Harnessing AI to Increase Full-Time Employees' Efficiency in Managing Human Cyber Risk

With cyber threats becoming more advanced, cyber risk management is now a must-have to keep businesses safe and running smoothly. However, many organizations face a major challenge: cybersecurity awareness programs are critically under-resourced.

A Gartner report reveals that over 80% of cybersecurity awareness programs operate with one or fewer full-time employees (FTEs), and more than 50% function with just half an FTE. Despite this staffing shortage, 60% of cybersecurity leaders plan to maintain current levels, and only 41% are considering even small increases. This means organizations must find ways to improve efficiency with limited resources.

This is where AI-powered human cyber risk management platforms step in. By automating critical tasks, these platforms not only reduce manual workload but also generate clear, outcome-driven metrics that tie cybersecurity efforts to business value.

In this blog, we’ll explore how AI-driven cybersecurity platforms revolutionize phishing simulations, cyber security awareness training automation, incident response, and business-aligned cybersecurity metrics, helping organizations maximize the impact of their limited security teams.

The Under-Resourced Reality of Cyber Awareness Programs

Traditional security awareness programs often rely on small teams—or even single individuals—struggling to keep up with evolving cyber threats. Gartner’s findings highlight the critical staffing shortages:

• Over 80% of awareness programs have one or fewer FTEs, with over 50% managing with just 0.5 FTE.
• Nearly 60% of cybersecurity leaders plan to maintain current staffing levels, and only 41% foresee any increase—most of which are marginal.

With such limited resources, organizations must leverage AI-driven automation to optimize efficiency and maximize the impact of their cybersecurity efforts.

How AI Quantifies Enterprise Cybersecurity Value

AI-powered platforms don’t just reduce manual workloads—they directly enhance business value by optimizing Full Time Employee (FTE) efficiency and risk mitigation.

This chart below breaks down the total annual value of AI in cyber risk management, which amounts to $3.32 million. The analysis reveals that 90.3% of the value ($3 million) comes from risk avoidance, meaning AI helps prevent potential fines, data breaches, and operational disruptions. Meanwhile, 9.7% ($324,000) comes from productivity savings, as AI automates tasks like phishing analysis, security training, and reporting, significantly reducing manual workloads. This demonstrates that while AI improves efficiency, its greatest financial impact lies in mitigating cybersecurity risks that could result in substantial losses.

Let’s examine the financial impact of AI-driven cyber risk management using a Customer Value Calculation Model:

Table 1: AI-Driven Cyber Risk Management Value Model

This table quantifies how AI improves efficiency and reduces cyber risks, generating $3.32 million in annual value.

• Efficiency Gains: AI automates phishing analysis, training assignments, and reporting, cutting 90% of manual workload and saving $324,000 annually by allowing FTEs to focus on higher-priority security tasks.
• Risk Avoidance: AI prevents breaches, fines, and downtime by enhancing threat detection and automating response, mitigating $3 million in potential losses per year.
• Total Value: With $3.32 million in combined savings, AI delivers a high return on investment by optimizing resources and strengthening cybersecurity defenses.

These findings demonstrate that AI-powered cybersecurity solutions not only optimize resources but also mitigate significant financial risks, making them essential for modern enterprises.

AI-Driven Enhancements Across Cybersecurity Operations

Beyond cost savings, AI-driven security platforms transform critical aspects of cyber risk management, enhancing efficiency, threat detection, and response capabilities. Let’s dive into how AI optimizes phishing simulations, security training, SOC operations, and business-aligned cybersecurity metrics.

1. Tailored Phishing Simulations

AI enhances phishing simulations by automating scenario creation and customizing attacks based on employee behavior.

• Rapid Template Creation: AI generates phishing templates and landing pages in under 20 seconds, saving 92% of manual effort.

• Personalized Phishing Scenarios: AI analyzes employee roles, behaviors, and risk levels, selecting phishing attacks that previously required 6+ hours of planning—reducing it to minutes.

The Keepnet AI Ally Assistant, integrated into the Phishing Simulator, further enhances this process by automating phishing campaign setup. AI Ally selects scenarios, generates realistic phishing emails, and customizes attacks based on user data, ensuring highly targeted and scalable simulations. With AI handling the heavy lifting, security teams can deploy campaigns effortlessly and improve user engagement with minimal manual intervention.

Learn more about AI-powered phishing simulations in our Phishing Simulator.

2. Accelerated Cybersecurity Awareness Training

• AI revolutionizes security awareness training by automating content creation and user engagement:
• AI-Driven Training Enrollment: AI assigns training modules based on risk levels, significantly reducing manual effort.
• Behavior-Based Nudging: AI delivers personalized reminders, enhancing training retention.
• Gamification for Engagement: AI-driven leaderboards and rewards enhance voluntary participation, reducing manual workload

Explore AI-driven security awareness training in our Security Awareness Training.

3. AI-Enhanced SOC Operations

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) often spend significant time analyzing email-based threats, particularly phishing attempts. AI automates these tasks, freeing up valuable resources.

• Rapid Email Analysis: Gartner reports that manually analyzing a single phishing email takes an average of 2 hours and 45 minutes. AI-powered tools, such as Keepnet's Phishing Forensic, can reduce this analysis time to under 2 minutes, making the process 168 times faster.
• Automated Email Quarantine: Traditionally, removing confirmed malicious emails from user inboxes can take up to 9 hours. With AI-driven solutions like Keepnet's Incident Response tool, this process is reduced to under 5 minutes, enhancing efficiency by 48 times.

These advancements enable SOC teams to focus on high-priority threats, improving overall security posture.

Check out Keepnet Phishing Incident Response to automate email threat analysis, speed up remediation, and strengthen your SOC’s efficiency.

4. Outcome-Driven Metrics for Business Leaders

AI transforms cybersecurity data into clear, business-aligned insights, enabling organizations to measure security effectiveness and make informed decisions.

• Data-Driven Insights: AI analyzes cybersecurity performance, providing measurable, outcome-based metrics that help business leaders assess security ROI and identify areas for improvement.
• Automated Reporting: AI-powered tools significantly reduce manual reporting efforts, with organizations experiencing up to a 97% reduction in reporting time after implementing AI, allowing executives to receive timely, data-driven insights for strategic decision-making.

For a deeper understanding of how to measure security awareness effectiveness, read our blog on What Are the Metrics for Evaluating Security Awareness Efforts.

AI is a Strategic Necessity for Cybersecurity Teams

AI is no longer just a tool for reducing manual workload—it is a critical solution for cybersecurity teams, helping organizations improve efficiency, enhance security awareness, and demonstrate business value. AI-powered platforms enable enterprises to:

• Optimize Resource Efficiency: Automate routine tasks, allowing full-time employees to focus on strategic cybersecurity initiatives.
• Enhance Phishing Simulations: Personalize and automate phishing attacks, improving employee awareness and resilience against threats.
• Accelerate Training & Reporting: Generate security training content and reports faster, ensuring timely insights and compliance tracking.
• Quantify Security’s Business Impact: Translate cybersecurity efforts into measurable financial value, justifying investments and improving risk management.

With cybersecurity teams facing staff shortages, AI-driven automation is no longer optional—it is essential for maintaining a strong security posture.

Discover Keepnet’s Human Risk Management Platform to see how AI aligns security with business value.