Strategy & Architecture / Security Awareness
Turn your people from
your biggest risk to your
first line of defence.
No technology control stops a well-crafted phishing email when an untrained employee is on the other end. Cliffside's security awareness training programmes combine tailored modules, realistic simulations, and measurable behaviour change to build genuine cyber defence across your organisation. Not just a completed checkbox.
What we deliver
Three components. One cohesive awareness programme.
Effective security awareness training requires more than a platform and a login. We combine simulation, tailored training, and continuous measurement into a programme designed to actually change how your people respond to threats.
Realistic, professionally crafted campaigns that measure your organisation's susceptibility to email-based threats. Results feed directly into targeted training, so every simulation improves the next round of content.
Training modules built for your industry, your threat landscape, and your workforce. Covering email threats, social engineering, password hygiene, data handling, incident reporting, and regulatory obligations. Not generic slide decks from a catalogue.
Baseline assessments, post-programme measurement, and ongoing reporting that tracks real behaviour change over time. The kind of metrics your board and leadership team can actually use to demonstrate risk reduction.
The problem
Why most security awareness training fails.
Most organisations have tried some form of awareness training. Most have been disappointed. The issue is rarely the platform. It is the approach. These are the six most common reasons programmes fail to reduce risk.
Running an awareness programme once a year to satisfy an audit requirement. Staff complete it, forget it within a week, and nothing changes. Compliance training alone does not reduce cyber risk.
The same material for the CEO, the developer, and the receptionist. Different roles face different threats. Effective training is tailored to how people actually work.
Launching a programme without first measuring where your organisation stands. Without a baseline, you cannot demonstrate improvement or justify ongoing investment.
Using simulated phishing attacks to catch and discipline staff. This creates a fear environment, discourages incident reporting, and actively undermines the programme. Simulation should identify training needs, not assign blame.
Buying a tool and assuming the technology will do the work. KnowBe4, Phriendly Phishing, Proofpoint, and other platforms are instruments. Without programme design, tailoring, and ongoing management, they produce completion rates, not behaviour change.
A programme that skips the leadership team. When executives opt out, they signal that cybersecurity awareness is optional. Board-level engagement is essential for building a genuine security-first mindset.
Our approach
Comprehensive security awareness training that changes behaviour.
Most awareness programs fail because they are designed to satisfy a compliance requirement, not to change how people behave. They run once a year, are forgotten within a week, and have no measurable impact on the organisation's actual security posture.
Continuous, not annual
Our programmes are continuous, contextual, and consequence-free. We use simulations not to punish staff who click, but to identify where education needs to be concentrated. We tailor training content to the actual cybersecurity threats your workforce faces. And we measure outcomes that matter, not just completion rates. The goal is lasting security culture, not a one-off awareness event.
Reducing human cyber risk
Australian businesses spend millions on firewalls, endpoint protection, access controls, and penetration testing. But the weakest link in most organisations is still the person who clicks. Effective cybersecurity training addresses this human element, turning your people from a security risk into an active layer of cyber defence. When staff can recognise and report threats, your technical controls become exponentially more effective.
Platforms and partners
Security awareness training platforms we deploy.
We select platforms based on module quality, simulation capability, reporting depth, and suitability for Australian businesses. The platform is a tool. What we add is programme design, tailoring, threat intelligence integration, and ongoing management.
KnowBe4 security awareness training
KnowBe4 is one of the world's largest awareness platforms, with an extensive library of training modules, phishing templates, and reporting capabilities. We deploy it for organisations that need broad content coverage, automated administration, and detailed compliance reporting. Its strength is scale and breadth.
Phriendly Phishing
Phriendly Phishing is an Australian-built awareness platform designed for the local market. We deploy Phriendly Phishing for organisations that value locally developed modules, regulatory alignment, and a platform built with Australian privacy and data handling requirements in mind. It is a strong choice for government and regulated industries.
Other platforms in the market
Companies often ask about other security awareness training companies and platforms. Proofpoint Security Awareness Training (formerly Wombat) is widely deployed in enterprise environments around the world and integrates with Proofpoint's email security products. SANS Security Awareness offers modules developed by the SANS Institute's cybersecurity experts. Terranova Security focuses on regulatory-driven training programs with a strong social engineering product and risk-based learning content. Each platform has strengths. We recommend the one that fits your organisation's size, requirements, and existing tooling. If you already run Proofpoint or another platform, we can design and manage your awareness program on it.
