Buying a security awareness platform in 2026 shouldn’t be a gamble. Plenty look great in a demo, then turn into admin work: chasing completions, rebuilding campaigns, and trying to prove it’s reducing risk.

Key takeaway: The best security awareness training platforms reduce human risk over time by keeping learning consistent, reinforcing good behaviors, and making progress easy to prove, without creating a heavy admin burden. This aligns with ISO/IEC 27001, which requires organizations to provide ongoing security awareness and training, and to monitor and continually improve their information security management system.

This 10-point checklist helps you spot which platforms can actually do that in practice.

Quick filter: must-haves vs optional extras

Use this shortlist first. If a vendor is weak on the must-haves, the programme will be harder to run and harder to justify later. Optional extras only matter once the fundamentals are nailed.

Must-haves for any security awareness platform

• Bite-sized training modules (5–15 minutes) that are easy to complete
• New starter onboarding plus ongoing refreshers (so it’s continuous, not annual)
• Role-based targeting and segmentation (finance, HR, executives, IT admins)
• Automated scheduling, reminders, and follow-ups (so you are not chasing completions)
• Phishing simulations with safe guardrails (controlled, fair, non-punitive)
• Automatic follow-up learning after a click or failure (micro-training that closes the loop)
• Reporting that shows improvement over time (trends, segmentation, repeat-risk views)
• Directory sync for new starters, movers, and leavers (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace)
• Up-to-date coverage of AI-enabled risks (safe use of generative AI tools, data sharing, modern social engineering)

Optional extras (nice-to-haves)

‍These can be useful, but only after the fundamentals are covered.

• Huge content libraries (value depends on completion and relevance)
• Advanced gamification (leaderboards, points, competitions)
• Deep custom content production (bespoke modules per client/industry)
• Highly complex workflow builders (multi-step automation beyond reminders/follow-ups)
• Hyper-personalised phishing lures for niche scenarios (high effort to maintain)
• Very granular branding controls across every page and template (beyond core comms)
• Extra modules outside security bundled in (useful, but can distract from core outcomes)

Must-haves for managed service providers (MSPs)

For managed service providers (MSPs), these are the deal-breakers for delivering at scale across multiple client tenants.

• Multi-tenant management with strict tenant separation
• Role-based admin permissions (partner-level vs client admin access)
• Client-ready reporting for QBRs, with simple exports
• Standardised rollout templates you can clone (cadence, comms, assignments)
• Bulk onboarding tools (import or sync users at scale, directory integrations)
• Delegated admin controls (clients can handle basics without breaking standards)
• Flexible licensing and tenant management (add or remove seats cleanly)
• White labelling for client-facing emails and reports

Now you’ve got the quick filter. If a platform covers those must-haves, you’re already past most of the usual pitfalls and you can ignore a lot of the sales fluff.

Next, let’s get more practical. The checklist below breaks those requirements into a simple, step-by-step evaluation you can use in demos, RFPs, or side-by-side comparisons.

The 10-point checklist to evaluate a security awareness platform in 2026

In this section, we'll cover the practical, demo-ready checklist to compare platforms quickly and spot the features that reduce risk, cut admin, and prove improvement over time.

1) Will people actually engage with the training?

If the training feels like a chore, people will click it, skip it, and forget it. You want content that fits into the workday and actually gets completed.

• 5 to 15 minute modules that fit into a workday
• new starter training plus refreshers
• role-based learning options (finance, HR, executives, IT admins)
• clear evidence the content stays current

Internal IT teams: completion and simplicity beat “biggest library” every time.‍

MSPs: you need content that fits multiple industries with minimal tailoring.

2) Can it target the right people without you babysitting it?

A good platform saves you from manual admin. It should let you target by risk and role, then keep things running on a schedule.

• group and role targeting (so finance gets finance-relevant content)
• recurring schedules (monthly micro-training plus periodic refreshers)
• automated nudges and reminders

Internal IT teams: if it needs heavy manual maintenance, it’ll quietly die after the first busy month.‍

MSPs: ask whether you can clone a cadence across tenants and tweak it per client.

3) Are phishing simulations designed to teach, not trick?

Simulations should help people build the right habits, then learn quickly when they make a mistake. Not feel embarrassed or punished.

• safe simulations with sensible guardrails
• template variety that mirrors modern lures
• automated scheduling (recurring campaigns)
• click or fail triggers short follow-up learning

How to run simulations without backfiring

Keep simulations controlled and fair. Avoid anything that feels like “gotcha” testing, and don’t shame or punish people for clicking. Programmes work best when they build trust and encourage reporting, so frame simulations as practice and coaching rather than a test people can “fail”.

Internal IT teams: run simulations to reinforce the right behavior, then follow up with short training so people improve.‍

MSPs: standardise a baseline programme across clients, then add client-specific scenarios only when it genuinely helps.

4) Does reporting prove improvement over time, not just clicks?

If reporting only tells you “who clicked”, you’ll struggle to show progress. You want proof that your training is resulting in improvement over time and clarity on where risk sits.

