Security awareness training: turn your employees into a human firewall
Security awareness plays a crucial role in any organization by helping employees recognize and avoid cyber threats, preventing potential security incidents. Training for employees and executives, phishing simulations, educational campaigns and knowledge assessments — one awareness programme tailored to your industry.
- 0%of attacks start with phishing
- 0%of breaches involve the human factor
- $4.7Maverage cost of a data breach
- 0programme modules: training, simulations, campaigns, assessments
- 120employees
- 4cycles
- 71%reported in cycle 4
Our certifications
Training and simulations are delivered by practitioners who hold offensive-security certifications — the same people who run penetration tests and phishing campaigns every day.
Strengthening security awareness in your organisation
Strengthening security awareness among employees is a key element of an effective organizational cybersecurity strategy. This enables the organization to more effectively protect its assets and data, minimizing the risk of attacks and information leaks, which translates into increased operational security and company reputation protection.
The VIPentest awareness programme is run by practitioners who carry out social engineering testing and phishing simulation every day — we show employees the same techniques attackers use and teach them how to recognise and report them. Awareness complements the technical controls you verify with penetration testing services: technology stops what it can, people stop the rest.
- Interactive cybersecurity training for employees and executives
- Controlled phishing simulations (email, SMS, phone)
- Educational campaigns and informational materials all year round
- Regular knowledge tests and progress metrics in a dashboard
- 0%effectiveness increase in recognising attacks after training
- 4×/yearrecommended phishing simulation frequency (quarterly)
Scope: awareness services – training, phishing simulations, campaigns, assessments
Our Awareness services are flexible and tailored to individual client needs. Four modules make up one programme — order the whole programme or a single element.
Cybersecurity Training
We organize interactive training sessions that teach employees to recognize cyber threats, identify phishing attacks, and apply online security best practices. Training is delivered by certified experts with years of experience — on site or online, with a separate module for executives and the management board.
- Phishing and Social Engineering Recognition
- Safe Email and Internet Usage
- Password Management and Multi-Factor Authentication
- Remote Work and Mobile Device Security
- Security Incident Response
- Personal Data Protection (GDPR)
Phishing Simulations
We conduct controlled phishing attack simulations to assess the effectiveness of employee security awareness and provide practical guidance on recognizing and avoiding threats. Each campaign is tailored to your organization’s specifics — from classic invoice lures to OAuth consent phishing in Microsoft 365. Need the simulation on its own? See social engineering testing and phishing simulation.
- Email Phishing Simulations (Spear Phishing, BEC)
- Smishing Simulations (SMS Phishing)
- Vishing Simulations (Voice Phishing)
- Tests with Malicious Attachments and Links
- Detailed Reports with Metrics and Benchmarks
- Instant Micro-Learnings After Click
Educational Campaigns
We create educational campaigns that promote a security culture in the organization through regular reminders, infographics, posters, and other informational materials. Campaigns build security habits and maintain a high level of vigilance among employees throughout the year.
- Security Newsletters with Current Threats
- Office Infographics and Posters
- Short Educational Videos and Animations
- Gamification — Quizzes, Challenges, Rankings
- Onboarding Materials for New Employees
Knowledge Assessments
We conduct regular knowledge tests to assess the level of understanding and retention of security knowledge among employees and identify areas requiring additional training. Results help measure the effectiveness of the awareness program.
- Pre and Post Assessments
- Thematic Quizzes (Phishing, Passwords, GDPR)
- Situational Scenarios and Case Studies
- Dashboards with Results per Department / Team
- Progress Tracking and Trends Over Time
Why invest in security awareness training
An awareness program is an investment that protects the organization against the most common attack vector — the human factor.
Incident Reduction
Trained employees recognize and report threats before an incident occurs. Reduce your breach risk by up to 70%.
Regulatory Compliance
Meet DORA, NIS2, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and GDPR requirements for employee security training — with attendance and results documented for your auditor.
Cost Savings
The cost of awareness training is a fraction of potential losses from a successful attack. The average cost of a data breach is $4.7M.
Security Culture
Build an organization where every employee is a conscious link in defense — the “Human Firewall.”
