Interactive training enhances security awareness and AI knowledge
What is our primary use case?
My team and I use KnowBe4 primarily for security awareness training. The company assigns new training modules every few months, covering several topics such as phishing emails, safe web browsing, and other general security awareness training. More recently, we've received new modules related to the safe usage of AI tools and guidelines for preventing unintentional data breaches when interacting with AI systems; that is how we are using KnowBe4 in our company.
Besides security awareness, KnowBe4 gives me knowledge I didn't have before, such as the AI-related topics. Our work involves AI tools, and previously, my colleagues might have shared information that shouldn't be there in AI. With the training modules from KnowBe4, it raises our awareness about the information that could breach our company when using AI; I find that aspect positive about KnowBe4.
What is most valuable?
Most valuable for me are the interactiveness and format of KnowBe4. It has a realistic format; for example, when I'm taking the phishing simulations, the modules give me examples of the real phishing types that might be in my mailbox and how to deal with them. It's good for raising awareness of the threats, and I think it's easy to follow, even for non-technical staff. It is really effective for raising good habits regarding the threats.
The simulated phishing attacks feature has examples of several phishing attacks through email. It gives me four or more examples for each, such as asking for our details or having links leading to unverified websites. When I get emails similar to those, I know how to take action on the emails in my mailbox.
What needs improvement?
Regarding user behavior, I don't find KnowBe4's real-time insights and analytics very useful because I found it a bit repetitive. Also, if you've been using the platform for a while, their modules tend to be repetitive between the different modules.
I would prefer the aspect of product repetitiveness to be improved or optimized in the next releases of KnowBe4. The renewal of the modules needs to be updated simultaneously with new threats or new content as technology is evolving quickly. I think the UI needs improvement as it appears outdated for the current website for learning modules.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with KnowBe4 for about two years since 2023. I'm not working directly with them; my company used KnowBe4 for staff to have access to the modules.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding the stability of KnowBe4, it's performing effectively. I haven't encountered any issues when accessing the platform; it is nice to use even with low connection issues, and there's no lag.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
KnowBe4 is really scalable and helpful for building cultural awareness, especially for both small and large enterprises. It can be used within large enterprises because it has automation for assigning training modules to all staff.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't interacted with the technical support or customer service of KnowBe4; I think it's more related to managerial roles in my company.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using KnowBe4, we had an academy website from our company, but later they started sending us KnowBe4 modules. Previously, training was just in PDF or videos, and then it changed to KnowBe4.
I started using KnowBe4 because the company assigned me to do it. I understand why the company switched from the previous technology to KnowBe4 because it forces us to really see, read, and understand the materials in the modules. The old system only provided materials in a read format, whereas KnowBe4 includes quizzes and an interactive way to understand the modules better.
What other advice do I have?
I'm currently working with KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training. I've been receiving the links through my email from my company. KnowBe4 is accessed through the website.
The automated assignments have a good impact for me, and possibly my colleagues feel the same because the modules assigned to us are mostly related to our work. I'm not sure if they are assigned based on departments or roles, but the modules we receive are closely related to our work.
I don't have any information about the pricing and licensing of KnowBe4 as I'm just the end user. I haven't needed to use the documentation or manuals for KnowBe4 because I can operate the system efficiently without them.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate KnowBe4 an 8.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Has improved awareness by making employees more cautious with emails
What is our primary use case?
I worked as an intern where KnowBe4 was used as a third-party vendor in the company.
My responsibilities included assigning security awareness training to employees, running phishing simulation campaigns, monitoring user responses, and reporting on results.
When I started, my main tasks with KnowBe4 were sending simulations and selecting which ones to use. I would also be involved with choosing the training videos and quizzes to send out to users.
How has it helped my organization?
KnowBe4 significantly enhanced people's awareness of cybersecurity threats within the company through its simulations that replicated real-world scenarios. The phishing simulations were very realistic and helped test actual reactions. Through these platform simulations, people became more aware of cybersecurity threats and learned how to identify potential threats.
The platform proved effective as we could track responses to repeated simulations, allowing us to measure the effectiveness of previous awareness campaigns.
KnowBe4 improved awareness as employees became more cautious with emails. They developed better habits and would report suspicious emails using the company's reporting option. As months progressed, we observed more people reporting phishing simulations, indicating increased employee awareness within the company.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect of KnowBe4 was its metrics capabilities. The platform allowed us to see departmental statistics, including click rates and user responses.
The real-time insights and analytics are very detailed, enabling accurate measurement of metrics and effectiveness of phishing simulations. The platform is user-friendly with an intuitive interface, making it an excellent overall solution.
What needs improvement?
An area for improvement in KnowBe4 is the repetitive content for users completing multiple training sessions. Additionally, some email simulations were blocked by spam filters, requiring IT to whitelist these email simulations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I worked with KnowBe4 for seven months during my time as a cybersecurity intern last year.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
KnowBe4 demonstrated good scalability, particularly in supporting compliance requirements. It was valuable for audit reporting, with metrics downloadable in PDF format. The platform effectively raised awareness and reduced phishing click rates.
