your users should act and behave while they’re in the office. Another term for this is office hygiene. Not everyone who walks in and out of the office will necessarily have your company’s best interests at heart, so employees need to act accordingly in how information is stored and presented in the office. This could be how they manage and store physical data, to something simply like why they shouldn’t write down passwords for their work accounts. Employees need to operate on what is referred to as a “clean desk” policy–i.e., sensitive information shouldn’t be on any physical medium and in full display where threat actors or malicious insiders can access it. This includes documents or even sticky notes. Modules on practical guidance essentially teaches employees how they can help protect data, their computers, additional devices, and their actual physical office from threat actors. Privacy Compliance: A lot of organizations handle a lot of sensitive information and data, including healthcare, educational, and financial organizations. Topics on privacy can help educate your team on how to keep this data safe and keep the company compliant with privacy regulations. Removable Media: Removable media is the term used for any storage devices that can be attached to and disconnected from computers while the system is running, which includes things like USBs and CDs. While they’re handy for users, they’re also handy for threat actors as they can be leveraged to install malware and ransomware on company networks if compromised. Often, any harmful content downloaded can be executed to run automatically and can bypass most cybersecurity measures put in place. Removable media can also contain sensitive information, which needs to be stored safely and properly to make sure it isn’t stolen. Employees should be taught to be suspicious of any untrusted or unknown removable media and should bring it to their IT team for scanning first. Other important topics to look out for when looking at SAT solutions include malware and ransomware, how to traverse the internet safely, and mobile device security. Gamification Gamification is essentially adding game features to the training program in order to make it more engaging, memorable, and fun for your users. Let’s face it, security awareness training isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of a fun activity, and a lot of your users will be liable to switch off mentally and not take anything in, which defeats the purpose of putting them through the training in the first place. Gamification can take on various forms. It can mean the incorporation of interactive quizzes and other media, highly stylized and animated videos, or role-playing game features. It makes the information easier to consume and makes your users less liable to mentally switch off during the training. Game-like aspects of the training also help your end-users critical thinking skills when it comes to thinking about potential scenarios. While gamification adds a fun spin on things, the fact that it makes the training look good isn’t the sole reason. The whole point of gamification in SAT is to make the training memorable. Kinesthetic learning–i.e., learning by doing–is hugely beneficial in making sure things stick. Phishing Simulations SAT often goes hand-in-hand with phishing simulations. Often designed to be deployed straight after training is complete, phishing simulations send fake phishing emails to your users to test their knowledge and help them to identify threats and report them. Phishing poses one of the biggest–if not the biggest–threats to companies. Downloading a harmful file or clicking on a malicious link can open your network to follow up attacks (such as ransomware attacks), security breaches, and data exfiltration and losses. Not only do email phishing attempts have the potential to be devastating, they’re also highly prolific. A lot of the potential dangers covered in the topics above are contextual and might not look the same in practice than it does in theory. Attackers deploy a range of techniques and tactics–both technical and psychological based–in order to dupe the receiver. In some instances, the tell-tale signs of a phishing email might not even be there. Phishing simulations help admins know that users have not only completed the training but understood it as well. Where SAT lays down the framework and tools for your users, phishing simulations helps them put their knowledge to practice. When looking at vendors, one of the key things to look out for with phishing simulations is their email templates. Good phishing simulation solutions will come with hundreds, if not thousands, of email phishing templates for you to use. If you’re looking for something more specific and want to emulate spear phishing tactics, customization is a good feature to look out for. You should then be able to configure the simulation to run as frequently–or as infrequently–as you like. For your users, they will be presented with a series of fake phishing attempts they must respond to. If training has been successful, they will report and block the offending email. If an employee has failed the simulation by clicking or downloading any attached content or failing to flag it with admins, then they can be re-enrolled in further support and training. It’s important to note that good phishing simulation tactics are there to support and aid your users, rather than “punish” them for failing the simulation. Feedback and support need to be done with care, otherwise users who have failed may feel disillusioned with the training overall and be less receptive to further training. Reporting Good SAT solutions will come with extensive and detailed reporting logs on your users, their level of progress within the training program, and any results collated after phishing simulations have been deployed. From there, admins can see who is doing well, who needs further support, and who isn’t taking in anything at all. Some SAT solutions will offer “grading” on users, showing admins clearly how far along and how well users are doing ni each category.

