23 April 2024 • Cyber security
95% of all hacks and data breaches are caused by human error. Employees may click a phishing link, use weak passwords for years on end, or fall for social engineering.
That’s why many organizations want to regularly assess the security awareness of its employees. Aside from monitoring employee awareness, these assessments can also help you prove your cyber security training efforts to comply with security standards such as NIS2 or ISO 27001.
In this article, we’ve put together 10 different security awareness assessment solutions for you to choose from.
1. Guardey
Guardey is a gamified security awareness training platform. With regular micro-challenges that 3 minutes to complete, employees can test and improve their knowledge on cyber security topics like phishing, malware, and device security.
Guardey uses gamification elements such as a leaderboard, a storyline, and badges to keep employees engaged. Admins can customize the content and ensure that the right information is being trained.
In the reporting section, admins can keep a pulse on learning progress. This enables them to improve the training program and prove compliance with relevant information security standards.
Best features
- Gamification to engage users
- The ability to customize content
- Clear and in-depth analytics
Review
“A lot of employees immediately start playing the new weekly challenge once they receive the email that it’s ready. Some of them are seriously disappointed when they get a question wrong. It has started multiple internal discussions about security, which is great.” – Source
→ Learn more about Guardey’s solution
2. Proofpoint
Proofpoint Security Awareness Training aims to address weaknesses in employees’ cybersecurity behavior through ongoing education and evaluation. The program starts by evaluating each participant’s knowledge and the overall security culture that they’re working within. Learners’ feelings and opinions on security are taken into account during evaluation.
Once a baseline is established, training begins. This takes the form of regular mini-sessions, with the specific modules presented to each learner determined by their needs, current knowledge, and learning style. Learners are evaluated through tests, quizzes, and regular simulated attacks, such as phishing emails, to see how they respond and to provide additional support where necessary. The goal of the program is to produce sustainable changes in employees’ behavior concerning security and how they respond to threats.
Best features
- Adaptive learning framework
- Automation
- Ongoing training keeps knowledge fresh and accounts for new threats
- Baselining and ongoing evaluation demonstrate improvement and weak areas
Reviews
Reviewers like Proofpoint’s intuitive UI and rich training materials. The customization features have been widely praised and customers like the way that Proofpoint can be integrated into their employees’ workflows. The customer support is generally very well regarded. On the downside, the extensive library can be rather unwieldy and hard to search when customers want to find specific training materials.
3. Usecure
Usecure offers a comprehensive platform that provides both training and cybersecurity services. By connecting training with cybersecurity monitoring, Usecure ensures that training is highly relevant and takes into account any risky behaviors that employees may unwittingly display.
The training is ongoing with an emphasis on continuous evaluation and development. Tests and simulated attacks help learners to hone their skills and identify weak areas that they can address.
Best features
- User-friendly
- Ongoing
- Baselining and evaluation
- Integrates training with active cybersecurity
Reviews
Reviews of Usecure are highly positive. Customers praise its user-friendly dashboard, automatic enrollment of new employees into security training, and the quality of the reporting features. Reviewers did note a lack of variety in the simulated phishing emails, although these can be customized.
4. NINJIO
NINJIO Security Awareness is a training product that aims to reduce risk through ongoing training, regular security awareness assessment, and detailed reports on end users’ progress. The program emphasizes behavioral analysis and individualized training, taking into account each end user’s specific needs to provide timely and relevant training that will effect behavioral change. Ninjio touts its proprietary Ninjio Risk Algorithm as providing insights and informing training based on a user’s specific vulnerabilities to social engineering.
Best features
- Baselining and ongoing evaluation
- Training tailored to individuals
- Regular security awareness assessment
- High-quality training materials
- Proprietary risk algorithm
Reviews
Customers praise the high quality and variety of the training content. The continuous nature of training and assessment was a major plus point for most customers. Some reviewers found the setup a little difficult and would have preferred more automation. That said, scores are very high, and overall the product is highly regarded by its users.
5. Hoxhunt
Hoxhunt is a dedicated platform for human risk management. Through a system of baselining, security awareness assessment, training, and evaluation, Hoxhunt aims to alter learners’ security behaviors to make an organization more resilient to cyber-attacks and social engineering. After conducting a security awareness proficiency assessment for each user to establish a baseline, Hoxhunt’s training begins. This training consists of “microtrainings” — short instructional videos and texts — as well as simulated phishing emails and other attacks.
Learners’ progress is followed up with assessments to see how they’re getting on. A profile of each learner is built up, with overall scores reflecting their improvement or weak areas. One of Hoxhunt’s biggest selling points is the emphasis on gamification. Learners are scored on each security awareness proficiency assessment and on how well they handle the simulated attacks, with these scores recorded on a leaderboard. This encourages engagement as learners will want to keep their scores high.
Best features
- Gamification
- Individualized training
- Automation
- Rich content
Reviews
Hoxhunt has garnered very positive reviews from its customers, who especially like the gamification aspect.
