A KnowBe4 Alternative for Teams That Need Security Awareness Training Without a Complex IT Rollout
CFISA gives organizations a direct path to practical employee cybersecurity awareness training, completion tracking and flexible delivery without requiring a broader phishing-simulation or human-risk-management platform.
KnowBe4 offers a much broader security awareness platform with phishing simulations, automation, integrations and risk-management capabilities. Which approach is right for you depends on what your organization actually needs.
Get employees trained without launching a larger platform.
CFISA is designed for organizations whose primary goal is straightforward: provide practical cybersecurity awareness training, track completion and maintain training records.
Don’t train, don’t pay.
With standard CFISA-hosted eLearning, you pay for employees who actually train during the month rather than purchasing annual licenses for unused seats.
Hosted, LMS and live training.
Choose CFISA-hosted eLearning, enterprise LMS/SCORM delivery, live in-person training or instructor-led virtual training based on your workforce and deployment needs.
CFISA and KnowBe4 solve different versions of the security awareness problem.
CFISA focuses on practical employee training with straightforward deployment and flexible delivery. KnowBe4 provides a broader security awareness and human-risk platform with phishing simulation, automation, integrations and ongoing risk-management capabilities.
Expert-Built Training
CFISA was founded by Michael Levin, whose career includes the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and Microsoft Global Security. That real-world experience shapes CFISA’s training approach and course content.
Texas DIR-Certified Training
CFISA offers Security Awareness Training certified by the Texas Department of Information Resources for FY 2026–27, continuing seven consecutive years of Texas DIR certification.
Explore Security Awareness Training →Usage-Based eLearning
CFISA-hosted eLearning is billed based on actual employee training usage. Employees who do not train during a month do not create a training charge for that month.
See How Pricing Works →More Than One Way to Train
CFISA supports hosted eLearning, LMS/SCORM deployment, in-person training and live virtual training so organizations can choose the delivery model that fits their workforce.
KnowBe4 Goes Beyond Training
KnowBe4 combines security awareness training with phishing simulations, reporting, automation, real-time coaching, integrations and broader human-risk-management capabilities.
The Right Choice Depends on the Goal
Organizations primarily focused on getting employees trained may prefer CFISA’s simpler approach. Organizations seeking a broader phishing and human-risk platform may prefer KnowBe4.
How much infrastructure do you actually need?
For many organizations comparing CFISA and KnowBe4, the biggest difference is not the lesson content. It is how much platform implementation, administration and security integration they want around the training program.
Launch Timeline
CFISA: Standard hosted eLearning can be deployed quickly once company and employee access is established.
KnowBe4: Organizations using phishing, integrations and advanced platform features may have additional console, campaign and technical configuration.
IT Involvement
CFISA: Standard hosted training does not require email allowlisting, phishing simulation setup or software installation.
KnowBe4: Broader deployment can include phishing testing, reporting buttons, SSO/SAML, SCIM or Active Directory integration.
User Management
CFISA: Administrators can add employees, assign training and monitor course completion through the hosted eLearning environment.
KnowBe4: Its platform supports more extensive provisioning and integration options for organizations that want deeper automation.
Email + Security Configuration
CFISA: Standard course delivery does not depend on sending simulated phishing messages through the organization’s email security environment.
KnowBe4: Phishing simulations and related email functionality may require security-team coordination and configuration.
Reporting Depth
CFISA: Focuses on employee training progress, completion and documentation.
KnowBe4: Offers extensive platform reporting across training, simulations and human-risk activity.
Best Use Case
CFISA: Organizations that need practical employee cybersecurity training with a straightforward path to deployment.
KnowBe4: Organizations that want a broader security awareness platform with phishing simulations, automation and integrations.
Organizations We’ve Worked With
Compare the buying model, training and platform depth.
Both organizations provide security awareness training, but the surrounding commercial model and technology experience are substantially different.
Pricing Model
CFISA: Standard hosted eLearning uses usage-based billing. Pay for employees who train during the month, not unused seats.
KnowBe4: Uses a per-seat subscription model with training tiers and features that vary by plan and organization size.
Training Content
CFISA: Focused Security Awareness, HIPAA and PCI DSS employee training built around practical explanations and real-world cybersecurity risks.
KnowBe4: Offers a significantly larger content library with multiple content formats and security awareness resources.
Phishing Simulation
CFISA: Focuses on employee education about phishing and social engineering rather than operating a simulated phishing platform.
KnowBe4: Includes phishing security tests and related campaign and reporting capabilities.
Delivery Methods
CFISA: Hosted eLearning, LMS/SCORM, in-person training and live virtual training.
KnowBe4: Primarily delivers security awareness through its SaaS platform and training library.
Automation + Integrations
CFISA: Designed around straightforward training administration and completion tracking.
KnowBe4: Provides broader automation, provisioning, SSO, phishing and human-risk integrations.
Completion + Reporting
CFISA: Provides manager visibility and dated Certificates of Completion for completed training.
KnowBe4: Provides extensive training, simulation and risk reporting through its platform.
Full explanations instead of surface-level exposure.
Short-form security content can be useful for reinforcement. CFISA’s primary courses are designed to go deeper so employees understand both the risk and the reason behind the recommended security behavior.
A practical approach to employee security awareness.
CFISA focuses on clear explanations, practical cybersecurity decisions and training that organizations can deploy without unnecessary complexity.
Practical, Expert-Built Training
Training is shaped by real-world cybersecurity and cybercrime experience and designed around the security decisions employees make during normal work.
Clear Explanations
Lessons explain the reasoning behind security practices so employees understand why policies and recommended behaviors matter.
Modern Employee Threats
Training addresses current workplace risks including phishing, business email compromise, social engineering, information protection and emerging AI-related risks.
Completion Documentation
Employees receive Certificates of Completion, and managers can maintain records showing that assigned training was completed.
Accessible eLearning
CFISA’s modern eLearning experience includes accessibility support designed to make online employee training usable across different devices and workforce needs.
Flexible Deployment
Organizations can use hosted eLearning, their own LMS, live virtual instruction or in-person training depending on their deployment requirements.
Choose the employee training your organization needs.
Current curriculum details and course options are maintained on each CFISA product page so comparison pages do not become outdated as training evolves.
Security Awareness Training
Modern employee cybersecurity awareness training focused on practical workplace threats and safer employee decision-making.
Explore Security Awareness Training →HIPAA Training
Workforce privacy and security training for organizations whose employees handle Protected Health Information.
Explore HIPAA Training →PCI DSS Security Awareness Training
Employee security awareness training designed to support PCI DSS workforce awareness responsibilities.
Explore PCI DSS Training →Training that fits the environment you already operate in.
CFISA supports organizations that want a hosted training solution, need course content inside an existing LMS or prefer live instructor-led cybersecurity awareness training.
CFISA eLearning
Self-paced online employee training with assessments, manager reporting and Certificates of Completion.
Explore eLearning →Enterprise LMS Delivery
Organizations with an existing LMS can work with CFISA on SCORM-based course delivery. Branded or white-label hosted LMS options are also available through qualifying enterprise annual agreements.
Explore Enterprise Training →Instructor-Led Training
Bring live security awareness training to employees through an in-person session or live virtual webinar tailored to the audience and organization.
Explore In-Person Training → Explore Webinar Training →Frequently asked questions.
Compare deployment, IT requirements, training delivery and when a broader phishing-simulation platform may be the better fit.
Need employees trained without launching a larger security platform?
Start with CFISA-hosted eLearning or talk with us about LMS, SCORM and live training options for your organization.