What are the benefits of security awareness training?

Security awareness training offers numerous benefits, including: Reduced risk of security breaches: By educating employees about threats like phishing, malware, and social engineering, training can significantly lower the likelihood of successful attacks. Improved compliance: Training can help organizations meet regulatory requirements related to data protection, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Stronger security culture: Ongoing training fosters a security-conscious environment where employees understand their role in protecting sensitive information. Increased employee productivity: When employees understand security best practices, they are less likely to make mistakes that could lead to downtime or data loss. Enhanced incident response: Training can equip employees to recognize and report security incidents quickly, enabling faster response and minimizing damage.

How often should security awareness training be conducted?

The frequency of security awareness training depends on several factors, including the organization’s risk profile, industry, and regulatory requirements. However, it is generally recommended to provide initial training to all new employees and conduct ongoing training at least annually. In addition, regular reinforcement through short modules, newsletters, and simulated phishing attacks can help maintain employee awareness and knowledge retention. For high-risk industries or those with frequent changes in the threat landscape, more frequent training may be necessary.

How can I measure the effectiveness of security awareness training?

There are several ways to measure the effectiveness of security awareness training: Phishing simulation results: Track the percentage of employees who fall victim to simulated phishing attacks before and after training to assess improvement. Training completion rates: Monitor the percentage of employees who complete the training modules within the specified timeframe. Knowledge assessments: Use quizzes or tests to evaluate employees’ understanding of the training material. Security incident reports: Analyze the number and type of security incidents caused by human error before and after training to determine if there is a reduction. Employee feedback: Gather feedback from employees about the training content and delivery methods to identify areas for improvement. Compliance audits: Verify that the training program meets the requirements of relevant regulations and industry standards.

Top 10 Best Security Awareness Training Solutions For 2025

Phished

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Phished is a Security Awareness Training (SAT) platform that empowers users to identify and report email threats effectively. It transforms employees into “human firewalls” capable of countering social engineering attacks like phishing, CEO impersonation, and email fraud.

Why We Picked Phished: We appreciate Phished’s comprehensive approach, which includes personalized phishing simulations and a Behavioral Risk Score to pinpoint vulnerabilities and track improvements.

Phished Best Features: Key features include awareness training with micro-learning modules, phishing and SMiShing simulations, active reporting via the Phished Report Button, and threat intelligence to identify global malicious campaigns. Phished integrates seamlessly with email clients like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, allowing user onboarding via manual entry, .csv files, or Active Directory integration.

What’s great:

Engaging micro-learning modules with gamification
Customizable and automated phishing simulations
Immediate feedback on user actions during simulations
Easy deployment and user onboarding
Behavioral Risk Score for detailed user insights

Pricing: For detailed pricing, contact Phished directly.

Who it’s for: Phished is ideal for businesses of any size looking to enhance their email security through employee training and awareness. It’s particularly valuable for organizations aiming to build a proactive defense against phishing and other social engineering threats.

Adaptive Security

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Adaptive Security is an innovative security awareness training platform focused on the next generation of cyber attacks: AI-powered social engineering delivered via email, deepfake, video, and audio. Adaptive became OpenAI’s first cybersecurity investment when the company raised its $43M funding round in April 2025.

Why We Picked Adaptive Security: Adaptive is fully AI-native and is one of the most customizable security awareness training platforms we have tested to date. Using AI you can generate hyper-relevant campaigns and simulation. In our test of the Adaptive platform we’ve been impressed by the range of training and simulations available (voice phishing, email phishing, deepfakes) and the ability to create fully custom modules using AI.

Best Features: Adaptive provides a fully modular, customizable system using GenAI to deliver awareness training and simulations. Training and simulation modules can be customized or created from scratch using GenAI or using real-world attack examples. Training modules are highly interactive – for example creating audio deepfakes of employees to highlight the risks of AI-social engineering. Content can be personalized using a GenAI content builder which enables you to build realistic scenarios that would actually be faced by the employees in your business. Comprehensive dashboards and reporting help you track campaigns and employee performance.