Measurable Results
Track progress through metrics: phishing click rate, reporting time, test scores — all in a clear dashboard.
Reputation Protection
A data breach means not just financial costs but loss of customer trust. Prevent it before it’s too late.
How we implement the awareness program step by step
A proven, repeatable process for building a security culture in your organization — from diagnosis to a report with metrics.
- 01
Needs Analysis
We diagnose the current awareness level, identify risk groups, and define program objectives. A phishing simulation before the training gives you a baseline for the later metrics.
- 02
Program Plan
We design a personalized program: training sessions, phishing simulations, educational campaigns, and assessments. We take into account your industry, regulatory requirements (NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, GDPR) and how your team works.
- 03
Execution
We deliver training, launch simulations and campaigns. We provide full support at every stage — from onboarding materials to the micro-learnings shown after a click on a simulated link.
- 04
Report & Optimization
We deliver detailed reports with metrics, recommendations, and a continuous program improvement plan. We compare results between departments and against the baseline.
Awareness training and your NIS2 and DORA obligations
Cybersecurity training is no longer just good practice — several regulations list it explicitly as an obligation, including for the management board.
NIS2 Directive and national law
Article 20 of NIS2 requires members of the management bodies of essential and important entities to follow cybersecurity training and to encourage regular training for employees. Article 21 lists cyber-hygiene practices and training among the risk-management measures. National transpositions (in Poland, the KSC Act) pass these obligations on to local entities; gaps in the remaining areas are identified by a NIS2 compliance audit.
DORA – financial sector
Article 13(6) of the DORA Regulation obliges financial entities to run ICT security awareness programmes and digital operational resilience training for staff and senior management. Phishing simulations provide measurable evidence of the effectiveness of these programmes for your auditor and supervisor.
ISO 27001, GDPR and PCI DSS
Control A.6.3 of ISO 27001:2022 requires information security awareness, education and training; Article 39 of the GDPR assigns staff training to the data protection officer and Article 32 requires organisational measures. The training and assessment report is ready-made evidence for an audit.
Security awareness training pricing
Training is quoted after a call about the scope — the number of participants, the modules and the format decide the price. Phishing simulations have fixed price ranges.
| Service | Scope | Net price |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness training for employees | one or several groups, on site or online, certificate of completion | quote after a call |
| Cybersecurity training for executives | NIS2 and DORA obligations, accountability, decisions during an incident | quote after a call |
| Phishing simulation | up to 100 people, 1 scenario, report with metrics | from PLN 6,000 |
| Phishing campaign | up to 500 people, 2–3 scenarios, micro-learnings after a click | PLN 9,999–16,000 |
| Multi-channel simulation | email, SMS and phone, up to 1,000 people | PLN 16,000–30,000 |
| Educational campaign and knowledge assessments | materials, quizzes, dashboard — as part of the awareness programme | quote after a call |
All prices are net. Phishing simulations follow the price list for social engineering testing and phishing simulation; physical simulations (office entry, dropped USB media) are quoted individually.
An awareness programme for the whole organisation (training + simulations + campaigns + assessments) is quoted after a call about the scope — reply within 24 hours.
What you get after the program: report and metrics
The awareness programme ends with hard numbers, not an attendance list. The report shows how employee behaviour changed between the baseline and the final simulation, which departments need more work and what to do next quarter.
The same data serves as evidence that you meet the training requirements of NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001 and GDPR during an internal or certification audit.
Contents of the awareness programme report
- Click rate on simulated phishing and share of submitted credentials — per department and per scenario
- Time to report and number of reports of suspicious messages
- Knowledge test results before and after the training (pre/post assessment)
- Training attendance and certificates of completion for participants
- Comparison with the baseline and with the industry benchmark
- Recommendations and a continuous improvement plan for the next quarter
- Dashboard with trends over time for management and the security team
Who security awareness training is for
We scale the programme from a company of a dozen people to an organisation with a thousand employees — the number of groups and scenarios changes, not the quality.
Employees of every department
Finance, HR, sales, customer service — anyone who receives email is a phishing target. The core training teaches how to recognise attacks and report incidents; see also security for e-commerce teams.