Training content
What our security awareness training covers.
Our programme covers the threats your people actually face. Every training module is designed to address specific cyber security challenges relevant to your industry, your compliance obligations, and your threat landscape.
Recognising spear phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and other email-based attacks. The single most important topic in any awareness programme.
Pretexting, vishing, smishing, and physical manipulation tactics. Training staff to recognise approaches that bypass technical controls entirely.
Multi-factor authentication, credential theft, and password manager adoption. Weak credentials remain one of the most exploited attack vectors in cyber security breaches.
Secure handling, classification, access controls, sharing, and disposal. Covering obligations under the Privacy Act, APRA CPS 234, and industry-specific requirements.
Teaching staff how and when to report suspicious emails, potential breaches, and security incidents. Fast reporting reduces impact. Good training makes reporting easy and consequence-free.
Securing home networks, using VPNs, recognising threats on personal devices, and maintaining good habits outside the office. Hybrid work has expanded the attack surface.
CEO fraud, invoice redirection, and payment manipulation. Helping finance teams and executives recognise BEC attacks, which account for the largest financial losses in cyber crime worldwide.
Industry-specific training modules aligned to APRA CPS 234, Essential Eight, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and the Australian Privacy Act. Content tailored to your regulatory obligations.
Targeted content for leaders covering strategic challenges, board reporting obligations, and the executive's role in building a security-conscious organisation.
Our process
How our awareness programme works.
Every training engagement follows a structured process designed to produce measurable behaviour change, not just completion rates. Here is how we build and run your programme.
We measure your organisation's current awareness maturity. This includes a simulated phishing campaign, a culture survey, and a review of any existing training history. The baseline tells us where to focus.
Based on your baseline, industry, compliance requirements, and exposure profile, we design a tailored awareness programme. This covers module selection, simulation cadence, delivery method, and reporting structure.
Realistic, progressive simulations that adapt in difficulty over time. Campaigns are consequence-free and designed to identify where education needs to be concentrated, not to shame individuals who click.
Training modules delivered based on role, exposure, and simulation results. Staff who need more support get more resources. Topics cover email threats, manipulation tactics, data handling, and regulatory requirements relevant to your company.
Ongoing measurement of click rates, reporting rates, training completion, and behaviour change. Regular reporting to your leadership team demonstrating the return on your awareness investment.
This is not a one-off project. We continuously adapt your programme to emerging threats, new attack techniques, changing requirements, and your organisation's evolving needs.
Industries
Who needs security awareness training.
Every organisation with people and email needs awareness training. But some industries face elevated exposure, stricter regulatory requirements, or both. We tailor training programmes to these sectors across Australia.
APRA CPS 234 requires regulated entities to maintain information security awareness. Our programmes help banks, insurers, and super funds meet their compliance obligations while building real resilience.
Australian government agencies face persistent threats from nation-state actors and criminal groups. Our programmes align to the Essential Eight, ISM, and PSPF frameworks, with training content tailored to government-specific risks.
Healthcare providers handle sensitive patient information and face increasing ransomware and phishing attacks. Our programmes for healthcare staff cover data handling, incident reporting, and compliance with the Privacy Act.
Universities and schools are frequent targets for phishing and social engineering. Our programmes are designed for diverse workforces with varying levels of technical literacy and cyber security knowledge.
Retail companies face PCI DSS requirements and growing threats to payment systems and customer data. Awareness training covers phishing, data handling, and fraud prevention for frontline and corporate staff.
Law firms, accounting practices, and consulting firms handle confidential client information and are high-value targets for social engineering. Programmes tailored to the specific threats facing professional services firms.
"The ongoing security awareness campaigns have greatly improved our staff's understanding of cybersecurity, drastically reducing phishing incidents. The regular third-party assessments give us peace of mind, ensuring our systems stay secure and aligned with best practices."
Chief Information Officer, Australian financial services firm
Frequently asked questions.
How often should security awareness training be conducted?
What is the difference between awareness training and phishing simulation?
Does security awareness training actually work?
What security awareness training platform do you use?
How do you measure the effectiveness of awareness training?
How long does it take to see results from security awareness training?
Build a security-conscious
culture.
Book a free consultation. We will assess your current awareness maturity, benchmark your susceptibility to attack, and design a training programme that actually moves the needle on risk.