Strengths:

Hyper-personalized GenAI training and simulations
Fully customizable and scalable platform for all industries
User friendly friendly dashboard and reports
Realistic deepfake, voice, SMS, and email phishing simulations
Completely AI-native platform backed by OpenAI
Automated enrollment and reminder notifications via Slack and email

Pricing: Contact the Adaptive team for pricing details.

Who It’s For: Although a relatively new vendor in the competitive SAT scene, Adaptive has quickly shot to the top ranks of providers due to its investment from OpenAI and other top tech companies. We’d recommend the solution to mid-sized to enterprise level customers looking for highly customizable cybersecurity training and social engineering simulations for phishing and deepfakes.

TitanHQ Security Awareness Training

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TitanHQ Security Awareness Training (SAT) is a behavior-driven solution that combines gamification with tailored training materials and phishing simulations. It aims to enhance the human layer of security through engaging, short training sessions and immediate phishing tests.

Why We Picked TitanHQ SAT: We appreciate the solution’s focus on short, engaging training sessions and its extensive phishing simulation capabilities, which together effectively reinforce security behaviors.

TitanHQ SAT Best Features: Key features include gamified learning, short 8-10 minute training videos, thousands of phishing templates, and strong customization options. Integrations include seamless compatibility with Microsoft products like Outlook 365, Teams, Azure AD, ADFS, SSO, and G-Suite.

What’s great:

Short, engaging training sessions prevent information overload
Extensive phishing simulation library with customization
Immediate phishing tests following training reinforce learning
Comprehensive reporting provides insights into user performance
Complies with ISO, HIPAA, and GDPR standards

Pricing: Pricing for TitanHQ Security Awareness Training is available via a quotation request.

Who it’s for: TitanHQ Security Awareness Training is ideal for organizations of all sizes, including MSPs, looking to enhance their security at the human layer through engaging and effective training.

ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training

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ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training is a comprehensive solution designed to enhance user cyber safety through innovative, gamified training modules. It supports businesses globally in their efforts to combat cyber threats by fostering real behavioral change in employees.

Why We Picked ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training: We appreciate ESET’s use of gamification backed by behavioral science, which effectively engages users and promotes lasting security habits. The solution’s phishing simulation platform is also a standout, offering customizable templates and seamless integration with Office 365.

ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training Best Features: The training includes modules on threat overviews, password safety, email and web protection, and preventive measures. It features gamified quizzes, role-playing, and interactive sessions to maintain engagement. The platform also offers a phishing simulation tool with pre-built, customizable email templates and an Office 365 plugin for reporting suspicious emails. The user-friendly admin dashboard allows real-time monitoring of training progress and individual learner status, with the ability to generate custom reports.

What’s great:

Gamification backed by behavioral science enhances user engagement
Comprehensive coverage of security topics in digestible modules
High-quality phishing simulations with customizable templates
Easy to deploy and manage, especially with Office 365 integration
Real-time monitoring and custom reporting through the admin dashboard

Pricing: For pricing details, please visit ESET’s official website.

Who it’s for: ESET Cybersecurity Awareness Training is ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking an easy-to-use solution that supports regulatory compliance and provides effective phishing simulations.

IRONSCALES

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IRONSCALES is a rapidly growing cloud-based email security platform that combines advanced threat detection with integrated Security Awareness Training (SAT) and Phishing Simulation Testing. The solution seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, using native APIs for quick setup without disrupting email delivery.

Why We Picked IRONSCALES: We appreciate IRONSCALES for its AI-driven detection of sophisticated phishing attacks and its unique integration of SAT and Phishing Simulation Testing, which personalizes training based on real threats.

IRONSCALES Best Features: Key features include AI-powered detection of BEC, account takeovers, and VIP impersonations, alongside SAT and Phishing Simulation Testing. The platform uses AI to tailor SAT campaigns and phishing simulations based on actual attack data, offering a report phishing button for immediate threat analysis and customizable landing pages for user education.

What’s great:

Rapid deployment with native API integration
Personalized training content based on real threats
Comprehensive phishing simulation and analysis
User-friendly reporting for tracking training progress
Immediate threat reporting and analysis

Pricing: Contact IRONSCALES directly for pricing information.

