Human error remains the leading cause of successful cyberattacks. According to Verizon's 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, 74 percent of breaches involved a human element, including phishing, credential misuse, and social engineering. This reality has made security awareness training (SAT) a non-negotiable line item for organizations of every size, and it has fueled rapid growth in the companies that deliver it.
The security awareness training market was valued at $5.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to exceed $10 billion by 2028, according to MarketsandMarkets. For the companies operating in this space, growth brings a familiar problem: the operational workload of running a training business scales faster than revenue, especially when client counts climb into the hundreds.
The Operational Complexity Behind Awareness Training
Running a security awareness training company is not simply a matter of building good content. Each client account requires onboarding, user provisioning, campaign scheduling, reporting, renewal tracking, and ongoing support. When a company has 200 clients, each running quarterly phishing simulations and annual compliance training cycles, the coordination overhead is substantial.
Instructional designers and security educators—the core talent that makes training content credible—are expensive and difficult to hire. Asking those professionals to handle scheduling emails, pull completion rate reports, update client portals, or chase overdue renewals is a misuse of their skill set.
Virtual assistants with experience in e-learning operations, project coordination, and client communication are well-suited to absorb this workload. They do not need to be cybersecurity experts; they need to understand workflows, follow documented processes, and represent the company professionally to client contacts.
Key Roles Virtual Assistants Fill
Content operations support. SAT companies regularly update phishing simulation templates, course modules, and policy documents in response to emerging threats and regulatory changes. VAs handle file management, version tracking, translation coordination, and quality assurance checklists that keep the content pipeline moving.
Client onboarding and account management. New client onboarding involves collecting organizational data, configuring training platforms, coordinating with IT contacts, and communicating timelines. VAs manage these processes end-to-end, escalating only when decisions require senior input.
Reporting and analytics. Most SAT platforms generate completion data, phishing click rates, and risk scores that clients expect to see in regular reports. VAs pull data from platforms such as KnowBe4, Proofpoint Security Awareness, or Cofense, format it into branded reports, and distribute them on schedule.
Learner support. Employees taking security training often encounter access issues, forgotten passwords, or confusion about requirements. VAs handle first-level support tickets and escalate technical issues, reducing the burden on client IT teams and improving learner completion rates.
Why This Model Works for Growing SAT Companies
A mid-sized SAT company managing 150 to 300 client accounts might have two or three account managers and a handful of content developers. Without operational support, those account managers spend their days on logistics instead of consultative work that deepens client relationships and reduces churn.
Outsourcing operational tasks to virtual assistants costs a fraction of a full-time hire when comparing fully-loaded employment costs. More importantly, the flexibility of VA arrangements allows companies to scale support up during contract renewal seasons or new product launches, then adjust as needed.
Security awareness training companies that have integrated virtual assistant support report that their account managers handle 40 to 60 percent more client accounts than before, without an increase in hours worked.
Finding the Right VA Support for Your SAT Business
Training companies considering virtual assistant support should document their core recurring workflows first—onboarding checklists, reporting cadences, support ticket categories—before bringing on a VA. Well-documented processes make handoff faster and outcomes more consistent.
For SAT companies looking for vetted, professional remote support, Stealth Agents offers virtual assistant services matched to the operational needs of training and professional services businesses.
Security awareness is a growth market. The companies that build efficient back-office operations now will be positioned to serve more clients, retain them longer, and compete on quality rather than cost.
Sources
- Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2023, verizon.com
- MarketsandMarkets, "Security Awareness Training Market — Global Forecast to 2028," 2023
- KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training 2023 Industry Benchmark Report