6. Curricula
Curricula is an online cybersecurity awareness training platform. Rather than being integrated with cybersecurity management, it’s a standalone program, although it is produced by security specialists Huntress. Curricula emphasizes games and engaging training videos as a way to motivate learners. It’s intended to be more fun than the average training program.
Curricula offers extensive automation, ensuring that learners are regularly prompted to undertake the next training session. As users progress, they receive regular security awareness proficiency assessments to monitor their development and overall security competence. Curricula offers specific training modules for compliance with particular regulations.
Best features
- User-friendly
- Engaging and fun
- Gamified phishing simulations reward rather than punish users
Reviews
Customers have a positive opinion of Curricula, praising its fun and engaging content as well as its effectiveness in creating behavioral change in users. The only major issue raised by reviewers was the difficulty in enrolling new hires.
7. Barracuda
Another big name in security awareness proficiency assessment and training, Barracuda Security Awareness Training is widely used and has been very successful in helping organizations improve their security posture. The product features a rich library of content, interactive training, and continual evaluation to ensure that employees are kept up to speed.
The training program is automated, allowing customers to set it up once and let it run with little intervention. Barracuda Security Awareness Training is highly customizable, allowing organizations to tailor it to their specific needs and applicable regulations.
Best features
- High levels of automation
- Customizable and flexible
- Continuous training and assessment
Reviews
Customer reviews of Barracuda Security Awareness Training are broadly positive, noting its flexibility and effectiveness in improving security behavior. At the user end, it’s easy to operate. Customers have noted, however, that it’s not so user-friendly for operators and can be a little tricky to set up.
8. KnowBe4
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training is a large security awareness training and phishing simulation platform. It aims to protect organizations through training on phishing emails and other forms of social engineering.
Trainings are ongoing and focus on real-world situations that employees are likely to encounter in their daily activities. KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training provides baseline assessments and ongoing evaluations to ensure that learners know everything they need to stay safe, as well as delivering simulated phishing attacks to keep users alert and assess their level of awareness.
Best features
- Baselining
- Gamification
- Interactive learning
Reviews
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training is generally well-reviewed, receiving high marks across the most important metrics. Customers praise the overall ease of use and the effectiveness of the training program.
9. ESET
ESET Security Awareness Training is an online cybersecurity training program. Rather than being continuous and ongoing, the program is intended as a stand-alone product. Users complete the training at their own pace. The whole program is designed to be completed in under 90 minutes.
ESET Security Awareness Training is thorough and covers all the most important elements of user security, along with evaluations and scores. Users can retake the program as often as they wish. While it’s comprehensive and effective, it can’t keep users trained in the long term. ESET also offers simulated phishing emails to test users and encourage them to stay alert.
Best features
- Comprehensive
- Well-designed
- Effective phishing simulations
Reviews
Reviewers have praised the quality of the content. Customers were particularly impressed by the wide range of pre-made phishing email templates, although some noted that it’s tricky to create bespoke templates for the simulations. The downside of this product, for most, is the fact that it’s a standalone one-off training. Learners can repeat it but reviewers noted the lack of ongoing training or evaluation to ensure consistent and sustainable behavior change.
10. Awaretrain
Awaretrain consists of over 60 different games, training routines, quizzes, and tests, presented as training modules. It also includes a phishing simulation tool to create convincing phishing emails. As with similar products, the materials are customizable, allowing organizations to apply their house style. Awaretrain offers specific training and evaluation to bring employees into compliance with regulations and standards.
Customers can create their own tailored programs which are then deployed to the organization, with trainings and tests delivered automatically. With six new training modules added every year, users can be reassured that materials are up-to-date and relevant. Modules generally take around 10-15 minutes to complete and are generally focused on video content, rather than more interactive or engaging material, although the games encourage interaction.
Best features
- Ease of use
- Customizability
- Effective security awareness assessment
- Standards and regulations compliance
Reviews
Reviews on Awaretrain are sparse but broadly positive. Customers like the user-friendliness and the solid range of topics covered. On the downside, some mention the lack of interactivity and passive learning style as negative points.
Keep a pulse on your team’s awareness with Guardey
95% of all hacks and data leaks are caused by human error. This is why it’s crucial to be able to track your team’s awareness level. With Guardey’s security awareness assessment solution, you can do just that.
Many solutions don’t offer training that can keep users engaged on a long-term basis. This is why at Guardey, we decided to build our solution on gamification principles: objectives, rewards, and competition.
Here’s what one of our customers has to say about Guardey:
“A lot of our employees immediately start playing the new weekly challenge once they receive the email that it’s ready. Some of them are seriously disappointed when they get a question wrong. It has started multiple internal discussions about security, which is great.” – Marcel Versluis, IT manager at Delta Wines.
Curious about Guardey? You can try out our solution during a 14-day week trial. No credit card info required.