Who it’s for: IRONSCALES is ideal for organizations seeking a unified solution that combines robust phishing protection with tailored security awareness training, particularly suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to enhance their email security posture.

Hoxhunt

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Hoxhunt is a security awareness and phishing training platform that reduces risky employee behaviors through interactive, gamified training and personalized phishing tests. It focuses on teaching users to detect and correctly respond to cyber threats.

Why We Picked Hoxhunt: We appreciate Hoxhunt’s highly personalized learning paths and its use of gamification to boost engagement and learning effectiveness.

Hoxhunt Best Features: Key features include individualized training content, AI-driven personalization, gamification with rewards and leaderboards, phishing simulations customizable by skill level, geolocation, department, and language, and detailed reporting on user responses and organizational performance. Integrations include email security providers and Microsoft Teams.

What’s great:

Personalized training paths tailored to individual needs
Engaging gamification elements enhance user participation
Comprehensive phishing simulations across multiple languages
Detailed reporting provides insights into user and organizational performance
Strong integrations with email security solutions

Pricing: For pricing details, visit Hoxhunt directly.

Who it’s for: Hoxhunt is ideal for larger organizations in industries like financial services, legal, technology, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure, where email threats are prevalent and advanced security awareness training is essential.

SANS Institute

SANS Institute’s SAT Platform delivers comprehensive cybersecurity training and phishing simulation tools, leveraging their deep understanding of IT security and adult learning principles.

Why We Picked SANS Institute’s SAT Platform: We appreciate the platform’s multi-step learning paths that facilitate easy digestion of content. Its highly customizable phishing simulations allow targeted training within organizations.

SANS Institute’s SAT Platform Best Features: The platform offers video-based training modules covering various cybersecurity topics, including anti-phishing awareness. It includes end-of-module quizzes, interactive games, and customizable phishing simulation campaigns with realistic templates and reporting tools. The platform supports full voice-overs in 31 languages and integrates seamlessly with existing security systems.

What’s great:

Multi-step learning paths enhance content digestibility
Highly customizable phishing simulations for targeted training
Engaging video content with animations and live-action shorts
Comprehensive reporting tools to track user performance
Accessible with voice-overs in 31 languages

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit SANS Institute’s website directly.

Who it’s for: SANS Institute’s SAT Platform is ideal for organizations seeking comprehensive, video-based cybersecurity awareness and compliance training, especially those needing customizable phishing simulations and multilingual support.

Proofpoint Security Awareness Training

Proofpoint Security Awareness Training (SAT) is a comprehensive training solution designed to enhance employee cybersecurity awareness. It leverages Proofpoint’s extensive threat intelligence to deliver targeted training and phishing simulations.

Why We Picked Proofpoint SAT: We appreciate Proofpoint SAT’s integration with Proofpoint’s email security solution, providing a seamless approach to cybersecurity training. The platform’s extensive library of customizable training modules and phishing simulations effectively educates and tests employees.

Proofpoint SAT Best Features: The platform includes interactive training videos, posters, images, and articles across 35 languages. It offers over 700 phishing templates for email, SMS, and other phishing types, with customizable content. Features also include the PhishAlarm button for reporting, predefined cybersecurity assessments, and risk-scoring tools like Very Attacked People and Nexus People Risk Explorer.

What’s great:

Extensive library of customizable training materials
Over 700 phishing simulation templates
Multi-language support enhances global usability
Identifies high-risk users with risk-scoring features
Seamless integration with Proofpoint’s email security

Pricing: Contact Proofpoint directly for pricing information.

Who it’s for: Proofpoint Security Awareness Training is best suited for larger enterprises, particularly those also seeking an email security solution, to enhance their cybersecurity posture through comprehensive training and phishing simulations.

KnowBe4

KnowBe4 is a leading Security Awareness Training (SAT) platform that enhances organizational cyber resilience by educating employees on current security threats and best practices. It offers one of the largest and regularly updated libraries of training content in the SAT market, alongside phishing simulation campaigns.Why

We Picked KnowBe4: We like KnowBe4’s extensive library of over 1,300 training resources, available in more than 34 languages. The platform’s ability to personalize training and deliver phishing simulations based on individual employee behaviors is highly effective.