• trends over time (month on month or quarter on quarter)
• segmentation by team, role, location
• repeat-risk views (who needs extra support)
• exportable evidence for audits and reviews

Internal IT teams: aim for reporting a leader can understand in a few minutes: are we improving, and where is risk concentrated?
MSPs: you need client-ready reporting, otherwise your team ends up building reports manually.

5) Does automation run the programme for you, or create more admin?

If the platform can’t run follow-ups automatically, you’ll end up doing it by hand. Ensure the platform offers:

• auto-reminders for training completion
• automatic follow-up training after simulation failures
• user lifecycle automation (new starters, movers, leavers automatically receive relevant training)

Internal IT teams: automation keeps the programme alive when priorities shift.‍

MSPs: automation protects margin. Manual chasing across tenants does not scale.

6) Do integrations keep users and groups accurate without spreadsheets?

The best integrations are the ones you never have to think about. Your user list should update itself, and targeting should just work.

• Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace sync
• group mapping that actually works for targeting
• SSO where needed, without adding friction

🚩 Red flag: “just upload a CSV every month.”

7) Is reporting suspicious messages easy and consistently reinforced?

Reporting turns staff into an early warning system. It’s one of the simplest ways to reduce impact when something slips through.

• clear internal reporting route (ideally one click in the mail client)
• training that reinforces reporting behavir
• quick feedback loops so users see reporting matters

Internal IT teams: make reporting painless and non-judgemental, then back it up with quick follow-up.‍

MSPs: roll out a standard reporting SOP across clients and bake it into onboarding.

8) Are governance and evidence exports audit-ready?

It’s easy to ignore this during a demo, then regret it when an audit lands or a customer asks for proof. Make sure evidence is simple to export.

• admin roles and permissions
• audit logs
• evidence exports (completion, acknowledgements, status)

Internal IT teams: keep it practical, you just need clean evidence when asked.‍

MSPs: governance reduces tenant mistakes and makes client reporting easier.

9) Is day-to-day management genuinely low effort?

Some platforms feel smooth in the sales walkthrough, then get clunky the moment you try to run them month after month. You want setup and day-to-day management to be quick, repeatable, and low effort.

• reusable campaign templates (so you are not rebuilding from scratch)
• bulk actions for common tasks (assignments, reminders, exclusions)
• clear admin workflow for scheduling and follow-ups
  Internal IT teams: if running the programme takes hours every month, it will slip.
  MSP: if you can’t clone and standardise, your delivery costs will creep up fast.

10) Can you prove value on demand to leaders, clients, or auditors?

Sooner or later, someone will ask, “Can we show this is working?” That might be leadership, a client, an auditor, or procurement. The platform should make evidence easy to produce without you stitching spreadsheets together.

• exportable reports for leadership, audits, and client reviews
• clear history of campaigns and completions (who got what, when)
• repeat-risk and improvement views that are easy to explain

Internal IT teams: you want a clean story you can share in minutes, not hours.

MSPs: evidence should be QBR-ready, so you can show value without manual reporting work.

Bonus point: Security awareness should sit inside a wider human risk approach

Security awareness delivers the most value when it’s part of a broader human risk approach, not a standalone training schedule.

The goal isn’t just completions. It’s reducing people-driven exposure over time by combining training, phishing simulations, and a strong reporting culture, then showing measurable improvement where risk is highest.

That’s where approaches like Human Risk Management (HRM) and Human Risk Intelligence (HRI) come in. Instead of treating awareness as a once-a-year activity, stronger approaches use real user signals to produce actionable insight, so you can focus effort where it matters most, identify repeat-risk, and adapt as threats and work habits change (including AI-enabled risks).

usecure supports this by bringing security awareness training together with a broader human risk suite, helping you run a consistent cadence and prove impact without adding admin overhead.

Explore the usecure demo hub to see usecure’s security awareness solution and the wider human risk suite in action.

FAQs from decision-makers

What are the must-have features of a security awareness training platform in 2026?

The must-haves are automation, role-based bite-sized training, phishing simulations with follow-up micro-training, directory sync, and reporting that shows improvement over time. These are the features that keep the programme running and make progress easy to prove.

How often should security awareness training run?

Training should start at onboarding and continue throughout the year with regular refreshers. More frequent, shorter reinforcement generally works better than a single annual session (e.g. at least one short training session per month).

Are phishing simulations necessary?

Phishing simulations can help reinforce learning and measure behavior, but they work best when paired with follow-up training and a supportive reporting culture. Used as “gotcha” tests, they can backfire and reduce reporting.

What extra features do MSPs need compared to internal IT teams?

MSPs typically need multi-tenant management, partner and client-level admin controls, client-ready reporting for QBRs, repeatable rollout templates, and onboarding tools that scale across tenants.

How do I compare security awareness training platforms quickly?

Use a two-step approach: first, shortlist vendors against the must-haves (automation, role-based training, follow-up learning, directory sync, and improvement reporting). Then run a demo using the 10-point checklist to confirm the platform is genuinely easy to run and easy to prove value with.