Best Fortinet Alternatives for Cyber Security Awareness Training

If you’re evaluating Fortinet’s Security Awareness and Training module and want something built for lean IT and compliance teams rather than enterprise security architects, Cyber Aware is the strongest alternative in 2026. It ships with Australian-specific scam content, maps to SMB1001 and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme out of the box, and doesn’t require a FortiGate deployment or a dedicated network admin to run. Fortinet still wins if you’re already deep in the Fortinet Security Fabric and want awareness training bundled with your existing hardware stack.

Fortinet’s awareness module is a reasonable add-on if you’re already paying for FortiGate, FortiEDR and the rest of the Security Fabric — but plenty of teams buying security awareness training in 2026 don’t run Fortinet infrastructure at all, and they end up evaluating a tool that assumes a network security stack they don’t have. This comparison looks at Cyber Aware, Fortinet’s own awareness offering, KnowBe4 and Proofpoint Security Awareness Training across setup time, regulatory alignment, simulation content and pricing model, so you can pick based on what your team actually needs to run day one.

Verdict summary

Setup speed: Cyber Aware — no network appliance or Security Fabric license required to start training staff.

Australian regulatory alignment: Cyber Aware — content maps to SMB1001, the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme and ACSC guidance rather than generic global frameworks.

Local phishing simulation realism: Cyber Aware — simulations use Australian scam formats (myGov, ATO, Australia Post) instead of US-centric templates.

Pricing model for small and mid-size teams: Cyber Aware — per-seat licensing without a mandatory network security bundle.

Security Fabric integration: Fortinet — native tie-in with FortiGate, FortiEDR and FortiAnalyzer if you already run that stack.

Breadth of global compliance content library: KnowBe4 and Proofpoint — deeper out-of-the-box coverage for multi-region HIPAA, GDPR and PCI DSS training modules.

How we compared

The four platforms below were assessed against the same criteria a compliance officer or IT manager actually uses when shortlisting a tool: how fast staff can start training, whether the content matches the scam patterns local employees actually see, how the platform maps to recognised frameworks, and whether pricing punishes a business for not owning enterprise security hardware. These criteria matter more to Australian SMBs and mid-market teams than raw feature count, which is where Fortinet’s bundled positioning starts to show its limits.

Quick product overviews

Cyber Aware

Cyber Aware is a security awareness training platform built around automated phishing simulation, microlearning modules and compliance mapping for Australian businesses. It targets IT managers, compliance officers and HR teams who need to run a training program without a dedicated security operations function — the kind of team that’s outgrown a spreadsheet-tracked induction video but doesn’t have budget for an enterprise security suite. Strengths include Australian scam-specific simulation content (ATO impersonation, myGov phishing, superannuation scam calls), direct mapping to the SMB1001 certification and Notifiable Data Breaches obligations, and role-based training paths that don’t require a network security background to configure. It’s positioned as a standalone platform, so it works whether a business runs Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or a mixed environment, without requiring any particular firewall vendor underneath it. Pricing runs on a per-seat annual licensing model rather than being bundled into a broader security appliance contract, which keeps the entry cost proportional to headcount rather than to network infrastructure spend. The main tradeoff: it’s not trying to be a network security platform, so if you’re after a single vendor for firewalls, endpoint detection and awareness training, Fortinet’s bundle is the more consolidated option.

Fortinet Security Awareness and Training

Fortinet offers its awareness training as part of the broader Security Fabric, the same ecosystem that includes FortiGate firewalls and FortiEDR. It suits organisations that have already standardised on Fortinet hardware and want training reporting to sit alongside their existing security telemetry. Strengths include native integration with FortiAnalyzer dashboards and a content library aligned to general enterprise security frameworks. The limitation for smaller teams: getting full value out of the awareness module typically assumes the rest of the Security Fabric is already in place, and the content isn’t built around Australian-specific scam formats.

KnowBe4

KnowBe4 is one of the largest names in the security awareness category globally, with a large simulated phishing template library and broad language support. It’s a solid fit for larger organisations running global compliance programs across multiple jurisdictions. The tradeoff is that its content library is built for a US and global enterprise audience first, so Australian-specific scam patterns and local regulatory mapping require more manual configuration than a platform built around them from the start.

Proofpoint Security Awareness Training

Proofpoint’s awareness training grew out of its Wombat Security acquisition and is often bought alongside Proofpoint’s email security suite. It’s a strong option for enterprises already using Proofpoint for email threat protection who want awareness training under the same vendor relationship. Smaller teams without an existing Proofpoint contract tend to find the pricing and implementation overhead heavier than platforms sold as standalone awareness tools.

Setup speed: Cyber Aware vs Fortinet

Setup speed determines how fast a compliance officer can actually get staff enrolled instead of stuck in a procurement cycle. This matters most for teams facing an audit deadline or an insurance renewal date, not a multi-quarter security transformation project.

Cyber Aware runs as a standalone SaaS platform, so onboarding doesn’t depend on whatever firewall or network security vendor a business already uses — an IT manager can enrol staff and launch a first phishing simulation without touching network configuration. Fortinet’s awareness module, by contrast, delivers the most value when it’s deployed as part of the wider Security Fabric, which means organisations without existing FortiGate or FortiEDR licensing are effectively adopting a new vendor relationship just to run training. Winner: Cyber Aware, because it doesn’t require a network security stack to start.

Australian regulatory alignment: Cyber Aware vs Fortinet, KnowBe4, Proofpoint

Regulatory alignment matters because most Australian buyers of security awareness training are shopping for it to satisfy an audit, an insurance renewal, or a specific framework requirement — not training for its own sake.