KnowBe4 Best Features: Key features include an extensive library of interactive modules, videos, games, posters, and newsletters, available in over 34 languages. It offers on-demand training via the KnowBe4 Learner App, third-party integrations, and the ability to upload SCORM-compliant materials. The platform provides personalized training assignments, remedial learning, and simulated phishing campaigns based on employee attributes. It also includes over 60 built-in reports for insights into training completion and simulation results, plus industry benchmarking tools.

What’s great:

Vast library of regularly updated training content
Personalized training and phishing simulations
Multi-language support for global organizations
Robust reporting and benchmarking capabilities
On-demand training via mobile app

Pricing: For detailed pricing, visit KnowBe4 directly.

Who it’s for: KnowBe4 is best suited for large enterprises looking to enhance their cybersecurity posture through comprehensive SAT programs. It is also ideal for educational institutions, including high schools, universities, and colleges, with a dedicated student edition available.

10.

Cofense PhishMe

Cofense PhishMe is a SaaS platform that educates users on identifying real security threats, including phishing emails that bypass traditional Secure Email Gateways. It offers multi-lingual training content focused on phishing, ransomware, Business Email Compromise (BEC), malware, and social networking.

Why We Picked Cofense PhishMe: We appreciate the platform’s highly realistic phishing simulations built on real-time threat intelligence. Its interactive and gamified learning approach keeps users engaged and enhances their security awareness.

Cofense PhishMe Best Features: The platform includes phishing simulations based on Cofense Intelligence, Cofense Labs, and the Cofense Phishing Defense Center. It offers multi-lingual training content, interactive simulations, gamified learning, and prepared phishing scenarios with landing pages, attachments, and educational content. Additional features include SmartSuggest for scenario recommendations, ResponsiveDelivery for optimal scheduling, SOC2 Type 2 certification, robust reporting, and the Cofense LMS for custom branding and content integration. RecipientSync automates user management.

What’s great:

Highly realistic phishing simulations
Multi-lingual and comprehensive training content
Interactive and gamified learning experience
SmartSuggest and ResponsiveDelivery enhance training effectiveness
Easy deployment with RecipientSync

Pricing: For pricing details, visit the Cofense PhishMe website.

Who it’s for: Cofense PhishMe is ideal for organizations of all sizes and across all industries seeking a Security Awareness Training (SAT) solution with powerful, realistic phishing simulation capabilities.

Other Security Awareness Training Services

Huntress SAT

Offers a fun and engaging security awareness training platform.

Infosec IQ

Provides a platform for security awareness and training.

Mimecast Security Awareness Training

Delivers human-risk centric training to educate staff and reduce risk.

Living Security

Focuses on human risk management and security awareness training.

The Top 10 Security Awareness Training Solutions For Business

How to Choose the Right Security Awareness Training Solution?

Selecting the right security awareness training solution involves aligning the platform with your organization’s cybersecurity goals, workforce needs, and compliance requirements. Consider these key steps to make an informed choice:

Assess Your Risk Profile: Evaluate your organization’s exposure to threats like phishing, social engineering, or insider risks, considering industry-specific vulnerabilities and user groups (e.g., employees, executives).
Define Training and Integration Needs: Factor in your workforce size, remote work policies, and existing tools (e.g., LMS, Microsoft 365) to ensure engaging content delivery and seamless integration.
Prioritize Scalability: Choose a solution that supports your current employee base and can scale to accommodate new hires, global teams, or evolving threat landscapes.

Focus on critical features to ensure effective training and measurable outcomes:

Engaging, Diverse Content: Look for interactive modules, gamified learning, and multi-format materials (e.g., videos, quizzes, microlearning) covering phishing, password hygiene, and compliance topics like GDPR or HIPAA.
Realistic Simulations: Prioritize tools with customizable phishing, smishing, or USB attack simulations that mimic real-world threats, with AI-driven scenarios for targeted training.
Analytics and Reporting: Ensure robust dashboards with metrics on user engagement, completion rates, and behavioral risk scores to track progress and identify weak points.
Automation and Integration: Verify automated training assignments, user syncing (e.g., via Active Directory), and integrations with email platforms or SIEM for streamlined management.

