The Ultimate Guide to Security Awareness Compliance: Requirements, Frameworks, and Best Practices

AI-driven cyber threats are increasing, and human error remains the leading cause of security breaches. To mitigate these risks, global regulations now require security awareness training to ensure employees can recognize and respond to cyber threats.

However, compliance comes at a cost. Organizations spend an average of $5.47 million annually on compliance-related activities—but the cost of failing to comply is far greater. Non-compliance costs businesses an average of $14.82 million per year, due to fines, legal expenses, and reputational damage.

This guide covers key compliance regulations, who needs security training, and best practices for building an effective program. Many businesses struggle to navigate compliance—this guide simplifies the process to help organizations of all sizes stay secure and compliant.

Why Security Awareness Compliance Matters More Than Ever

Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, yet human error remains the biggest security weakness. According to the 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report by Ventures, 68% of breaches involved a human element.

For organizations, security awareness isn’t just about protection—it’s a compliance requirement. Regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS mandate training to prevent costly breaches and legal penalties.

Keepnet’s Adaptive Security Awareness Training simplifies compliance with 30+ training modules, available in multiple languages, and customizable for different roles. Its tracking and reporting features help businesses of all sizes meet regulatory requirements and foster a strong security culture.

What Are Security Awareness Compliance Requirements?

Security awareness compliance refers to regulatory and industry standards requiring businesses to train employees on:

• Cybersecurity best practices (e.g., password hygiene, phishing awareness)
• Legal responsibilities under frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS
• Incident response protocols to mitigate threats effectively

Compliance is not optional. Organizations failing to meet requirements risk:

• Fines (e.g., up to $2,134,831 per HIPAA violation annually)​
• Legal action from regulators or affected customers
• Reputational damage due to security negligence

A well-structured compliance program transforms security training from an obligation into a strategic advantage, empowering employees to act as the first line of defense against cyber threats.

Who Needs Compliance Awareness Training? It’s Not Just for IT

Security awareness training isn’t just for IT teams—it applies to everyone in an organization. Compliance regulations require all employees, contractresult ind key departments to undergo training to protect sensitive data and prevent cyber threats.

Here’s who must be trained:

• All Employees – From frontline staff to executives,. It allowscessing company systems or data needs cybersecurity awareness.
• Contractors & Vendors – Third parties with system access must follow the same compliance standards.
• Role-Specific Teams – IT, HR, finance, and other departments require tailored training based on their responsibilities.

For example, under HIPAA, every healthcare worker handling Protected Health Information (PHI)—including nurses, doctors, and administrative staff—must complete cybersecurity training.

Keepnet’s role-based training ensures employees receive customized, relevant content based on their risk exposure, making compliance easier for organizations of all sizes. To dive deeper, check out Keepnet’s guide on Role-Based Security Awareness Training.

Key Regulations Driving Security Awareness Compliance

Compliance with security awareness training is mandatory under several major regulations.

Here’s a breakdown of the key frameworks:

• HIPAA – Requires cybersecurity training for all healthcare employees handling Protected Health Information (PHI).
• GDPR – Mandates data protection awareness for employees handling EU citizens' data, with fines up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover for violations.
• PCI DSS – Demands annual training for employees managing cardholder data to protect payment systems.
• GLBA – Requires financial institutions to train employees on customer data protection.
• ISO 27001 – Calls for continuous security awareness training as part of an organization’s information security management system.
• DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) – Effective January 17, 2025, this EU regulation mandates ICT risk management training, including phishing awareness, for financial entities like banks and insurers.
• NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive) – Effective October 17, 2024, this EU directive requires essential and digital service providers to train employees on cybersecurity risks to protect critical infrastructure.

Each regulation has unique requirements, but they share a common goal: untrained employees are a security risk. DORA focuses on proactive resilience against ICT disruptions, while NIS2 strengthens critical service protection—both aligning with broader cybersecurity regulations like GDPR.

Who is Responsible for Managing Compliance Training?

Effective compliance training requires collaboration across multiple departments to ensure employees stay informed, follow regulations, and adhere to best security practices.

Here’s who plays a key role:

• Executives & Leadership – Define security policies and allocate resources.
• Compliance Officers – Ensure the organization meets regulatory requirements.
• IT & Security Teams – Implement security awareness programs and monitor risks.
• HR & Training Departments – Organize, deliver, and track employee training.
• Supervisors & Managers – Reinforce compliance practices within teams.

Managing compliance is a shared responsibility, ensuring that every employee understands their role in maintaining security and regulatory compliance.

What Happens if an Organization Ignores Compliance Training?

Ignoring compliance training exposes businesses to financial penalties, security breaches, and operational setbacks. Employees unaware of cybersecurity risks are more likely to fall for phishing scams, mishandle sensitive data, or fail to follow legal requirements—leading to severe consequences.

