From Boring to Brilliant: Making Security Awareness Training Stick

Security awareness training often feels like a tedious task—dry, repetitive, and hard to remember. When training lacks engagement, employees lose interest, leaving your organization at risk. This is especially concerning given that the human element remains a factor in approximately 60% of data breaches, according to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report.

In this blog, we’ll explore why traditional training methods fall short and share practical strategies to make security awareness training more engaging and effective.

Why Traditional Security Awareness Training Fails

Traditional security awareness training often fails to achieve its primary goal: equipping employees with the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond to security threats. The content is usually generic, repetitive, and focused on compliance rather than practical application. This makes training sessions feel unengaging and irrelevant, leading to low participation and poor knowledge retention.

One major issue is the lack of interactive and customized content. Training that is too theoretical or standardized does not address the specific challenges faced by employees in different roles. As a result, they may struggle to understand how to apply the lessons learned when they encounter potential security threats.

Another problem is the infrequent and inconsistent delivery of training. When training is conducted as a one-time event or only annually, employees are more likely to forget what they’ve learned.

To improve effectiveness, security awareness training needs to be engaging, role-specific, and continuously reinforced.

One proven method to increase engagement and retention is through gamification, which makes learning more interactive and enjoyable. To learn more about how gamification can transform security awareness training, check out The Power of Gamification in Security Awareness Training.

How Keepnet Makes “Training That Sticks” Operational (Not Just a One-Off Program)

It’s one thing to know that microlearning, gamification, and role-based training work. The harder part is making them repeatable at scale—so the program runs continuously, stays relevant for different teams, and produces measurable behavior change.

Here’s how Keepnet operationalizes the techniques in this guide:

• Microlearning that runs on a cadence: Deliver short, focused lessons regularly (instead of annual “big training”), so key behaviors are reinforced over time—not forgotten after a week.
• Gamification that drives participation: Turn training into challenges and progress milestones that increase motivation and completion—without making the experience feel childish or repetitive.
• Role-based delivery (the right content to the right people): Finance, HR, IT, and frontline teams face different threats. Role-based paths make the training feel relevant—so employees pay attention and apply it.
• Ongoing reinforcement (nudges): Keep secure habits top-of-mind using lightweight reminders that reinforce the same behaviors employees need during real work.
• Phishing simulations that connect to learning: Employees build real-world reflexes when training is paired with realistic simulations and follow-up learning moments.

Primary next step: If you want to see how these techniques work together as a continuous program, explore Keepnet Security Awareness Training

Optional supporting read (behavior change): How Keepnet creates security awareness training based on behavioral science

Innovative Techniques to Make Security Awareness Training Stick

To make security awareness training program effective, it needs to be engaging, practical, and tailored to employees' roles. Here are some proven techniques:

• Gamification: Incorporate quizzes, challenges, and interactive scenarios to make learning enjoyable and competitive.
• Microlearning: Use short, focused training sessions that are easy to digest and repeat regularly to boost retention.
• Role-Based Training: Customize content to address the specific security challenges faced by different departments.
• Storytelling: Share real incidents and case studies to make training relatable and memorable.
• Ongoing Simulated Phishing Tests: Regular phishing simulations help employees practice identifying threats in a controlled environment.
• Nudges: Use subtle reminders and prompts to reinforce key security practices and keep awareness high throughout the workday.

By applying these techniques, organizations can make training more engaging and help employees build lasting security habits. To learn more about customizing training for different roles, read What is Role-Based Security Awareness Training, and How Can It Be Customized and Adapted?.

Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning

Building a strong security culture requires ongoing learning rather than one-time training. To keep security awareness top of mind, organizations should focus on continuous, consistent training that evolves with emerging threats.

• Regular Training Sessions: Conduct short, engaging sessions frequently rather than long, infrequent ones.
• Reinforcement Through Nudges: Use reminders and prompts to keep security practices fresh in employees’ minds.
• Interactive Learning: Incorporate quizzes, phishing simulation campaigns, and role-specific scenarios to maintain engagement.
• Performance Tracking: Continuously measure progress and adapt training based on feedback and results.

By fostering a culture of continuous learning, organizations empower employees to stay vigilant and proactive. For more insights on building a security-conscious culture, read the Keepnet article: Building a Security-Conscious Corporate Culture: A Roadmap for Success.

Measuring Success and Making Adjustments

To ensure security awareness training for employees is effective, it’s essential to measure its impact regularly and make improvements based on the results. Successful evaluation involves tracking key metrics, analyzing behavioral changes, gathering feedback, and adjusting training strategies based on data.

Here’s a structured approach to measuring success and making adjustments:

Table 1: Measuring Success and Making Adjustments

By consistently evaluating training outcomes, organizations can make informed adjustments to strengthen their security posture. For more insights on measuring the success of security awareness efforts, read What are the Metrics for Evaluating Security Awareness Efforts.

Practical Tips to Get Started with Engaging Training

Starting with engaging security awareness training can feel challenging, but small changes can make a big difference. Here are some practical tips to get you started:

• Start with Real-Life Phishing Scenarios: Use incidents that have actually occurred within the industry to make the training relatable and credible. Employees are more likely to pay attention when they see how security issues could directly impact their roles.
• Involve Team Leaders: When managers and supervisors actively participate, it reinforces the importance of training. This top-down approach helps build a culture where security awareness is seen as a shared responsibility.
• Create Interactive Challenges: Instead of just presenting information, use problem-solving exercises where employees work together to identify and mitigate simulated threats. This hands-on approach makes learning practical and collaborative.
• Visual Learning Aids: Use infographics, short videos, and interactive diagrams to break down complex security concepts. Visual elements make content easier to understand and remember.
• Recognize and Reward Progress: Celebrate achievements, whether it’s recognizing individuals who report phishing attempts or departments that consistently complete training. Positive reinforcement boosts motivation and commitment.

For more creative ways to make cybersecurity training enjoyable, read How to Make Cyber Security Employee Training Fun.

How Keepnet Security Awareness Training Makes a Difference

Keepnet Security Awareness Training empowers organizations by equipping employees to recognize and respond to cyber threats like phishing, malware, and social engineering. The program combines gamified, role-based training with realistic phishing simulation and continuous nudges to build practical cybersecurity skills.

Key features include:

• AI-Driven Customization: Tailors training programs to meet your organization’s specific needs and industry standards.
• Phishing Attack Simulations: Uses customizable, AI-based scenarios to help employees practice detecting threats.
• Extensive Training Library: Access over 2,100 training materials from 15+ providers in 36+ languages, ideal for multilingual and diverse teams.
• Compliance-Focused: Ensures employees meet regulatory requirements through targeted, role-specific training.

By delivering interactive and tailored learning, Keepnet helps build a proactive security culture across your organization.

To get started, explore Keepnet Security Awareness Training (program delivery, microlearning, gamification, role-based training, nudges, and simulations)

Further reading (recommended next steps)

• How to choose a security awareness training tool (evaluation checklist)
• How to measure whether training is working (metrics that prove behavior change)
• Why behavior-change programs outperform “annual compliance” (behavioral science approach)
• Benchmarks to set expectations and justify budget (latest training statistics)

Last Updated: January 2, 2025