Balance functionality with usability to maximize adoption and impact:

User-Friendly Experience: Avoid complex platforms that disengage users, opting for intuitive interfaces, short modules (e.g., 5–10 minutes), and mobile accessibility for remote workers.
Vendor Support Quality: Select providers with responsive support, onboarding resources, and content libraries to simplify campaign setup and user training.
Testing and Trials: Use demos, free trials (e.g., offered by KnowBe4 or Proofpoint), or user reviews on G2 to validate content quality and fit before committing.

Summary and Key Takeaways

Our guide to the leading security awareness training solutions provides a comprehensive overview of platforms designed to empower businesses to build a security-conscious workforce. The article evaluates tools based on features like engaging content, realistic simulations, advanced analytics, and integrations with LMS or email platforms, catering to organizations of all sizes. It highlights the importance of combining interactive training, practical testing, and scalability to reduce human error, mitigate threats like phishing, and ensure compliance in a dynamic cybersecurity landscape.

Key Takeaways:

Effective Employee Training: Top solutions deliver gamified, diverse content to educate users on recognizing and reporting cyber threats effectively.
Practical Simulations: Choose platforms with realistic, AI-driven simulations to test and reinforce employee resilience against phishing and social engineering.
Measurable Outcomes: Prioritize tools with detailed analytics and integrations to track progress and align with compliance requirements.

What Do You Think?

We’ve explored the leading security awareness training solutions, highlighting how these tools help businesses strengthen their human firewall through education and simulations. Now, we’d love to hear your perspective—what’s your experience with security awareness platforms? Are features like gamified content, phishing simulations, or robust analytics critical for your organization’s cybersecurity strategy?

Selecting the right training solution can transform how you mitigate human-related risks, but challenges like user engagement or content relevance can arise. Have you found a standout platform that’s improved your security culture, or encountered hurdles with scalability or usability? Share your insights to help other organizations navigate the security awareness landscape and choose the best tool for their needs.

Let us know which solution you recommend to help us improve our list!

FAQs

Security Awareness Training: Everything You Need To Know (FAQs)

How Is The Training Given?

Let’s face it, no one likes having reams of information to read on a PowerPoint slide. It inspires people to switch off rather than engage, rendering your expensive SAT program ineffective against threat actors. More successful and impactful SAT programs model themselves on the principle of kinesthetic learning–or, learning by doing.

The best SAT programs will provide training sessions that blend interactive training videos, presentations, and quizzes that support knowledge retention and allow users to learn about cyber threats and how to spot a concerning behavior change that may indicate that cyber criminals have succeeded in their breach attempts. SAT should support the organization’s ability to present awareness and compliance training in a fun, creative, and memorable way at a pace that suits them. This interactive approach to learning helps your users to think critically–an important skill to have when they are inevitably faced with a real phishing email in their inbox and it’s down to them to respond accordingly.

How Frequently Is The Platform Updated?

The threat landscape is one that is ever changing. It’s a universal fact of (cybersecurity) life. The threats and attacks we see today have come a long way from fifteen, ten, and even five years ago. They’re getting more nuanced and more sophisticated, as well as finding more avenues to capitalize on. With threat actors constantly devising new schemes, your users need to stay ahead of the curve. As such, it’s important your users stay ahead of the curve with up-to-date training modules. When inquiring about SAT programs, be sure to ask how frequently the product is updated with new and current training modules.

Does The Platform Include Phishing Simulations?

Phishing simulations, considered an important part of SAT, is simulated phishing emails sent out to users in order to continue to train and test the understanding of a company’s users to see how they respond to “real” phishing emails in their inboxes. A lot of people tend to respond well to reinforced and repetitive learning, so after SAT programs have ended, phishing simulations can be configured to be deployed immediately after to help reinforce what users have learned and continue to help them think critically. These simulations are also important in flagging with admins who need further training. While most SAT vendors include phishing simulations as part of the package, not all of them do, so it’s worth inquiring while shopping around.

Some of the top features you need to consider when making a purchasing decision on SAT solutions are:

Training Topics

The topics that the training program offers are incredibly important. These are the learning modules that your employees will go through, and what is on offer is very important in shaping your workforce’s understanding of cybersecurity.

