Beta Program Available Immediately to Help Businesses Reduce the Risks and Costs of Cyber Threats with End User Education

BROOMFIELD, Colo. - August 15, 2017

Webroot, the market leader in endpoint security, network security, and threat intelligence, acquired the assets of Securecast, a security awareness training platform.  Building on Securecast, Webroot Security Awareness Training will give managed service providers (MSPs) and businesses a solution to reduce the risks and costs of phishing, ransomware, and other cyber threats with end-user education. 

Webroot Security Awareness Training is available today as a beta program, with general availability scheduled for later this fall.  The beta will allow participants to operate phishing simulations and provide a test course to address the weakest link in an organization’s security posture: the human factor.  By combining the latest threat intelligence, technology, and training, Webroot enables businesses to reduce their security risks by continually educating their users and testing their awareness on cybersecurity best practices. 

Webroot Security Awareness Training is a fully hosted Awareness-as-a-Service platform with an end user training program and a sophisticated phishing simulator. 

The phishing simulator, including a growing template library, allows MSPs to engage and test users with real-world phishing scenarios.  Companies can design targeted phishing simulations relevant to their line of business. 

All training and phishing campaigns are tracked for reporting; personalized for internal or MSP partner use; and are intuitively launched in a few easy steps. 

Webroot Security Awareness Training General Availability Key Facts:

Upon general availability later this fall, Webroot Security Awareness Training will be integrated into the Webroot SecureAnywhere® business portfolio. 

The platform’s interactive training courses may be sent out directly to end users from MSP security administrators, ensuring highly relevant training tuned to specific security risks.  Users will be able to launch the courses with one click on their mobile device, tablet or laptop. 

Industry Key Facts:

Research conducted by Webroot among MSPs and businesses revealed that high quality, cost-effective, ongoing IT security awareness training was one of their most needed capabilities. 

The Webroot 2017 Quarterly Threat Trends report revealed that, in the last two years, 65 percent of businesses experienced as many as 10 cybersecurity incidents.  During that time, phishing attacks were the most common threats they faced, and 45 percent of businesses reported infections related to insider negligence. 

According to the Verizon 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, 43 percent of the breaches documented involved social-engineering attacks, with phishing being the most common form (93 percent).  Almost all phishing attacks that led to a breach were followed with a form of malware, and 28 percent of phishing breaches were targeted. 

The Verizon report also reveals that, within a typical company (with 30 or more employees), about 15 percent of all unique users who fell victim once also took the bait a second time. 

“The human factor is a consistent weakness in overall cyber defenses, and security awareness training is the only solution.  As cyberattacks like phishing become increasingly sophisticated, users are exposed to a variety of hidden threats that will compromise their own data along with their employer’s data.  Building on Securecast, Webroot will offer our MSP partners the security awareness training they need to address this evolving threat landscape, and build a profitable new line of business.” 

Daniel Fox, Co-Founder and CEO, Securecast

“Co-founder Shane Crockett and I designed and built Securecast as a web-based enterprise-class security awareness solution that’s so intuitive, any business can run it in minutes.  With an easy-to-use platform, Securecast quickly became a solution preferred by MSP service providers.  Teaming up with Webroot, the leader in cybersecurity solutions for MSPs, is the best move for our solution and the MSP community.” 

Doug Cahill, Senior Analyst, ESG

“Those who closely follow today’s cyber threats know that an organization’s users are often its weakest link.  By acquiring Securecast, Webroot is making the right decision to integrate IT education and awareness training into its products and services.  Looking ahead, this type of training will be a crucial part of any organization that wants to avoid cyberattacks.” 

William Augustine, President, Augustine Consulting

“We know how crucial it is for our customers to educate their employees on IT security best practices, but, until now, they have struggled to find an affordable, practical, and integrated solution.  We believe the Webroot Security Awareness Training offers an unparalleled value.  The solution is easy to deploy, and provides the ongoing employee education our clients need to minimize the risk to their business and ensure compliance with any regulatory bodies.” 

Webroot delivers endpoint security and network security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe.  Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world.  Our award-winning SecureAnywhere® endpoint solutions, BrightCloud® Threat Intelligence Services, and FlowScape® solution protect millions of devices across businesses, home users, and the Internet of Things.  Webroot is trusted and integrated by market-leading companies, including Cisco, F5 Networks, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more.  Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia.  Discover Smarter Cybersecurity® solutions at www.webroot.com. 

About Us

Webroot delivers next-generation endpoint security and threat intelligence services to protect businesses and individuals around the globe.  Our smarter approach harnesses the power of cloud-based collective threat intelligence derived from millions of real-world devices to stop threats in real time and help secure the connected world.