Executives and senior management
A separate module for the management bodies whose training is required by Article 20 of NIS2: accountability, decisions in a crisis, BEC attacks on the most senior positions.
Banks, insurers, FinTech
Entities subject to DORA that must demonstrate an ICT security awareness programme for staff and management.
Essential and important entities (NIS2)
Energy, healthcare, transport, public administration, digital service providers — cyber hygiene and training as a risk-management measure.
Companies with ISO 27001 or implementing it
Control A.6.3 requires documented training — we deliver the programme and the evidence for your auditor.
New hires and remote teams
Onboarding materials, online training and campaigns for distributed teams that never meet in the office.
Frequently asked questions about security awareness training
Find answers to the most common questions about Security Awareness training, phishing simulations and regulatory obligations.
What is Security Awareness training?
Security Awareness training consists of educational programs aimed at organization employees to raise awareness of cyber threats. They cover phishing recognition, safe internet and email usage, password management, and security incident response. At VIPentest we combine the training with phishing simulations, educational campaigns and knowledge assessments in one measurable awareness programme, so you can see how employee behaviour changes over time.
Are the training programs tailored to our industry?
Yes, all our training programs and simulations are customized to the client’s industry specifics, IT infrastructure, and employee knowledge level. We also account for the sector’s regulatory requirements (e.g., DORA for finance, NIS2 for critical infrastructure, PCI DSS for payments). Phishing scenarios mirror the real messages your departments receive: invoices, courier notifications, HR requests and Microsoft 365 sign-in prompts.
How often should awareness training be conducted?
We recommend conducting awareness training at least once a year for all employees, with additional sessions for new hires and after security incidents are detected. Phishing simulations should be run quarterly to maintain a high level of vigilance. Educational campaigns (newsletters, infographics, micro-learnings) run in the background throughout the year.
What metrics are tracked during the awareness program?
We track key metrics such as: simulated phishing click rate, suspicious message reporting time, knowledge test scores, training attendance, and overall security awareness improvement over time. All data is presented in clear dashboards with the ability to compare results across departments and against an industry benchmark.
Why are phishing simulations important?
Phishing simulations allow you to test in a controlled manner how employees respond to information extraction attempts. They help identify individuals and departments requiring additional training while teaching employees to recognize real threats in a safe environment. A simulation before the training gives you a baseline, and a simulation after it shows the real improvement in click and reporting rates.
Is security awareness training mandatory for management under NIS2?
Yes. Article 20 of the NIS2 Directive requires members of the management bodies of essential and important entities to follow cybersecurity training, and the organisation must encourage regular training for all employees. Management approves the risk-management measures and is accountable for overseeing them. Our executive training explains these obligations in business language, and a NIS2 compliance audit shows the gaps in the remaining areas.
Is the training delivered online or on site?
Both. We deliver training on site at your premises or live online, while educational campaigns, knowledge assessments and the micro-learnings shown after a click on a simulated phishing message run remotely throughout the year. We choose the format based on the number of employees, how distributed the team is and how much of the work is remote. Participants receive a certificate of completion.
How much does security awareness training for employees cost?
Training is quoted after a call about the scope: the number of participants and groups, the modules (employees, executives, IT), on-site or online delivery, and materials. The programme elements from the price list have fixed ranges: a phishing simulation for up to 100 people with one scenario costs from PLN 6,000 net, and a campaign for up to 500 people with 2–3 scenarios costs PLN 9,999–16,000 net. We prepare the quote for an awareness programme within 24 hours.
Ready to strengthen your human firewall?
Contact us to discuss a Security Awareness training program tailored to your organization. We’ll help build a security culture among your employees.
- Enquiry confirmedWe reply within 24 h on business days and ask about the scope.
- Scoping call under NDAWe agree on goals, environment, dates and access.
- Quote and test planUsually the same day after the call. No commitment.
- Programme tailored to your industry and regulations
Write to us: free quote and scoping consultation
Tell us in a few sentences how many employees you want to train and whether you are interested in a phishing simulation. We will reply within 24 hours. You can also email us at contact@vipentest.com.