Email-Based Phishing: Perhaps the most important topic of the training will be email phishing attempts and other email borne attacks. Globally, 81% of companies have seen an increase in email phishing attacks since early 2020. To say the problem is unprecedented is understating things. While email security tools do an excellent job at filtering out most threats, they’re not infallible and some things do slip past your defenses, and when they do your end-users need to be ready. It’s not necessarily a topic you need to look out for as any SAT worth its salt will cover email attacks, making sure that the training is extensive, in depth, and up to date is important. Email phishing attempts are getting more and more sophisticated, so SAT vendors also need to make sure they’re offering training that is constantly being updated and refined.
Other Forms Of Phishing: It’s also important to note that while email phishing is the number one instance of phishing, email isn’t the only vector used by attackers. Phishing attempts can be instigated through other platforms, such as collaborative work applications, SMS messages, and more. The same logic and training for email phishing also applies to other avenues, teaching your employees to be wary of links and attachments and strange requests.
Remote Working: while remote working isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s certainly taken off in recent years (looking at you, COVID) and there’s been increasing discourse in the cybersecurity industry on how to handle this ever changing, flexible new network perimeter. Remote working can open up new avenues for attacks, and a lack of coworkers around means people are less likely to seek advice or are unable to seek immediate advice if they receive a suspicious email. A good topic to look out for, if you have a remote or hybrid workforce, is one that covers how to work remotely safely.
Password Security: Passwords are the number one method of authentication the world over. Online accounts for both work and personal applications are accessed with a username and a password, with the username often being the user’s email address. The problem with passwords is, due to their prevalence and not necessarily being that secure, they’ve become a huge attack vector for threat actors to take advantage of. Managing passwords can be hard and there’s a lot for your employees to consider, such as making sure they’re long and unpredictable, not reusing them, and storing them safely. Training modules that cover good password hygiene is critical to your network’s overall health. It educates your employees on how to safely store passwords, both digitally and in the office, and how to manage them.
Data Management And Handling: Data is the most precious (and copious) thing a company has. A lot of the data a company handles is usually highly sensitive, containing information on customers, clients, and employees. It will also contain data on company records, plans, stats, and more. Basically, it’s all the stuff you’d want to keep inside the company and make sure it doesn’t go anywhere it’s not supposed to. Good SAT solutions will offer training on appropriate data handling, specifically covering how your users should access this data, where to access it, where to store it, how to keep it safe at all levels, and how to prevent potential data loss and leakages.
Practical Guidance: While less concerned with actual measures concerning cybersecurity, good SAT solutions will run training on how your users should act and behave while they’re in the office. Another term for this is office hygiene. Not everyone who walks in and out of the office will necessarily have your company’s best interests at heart, so employees need to act accordingly in how information is stored and presented in the office. This could be how they manage and store physical data, to something simply like why they shouldn’t write down passwords for their work accounts. Employees need to operate on what is referred to as a “clean desk” policy–i.e., sensitive information shouldn’t be on any physical medium and in full display where threat actors or malicious insiders can access it. This includes documents or even sticky notes. Modules on practical guidance essentially teaches employees how they can help protect data, their computers, additional devices, and their actual physical office from threat actors.
Privacy Compliance: A lot of organizations handle a lot of sensitive information and data, including healthcare, educational, and financial organizations. Topics on privacy can help educate your team on how to keep this data safe and keep the company compliant with privacy regulations.
Removable Media: Removable media is the term used for any storage devices that can be attached to and disconnected from computers while the system is running, which includes things like USBs and CDs. While they’re handy for users, they’re also handy for threat actors as they can be leveraged to install malware and ransomware on company networks if compromised. Often, any harmful content downloaded can be executed to run automatically and can bypass most cybersecurity measures put in place. Removable media can also contain sensitive information, which needs to be stored safely and properly to make sure it isn’t stolen. Employees should be taught to be suspicious of any untrusted or unknown removable media and should bring it to their IT team for scanning first.

Other important topics to look out for when looking at SAT solutions include malware and ransomware, how to traverse the internet safely, and mobile device security.

