Security Awareness Training

A security awareness program is an ongoing organisational initiative designed to build employees’ cyber security knowledge, reinforce secure behaviours, and help reduce human-related security risks.

It typically combines activities such as security awareness training, phishing simulations, security communications, practical guidance, and regular reminders to keep security relevant in employees’ everyday work.

Unlike a single training course, an awareness program is continuous and evolving, adapting to emerging threats, changing risks, and employee behaviour.

It is to give employees the knowledge and skills they need to recognize, avoid, and respond appropriately to cyber security threats. Security awareness training provides the education and knowledge foundation employees need to make more informed and secure decisions.

It helps organizations to:

• Build a baseline of cybersecurity knowledge across the workforce.
• Teach employees to recognize common threats and risky situations.
• Promote secure everyday behaviours and cyber hygiene.
• Support compliance and audit requirements.
• Give employees a foundation for making safer security decisions in their daily work.

Security awareness training typically costs about $5 to $50 per user per year at list price. Free or small-business plans can cost less, and enterprise plans usually cost more. The price depends on four things:

• Plan level: Basic platforms start under about $15 per user per year, while fully managed programs with custom content and phishing simulations can run from $3,000 to over $15,000 a year. (Source)
• Company size: Larger teams get volume discounts. Most enterprise contracts settle between $1.80 and $3.50 per user per month. (Source)
• Features: Phishing simulations, reporting and integrations raise the price.
• Admin time: The licence is not the full cost. Someone in your team still has to run the programme.

Prices change often, so get current quotes from vendors.

In managed security awareness training, an external provider runs the programme for you. Typically, the provider:

1. Assesses your risks and employees’ current knowledge.
2. Selects and schedules training on the topics that matter for your organisation and roles.
3. Runs simulations and reinforcement activities, such as phishing tests and short refreshers.
4. Tracks results, including training scores, risky behaviours and reporting rates.
5. Sends regular reports and adjusts the programme as threats change.

Your team stays involved, but the provider handles the day-to-day running.