What Security Awareness Training Is
Written by MSP Outpost.
In Short
Security awareness platforms train a client's staff to spot phishing and bad habits, test them with simulated phishing emails and report who is improving. They are about people, where email security is about filtering the messages before anyone sees them. MSPs usually resell them as part of a security bundle.
What It Does
- Training. Short lessons and videos assigned to each user, with reminders for anyone who has not finished.
- Phishing tests. Simulated phishing emails that show who clicks and who reports them.
- Follow-up lessons. A user who fails a test is enrolled in a short lesson automatically.
- User sync. Staff lists pulled from the client's directory, so joiners and leavers are handled without admin.
- Client reporting. A plain report per client on completion, clicks and trends, for reviews and insurers.
When You Need One
Not essential on day one, but cheap to add and easy to explain to a client. Start with one tool you can include in your security bundle.
Clients start asking for it, often because an insurer or a customer requires it. Make it standard in your security offer rather than an optional extra.
The value is in the reporting and the automation. Pick a platform that runs itself across every client and produces reports you can put in a quarterly review without editing.
What to Look For
Must Have
- Multi-Tenant Console
- Directory Sync
- Phishing Simulation
- Automatic Enrollment
- Per-Client Reports
Worth Having
- Report Phishing Button
- Branded Portal
- Policy Acknowledgements
- Short Video Lessons
- PSA Billing Sync
How It Is Priced
Most platforms charge per user per month and many only quote on request. Watch for minimum seat counts across your whole client base, multi-year terms, and phishing tests or reporting features kept for a higher tier.
Switching
Switching is fairly easy, because users sync from the directory and training content is not yours to keep. What you lose is history, so export each client's completion and test results before you leave, since insurers and auditors may ask for them. Check the term length first.
Questions to Ask a Vendor
- Is the minimum seat count per client or across all my clients together?
- How long is the term, and what happens at renewal?
- Are phishing tests and reports included at every tier?
- Do simulated phishing emails reach inboxes without me changing each client's mail filtering?
- How do I export each client's training and test history if I leave?
- How often is the training content updated?