Gamification

Gamification is essentially adding game features to the training program in order to make it more engaging, memorable, and fun for your users. Let’s face it, security awareness training isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of a fun activity, and a lot of your users will be liable to switch off mentally and not take anything in, which defeats the purpose of putting them through the training in the first place.

Gamification can take on various forms. It can mean the incorporation of interactive quizzes and other media, highly stylized and animated videos, or role-playing game features. It makes the information easier to consume and makes your users less liable to mentally switch off during the training. Game-like aspects of the training also help your end-users critical thinking skills when it comes to thinking about potential scenarios.

While gamification adds a fun spin on things, the fact that it makes the training look good isn’t the sole reason. The whole point of gamification in SAT is to make the training memorable. Kinesthetic learning–i.e., learning by doing–is hugely beneficial in making sure things stick.

Phishing Simulations

SAT often goes hand-in-hand with phishing simulations. Often designed to be deployed straight after training is complete, phishing simulations send fake phishing emails to your users to test their knowledge and help them to identify threats and report them. Phishing poses one of the biggest–if not the biggest–threats to companies. Downloading a harmful file or clicking on a malicious link can open your network to follow up attacks (such as ransomware attacks), security breaches, and data exfiltration and losses. Not only do email phishing attempts have the potential to be devastating, they’re also highly prolific.

A lot of the potential dangers covered in the topics above are contextual and might not look the same in practice than it does in theory. Attackers deploy a range of techniques and tactics–both technical and psychological based–in order to dupe the receiver. In some instances, the tell-tale signs of a phishing email might not even be there. Phishing simulations help admins know that users have not only completed the training but understood it as well. Where SAT lays down the framework and tools for your users, phishing simulations helps them put their knowledge to practice.

When looking at vendors, one of the key things to look out for with phishing simulations is their email templates. Good phishing simulation solutions will come with hundreds, if not thousands, of email phishing templates for you to use. If you’re looking for something more specific and want to emulate spear phishing tactics, customization is a good feature to look out for. You should then be able to configure the simulation to run as frequently–or as infrequently–as you like.

For your users, they will be presented with a series of fake phishing attempts they must respond to. If training has been successful, they will report and block the offending email. If an employee has failed the simulation by clicking or downloading any attached content or failing to flag it with admins, then they can be re-enrolled in further support and training. It’s important to note that good phishing simulation tactics are there to support and aid your users, rather than “punish” them for failing the simulation. Feedback and support need to be done with care, otherwise users who have failed may feel disillusioned with the training overall and be less receptive to further training.

Reporting

Good SAT solutions will come with extensive and detailed reporting logs on your users, their level of progress within the training program, and any results collated after phishing simulations have been deployed. From there, admins can see who is doing well, who needs further support, and who isn’t taking in anything at all. Some SAT solutions will offer “grading” on users, showing admins clearly how far along and how well users are doing ni each category.

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Written By

Joel Witts

Joel is the Director of Content and a co-founder at Expert Insights; a rapidly growing media company focussed on covering cybersecurity solutions. He’s an experienced journalist and editor with 8 years’ experience covering the cybersecurity space. He’s reviewed hundreds of cybersecurity solutions, interviewed hundreds of industry experts and produced dozens of industry reports read by thousands of CISOs and security professionals in topics like IAM, MFA, zero trust, email security, DevSecOps and more. He also hosts the Expert Insights Podcast and co-writes the weekly newsletter, Decrypted. Joel is driven to share his team’s expertise with cybersecurity leaders to help them create more secure business foundations.

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Craig MacAlpine CEO and Founder

Craig MacAlpine is CEO and Founder of Expert Insights. Before founding Expert Insights in August 2018, Craig spent 10 years as CEO and founder of EPA Cloud, an email security provider that rebranded as VIPRE Email Security following its acquisition by Ziff Davies, formerly J2Global (NASQAQ: ZD) in 2013. Craig is a passionate security innovator with over 20 years of experience helping organizations to stay secure with cutting-edge information security and cybersecurity solutions. Using his extensive experience in the email security industry, he founded Expert Insights with the singular goal of helping IT professionals and CISOs to cut through the noise and find the right cybersecurity solutions they need to protect their organizations.

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