How are customer service and support?
My involvement with technical support was limited, so I cannot provide detailed information about KnowBe4's responsiveness or helpfulness.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not use any previous solutions as KnowBe4 was user-friendly.
What about the implementation team?
As an intern, I was not involved in the implementation team.
What was our ROI?
The solution proved valuable for audit reporting and successfully raised awareness while reducing phishing click rates.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was not aware of alternate solutions as this would typically fall under an admin role's responsibilities.
What other advice do I have?
From my experience, KnowBe4 was stable and proves to be a strong tool for organizations building a security awareness culture. It is simple to use and effective, even for companies starting out in phishing and training campaigns. I rate this solution an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
KnowBe4 has made our org to take trainings easier
What do you like best about the product?
It gives reminders to the managers and also employess if the trainings are not completed.
What do you dislike about the product?
The UI is not great. it looks like old school.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
We had to complete security trinings and also secure coding training and KnowBe4 has made is easy for us with ready available trainings.
Comprehensive training aids employees while offering potential for gamified improvements
What is our primary use case?
Currently, we are mainly using this product for security training for employees only. Every year we plan a new training, select training material, build guides, and deploy it to KnowBe4, and the employees get the notification for the compulsory training. They review the material, the video guides, or the pictorial representation of the material we have published. Then they get a form where they can fill out questions and answers, and finally, take a certificate.
In our trainings, we built a phishing attack scenario which we discussed in detail, and the employees, after reading the articles, implemented the fix, described the answer, and submitted it.
What is most valuable?
It is pretty much easy to use and not difficult at all.
Since this is a tool which we use for training, our employees get great benefit from it.
The main advantages are the user-friendly UI and its overall ease of use.
What needs improvement?
Since we use it for the compulsory security training only, I do not think we need any improvement in this product. However, if we were using it for broader cases, then I might have some suggestions about improvements.
For example, this product has a questions and answers section which is in text form. It could be updated to include a video game format where an employee uses the game to answer these scenarios. For instance, in a video game, we could get a phishing attack on the employee system and the employee reacts to that video game character. This would make it more attractive and understandable.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this product since 2022.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. We have never had any kind of issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is pretty much scalable. Although I did not deploy this product, I believe we can scale it effectively.
How are customer service and support?
We have never felt a need to contact them, so I cannot provide any information about that.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are customers of
KnowBe4. We do not have any partnership with them.
What other advice do I have?
Since the training is compulsory, I cannot say much about the user experience. If it was not compulsory, then I might have received some feedback from the users.
This product is being managed by the security team for training purposes only.
It is pretty much straightforward, as other SaaS applications.
Although I did not integrate it into the system, I know KnowBe4 gets integrated with the Okta platform quite easily.
I would rate it seven to eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Helpful training
What do you like best about the product?
The KB4 platform is typically easy to manage with just a few annoyances. The training is well received by most end users and is easy to understand.
What do you dislike about the product?
The inability to build custom subtitles is frustrating. There have been several occasions where a training I wanted to offer wasn’t in a language I needed and would have halily translated it myself.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The KB4 training helps us with security the weakest link, the end users. I have received a lot of good feedback over the years about the insightfulness and how the information is offered.
People over product
What do you like best about the product?
As an admin of the platform for a small company, under 50 employees, I like how user-friendly this product is. The dashboard has a great overview of the company and when I drill down it’s easy to see where an employee missed something, phishing email, campaign, training, etc. I can then personalize the training for the individual employee.
What do you dislike about the product?
Even with the recent update to the Risk Score, it’s convoluted and hard to use as a training or educational tool.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I inherited the product but it was severely underutilized by the previous admin. I have effectively leveraged it so that all employees are now aware what KnowBe4 is. It helped employees understand that there are bad actors everywhere and that the human element can be the strongest force to protect the company.
Offers the tools and automation needed
What do you like best about the product?
KnowBe4 gives all the tools I need to create a training program and helps automate it to reduce administration time.
What do you dislike about the product?
The platform could benefit from additional training modules, particularly in the micro focused area.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It introduces risk concepts to our users and gauges understanding and adherence to best practice.
The gold standard for security training
What do you like best about the product?
The mass array of templates, games and other content available to use in trainings.
What do you dislike about the product?
It can be overwhelming to get started with KSAT.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Training end users to recognize bad and dangerous emails and why it’s important to our org.
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training
What do you like best about the product?
KnowBe4 has so much content that comes along with the training module. Inside Man is awesome and is loved across many companies. Also, the ability to customize your phishing campaigns is super helpful as well.
What do you dislike about the product?
Unless you are on a very high tier with them, support can be a bit of challenge.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Allows us to easily create phishing campaigns, gives us access to a rich content library and both of these has helped us transform our security culture dramatically over the last 3 years.
A quality Training tool that consistently provides employees with knowledge to protect themselves.
What do you like best about the product?
The continuous improvement of resources.
What do you dislike about the product?
How difficult it can be to detect even for seasoned IT professionals.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Giving untrained employees an email is a big risk but implementing mandatory training has proven useful. KMSAT is really easy to use with our users.