Key risks of non-compliance include:

• Fines & Legal Penalties – Regulatory violations can lead to hefty fines and legal action.
• Data Breaches & Cyberattacks – Untrained employees are more likely to fall victim to phishing, ransomware, and other cyber threats.
• Reputation Damage – Customers and partners lose confidence in businesses that fail to protect sensitive data.
• Operational Disruptions – Non-compliance can result in business downtime, loss of contracts, and regulatory scrutiny.

A strong compliance training program isn’t just about avoiding fines—it protects your business from real-world threats.

The High Stakes of Non-Compliance

Ignoring security awareness compliance isn’t just risky—it’s expensive. Consider these penalties:

• GDPR: Up to €20 million or 4% of turnover.
• HIPAA: Fines reaching $1.5 million per violation category annually.
• PCI DSS: Loss of payment processing rights plus fines.

Compare that to the proactive investment in Keepnet Human Risk Management platform, which offers cost-effective pricing and peace of mind.

Keepnet’s Adaptive Security Awareness Training: The Compliance Game-Changer

Keepnet’s Adaptive Security Awareness Training simplifies compliance while strengthening cybersecurity. Here’s what makes it stand out:

1. Comprehensive Compliance Training: Keepnet offers 30+ compliance training modules, covering everything from phishing prevention to GDPR-specific data handling, ensuring businesses meet regulatory requirements with ease.
2. Multi-Language Support: Keepnet provides training in multiple languages, ensuring employees across different regions understand and engage with the content effectively.
3. Scalable for Any Organization: Whether you have 10 employees or 10,000, Keepnet’s flexible platform scales to fit your needs, making compliance cost-effective and manageable.
4. Customizable & Role-Based Training: Every organization has unique risks. Keepnet’s role-based training delivers targeted education, ensuring employees receive relevant, job-specific compliance training.
5. Always Up-to-Date: With evolving cyber threats and regulations, Keepnet regularly updates training content, keeping your organization compliant and prepared.

Building a Security-First Culture: Beyond Compliance

Compliance is the baseline, but a true security culture goes further. Keepnet’s platform fosters this through:

• Interactive Learning: Quizzes, simulations, and real-world scenarios keep employees engaged.
• Continuous Training: Regular refreshers maintain awareness year-round.
• Measurable Impact: Track progress and behavior changes with built-in analytics.

Ready to strengthen your security culture? Explore Keepnet’s free Security Behavior and Culture Program Template to build a comprehensive strategy.

Compliance Training Pricing in 2025: Why Keepnet Offers Unbeatable Value

Compliance training is a critical component of cybersecurity, ensuring employees meet regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS to protect sensitive data and avoid legal penalties. However, the cost of compliance training varies significantly depending on the provider. Let’s compare pricing models and see why Keepnet delivers the best value.

Understanding Compliance Training Costs

Security awareness training providers take two main approaches to compliance training:

1. Bundled into the core package (included at no extra cost)
2. Sold as a separate add-on (requiring additional fees)

This difference impacts overall costs, especially for organizations that need both security awareness and compliance training.

KnowBe4: Compliance Plus as an Expensive Add-On

KnowBe4, a leading security awareness provider, charges extra for compliance training through its "Compliance Plus" add-on. As of March 2025, KnowBe4's Compliance Plus add-on costs between $0.54 and $0.93 per user per month, depending on the subscription tier.

For example:

• 100 employees at $0.93 per user per month → $1,116 annually
• 500 employees at $0.93 per user per month → $5,580 annually

These costs are billed annually and are in addition to KnowBe4’s core security awareness training package.

Keepnet: Over 30 Compliance Frameworks Included—At No Extra Cost

Unlike competitors, Keepnet includes over 30 compliance training modules—covering frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS—without additional charges. Compliance training is fully integrated into Keepnet’s standard offering, eliminating hidden costs.

Whether you have 10 employees or 10,000, Keepnet’s pricing remains cost-effective while providing a comprehensive compliance solution.

Why Keepnet Delivers the Best Value

Keepnet’s pricing model offers unmatched value for security compliance training by eliminating costly add-ons and providing comprehensive coverage in a single platform. Here’s why it stands out:

• Significant Cost Savings – Keepnet includes over 30 compliance frameworks at no extra cost, unlike KnowBe4’s Compliance Plus, which requires additional fees. A company with 100 employees can save $1,116 annually, with even greater savings for larger organizations.
• Simplified Budgeting & Management – Compliance training is built into Keepnet’s core platform, eliminating the need for multiple subscriptions and reducing administrative burden.
• Comprehensive Compliance Coverage – Keepnet’s 30+ compliance training modules help organizations meet regulatory requirements without purchasing additional content.
• Seamless User Experience – A single, user-friendly platform ensures an efficient and engaging learning experience for employees while simplifying administration.