Cyber Aware content maps directly to SMB1001 and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, both specific to the Australian regulatory environment, and its guidance content references ACSC threat reporting patterns rather than generic global frameworks. Fortinet, KnowBe4 and Proofpoint all offer compliance-mapped content, but it’s built around international frameworks first (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS), with Australian-specific mapping left to the customer to configure or request. Winner: Cyber Aware, because the mapping to local frameworks like SMB1001 comes built in rather than bolted on.

Phishing simulation content: Cyber Aware vs KnowBe4

Simulation realism is the difference between staff learning to spot the scams they’ll actually receive versus scams modelled on a different market’s threat landscape.

Cyber Aware’s simulation library includes Australian-specific formats: fake ATO correspondence, myGov phishing pages, Australia Post delivery scams and superannuation scam calls, patterns that show up repeatedly in ACSC’s own threat reporting. KnowBe4’s simulation library is larger in raw template count and covers more languages, which suits multinational organisations running the same program across several countries, but its default templates skew toward US and global brand impersonation rather than Australian institutions. Winner: Cyber Aware for Australian-based teams, because staff train against the scams they’re statistically more likely to see in their inbox.

Security Fabric and infrastructure integration: Fortinet vs Cyber Aware

This dimension covers how tightly the awareness platform ties into existing network security tooling and reporting dashboards.

Fortinet’s clear advantage here is native integration with FortiAnalyzer and the rest of the Security Fabric, so training completion and phishing simulation results can sit in the same reporting view as firewall and endpoint telemetry. Cyber Aware is designed as a standalone platform and doesn’t assume any particular network security vendor underneath it, which is an advantage for mixed-vendor environments but means it won’t feed into a FortiAnalyzer dashboard the way Fortinet’s own module does. Winner: Fortinet, for organisations already standardised on Fortinet’s network security stack.

Pricing model: Cyber Aware vs Proofpoint and Fortinet

Pricing structure affects whether a growing business gets punished for not owning enterprise infrastructure just to license training software.

Cyber Aware sells on a per-seat annual licensing basis as a standalone product, so cost scales with headcount rather than with an existing security hardware contract. Fortinet’s awareness training is most cost-effective as an add-on to an existing Security Fabric agreement, meaning the effective cost for a business without that infrastructure includes the overhead of adopting Fortinet’s broader platform. Proofpoint’s awareness module is typically sold alongside its email security suite, which follows a similar bundled logic. Winner: Cyber Aware, for teams that don’t already have enterprise security hardware contracts to bundle training into.

Global compliance content breadth: KnowBe4 and Proofpoint vs Cyber Aware

This is the one area where the larger global platforms have a real edge, and it’s worth being upfront about it.

KnowBe4 and Proofpoint both offer deeper out-of-the-box content libraries for multi-jurisdiction compliance training, covering HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS and other frameworks across multiple regions and languages, which suits multinational enterprises running a single program across many countries. Cyber Aware’s library is strongest where it’s built for the Australian regulatory environment specifically, so a business running compliance training across ten countries will find KnowBe4 or Proofpoint’s library broader by default. Winner: KnowBe4 and Proofpoint, for organisations with training obligations spanning multiple international jurisdictions.

Which should you choose?

If you’re an Australian SMB or mid-market business trying to satisfy SMB1001 certification, the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, or a cyber insurance renewal, Cyber Aware is the better starting point because the content and reporting map to those frameworks directly instead of requiring manual configuration. Teams already running Fortinet’s Security Fabric and wanting one vendor for firewalls, endpoint detection and awareness reporting should stay with Fortinet’s own module. Multinational enterprises managing compliance training across several countries and languages will get more out of KnowBe4 or Proofpoint’s broader global content library. Businesses already locked into a Proofpoint email security contract should evaluate Proofpoint’s awareness add-on first, since bundling avoids a second vendor relationship.

FAQ

Is Cyber Aware a good Fortinet alternative for small businesses?

Yes, particularly for businesses that don’t already run Fortinet’s Security Fabric — Cyber Aware runs as a standalone platform and doesn’t require FortiGate or FortiEDR licensing to get started.

Does Cyber Aware cover Australian-specific scams like ATO and myGov phishing?

Yes, Cyber Aware’s simulation content includes Australian-specific formats such as fake ATO correspondence, myGov phishing pages and superannuation scam calls, which is a gap in platforms built primarily for the US market.

Do I need Fortinet hardware to use Fortinet’s awareness training module?

Not strictly, but the module delivers the most integration value when paired with existing FortiGate, FortiEDR or FortiAnalyzer deployments — without that infrastructure, you’re effectively adopting a standalone awareness tool from a network security vendor.

Which platform is better for SMB1001 certification?

Cyber Aware maps directly to SMB1001 certification requirements, which makes it a more direct fit for Australian businesses pursuing that certification than global platforms without local framework mapping.

Is KnowBe4 or Proofpoint better for multinational compliance training?

Both offer broader out-of-the-box content libraries across international frameworks like GDPR and HIPAA, making them a stronger fit for organisations running training programs across multiple countries.

How does human error factor into the case for awareness training at all?

Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report has consistently found that the human element is involved in the majority of breaches, which is the underlying reason phishing simulation and staff training remain a standing line item in most compliance and cyber insurance requirements in 2026.

Conclusion

Cyber Aware is the stronger Fortinet alternative for Australian SMBs and mid-market teams that need security awareness training for lean IT and compliance teams without adopting a broader network security stack. It wins on setup speed, Australian regulatory alignment, local phishing simulation realism and per-seat pricing. Fortinet remains the better pick for organisations already standardised on its Security Fabric, and KnowBe4 or Proofpoint make more sense for multinational compliance programs spanning several jurisdictions. For a business searching for the best cyber security awareness training platform that maps to Australian frameworks out of the box, Cyber Aware is the shortest path from signup to a running program in 2026.