A Smarter Approach to Compliance

Choosing Keepnet isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements—it’s about doing it better, more cost-effectively, and with minimal complexity. For organizations seeking high-quality, scalable compliance training, Keepnet is the clear winner over competitors like KnowBe4 and Metacompliance.

The Future of Security Compliance: Addressing Advanced Phishing Techniques

The Phishing Exercise Standard (SIMM 5320-A), issued by the California Office of Information Security in November 2021, highlights the importance of phishing simulations in strengthening security awareness. While it covers traditional phishing tactics like email phishing, smishing (SMS phishing), vishing (voice phishing), and website forgery, cybercriminals continue to evolve their methods.

To keep pace, security compliance must expand to include emerging threats, such as:

• Callback Phishing – Attackers send emails or texts urging victims to call a fake support number, tricking them into revealing sensitive information.
• QR Phishing (Quishing) – Fraudsters embed malicious QR codes in emails, advertisements, or posters, leading users to phishing sites or triggering malware downloads.

Why Advanced Phishing Techniques Matter

Phishing remains one of the biggest cybersecurity threats because it exploits human trust rather than technical weaknesses. The SIMM 5320-A standard emphasizes continuous phishing simulations to assess employee awareness and improve training programs. However, as cybercriminals develop new social engineering techniques, compliance standards must evolve to address threats like:

• Vishing (Voice Phishing) – Attackers use spoofed caller IDs or AI-generated voices to impersonate trusted contacts and steal credentials.
• Smishing (SMS Phishing) – Fake text messages trick users into clicking malicious links or sharing personal data.
• Callback Phishing – Unlike email phishing, this method relies on phone-based deception, making it harder to detect.
• QR Phishing (Quishing) – Hackers use QR codes in fraudulent ads, emails, and posters to bypass traditional phishing filters.

Adapting Compliance to Combat Evolving Phishing Threats

Since these new phishing tactics evade traditional security measures, organizations must expand their security awareness programs to train employees on real-world attack scenarios. As regulations like SIMM 5320-A evolve, businesses that proactively educate their workforce on these emerging threats will enhance compliance and strengthen their defense against cyberattacks.

The Role of Adaptive Security Awareness Programs

The future of security compliance will focus on adaptive training programs that equip employees to recognize and respond to evolving phishing threats. The SIMM 5320-A standard already requires regular phishing exercises, collaboration with oversight bodies like the California Department of Technology (CDT) Office of Information Security (OIS), and realistic threat simulations.

To stay compliant and enhance security, organizations must:

• Expand Training Coverage – Go beyond traditional phishing by including vishing, smishing, callback phishing, and QR phishing, ensuring employees can spot each type of attack.
• Simulate Real-World Attacks – Conduct targeted phishing simulations that replicate actual cyber threats, as outlined in SIMM 5320-A’s exercise planning section (III).
• Track & Measure Effectiveness – Monitor key metrics like click rates and credential entry to assess employee awareness and improve training effectiveness (SIMM 5320-A, section III.F).
• Continuously Update Training – Regularly refresh content to address emerging threats, in line with SIMM 5320-A’s emphasis on ongoing assessments.

By implementing adaptive security awareness programs, organizations strengthen compliance, reduce cyber risks, and ensure employees stay ahead of evolving phishing techniques.

How Keepnet Improves Compliance Requirements

Keepnet Extended Human Risk Management platform provides an Adaptive Security Awareness Training platform that helps organizations meet compliance requirements while reinforcing their human firewall. By simulating real-world phishing threats, Keepnet ensures employees are prepared for evolving attack methods.

Here’s how Keepnet aligns with compliance standards:

• Vishing Simulation – Trains employees to recognize spoofed calls and voice phishing attempts, supporting SIMM 5320-A’s vishing preparedness.
• Smishing Simulation – Mimics SMS phishing attacks, helping employees spot fake texts and avoid malicious links, in line with SIMM 5320-A’s smishing training requirements.
• Callback Phishing Simulation – Prepares employees for fraudulent call-back scams, filling a compliance gap in SIMM 5320-A by addressing this rising threat.
• QR Phishing Simulation – Educates employees on verifying QR codes before scanning, tackling an emerging phishing method not yet detailed in compliance standards.

The Keepnet Advantage

By integrating Keepnet’s phishing simulations, organizations can:

• Boost employee awareness of sophisticated phishing attacks.
• Ensure compliance with engaging, interactive training.
• Reduce security risks by reinforcing safe behaviors.

With Keepnet, businesses stay ahead of threats, strengthen compliance, and protect sensitive data.

To explore a comprehensive approach to managing human risk, check out Keepnet’s Extended Human Risk Management Platform.