Custom security awareness training platform development
Appfront is building a custom security awareness platform: phishing simulations, micro-learnings and modules on information security, with progress and risk scores per employee and department, recurring campaigns and reporting for compliance and audits. Multilingual, with integration to your HR system and identity provider, and set up around your own risks and policies. For organisations from SMEs to enterprise, with a focus on healthcare, government and the financial sector that want to demonstrably get their security awareness in order.
What is a security awareness training platform?
A security awareness training platform is software that helps you structurally build and measure your employees' security awareness. It combines phishing simulations, micro-learnings and modules on information security with progress tracking, risk scores per employee and department, recurring campaigns and reporting for compliance and audits. The core is not a one-off course but a continuous cycle of measuring, training and repeating, so that secure behaviour sticks.
Off-the-shelf packages often force your approach into a fixed format, with content and simulations that don't match your risks, your house style or your languages. Custom software fits your organisation rather than the other way round. You decide which scenarios to practise, which departments get extra attention and what your reports look like, and the platform can grow with your organisation or with changes in regulation.
This platform is specifically about awareness and secure behaviour. If you want a broad learning platform for courses and training on all kinds of subjects, take a look at custom LMS software. If your focus is on knowledge tests or examinations with item banks and scoring, assessment software is a better fit. These systems complement each other and we can integrate them where needed. You can read more about our broader approach at custom software development.
Phishing as a learning moment
Controlled simulations let employees experience what an attack looks like. The moment someone clicks, they receive a short learning moment rather than a reprimand. This builds recognition without fostering a culture of blame.
Risk score per team
Results from simulations and training come together in a risk score per employee and department. You can see where the risk is highest and target follow-up campaigns accordingly, rather than giving everyone the same content.
Demonstrable for audits
Participation, results and repetition are recorded, so you can show auditors and regulators that awareness is being built up systematically. Reports align with the accountability your organisation must provide.
How we build your security awareness platform
We work in stages and involve your security, HR and privacy specialists early on. From a thorough assessment of your risks, target groups and systems through to go-live and ongoing management, every step aims for a platform your team understands, that helps employees learn and that you can demonstrably use safely.
We map out your risks, target groups, languages and compliance frameworks, together with your HR and identity landscape. We determine which data is needed for simulations and reporting, and what can be left out.
We design the architecture, the campaign model and the authorisation model with data minimisation and privacy by design as starting points, plus the approach to multilingual content, risk scores, reporting and integrations.
We build in short iterations with automated testing, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and help steer priorities and how closely the platform matches your practice.
Controlled go-live with a pilot campaign and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development as your organisation grows or regulations change.
What a security awareness platform actually does
We tailor every application specifically to your risks, target groups and systems. Below are the features we most often deliver for organisations that want to set up security awareness on a structured basis.
Phishing simulations
Compose controlled phishing messages and send them to selected groups. The platform securely records behaviour and offers a short learning moment at the point of clicking, so employees learn to recognise threats without being penalised.
Micro-learning & modules
Short, repeatable learning moments and modules on passwords, email security, data protection and more. Bite-sized content keeps the barrier low and fits into the working day, while the material focuses on the risks that matter to your organisation.
Risk scores
Behaviour from simulations and training translates into a risk score per employee and department. You can see at a glance where the risk is highest and adjust targeted measures, rather than giving everyone the same approach.
Repeat campaigns
Awareness doesn't stick with a one-off action. Run campaigns that recur over time, with variation in scenarios and difficulty, so that safe behaviour is maintained and attention to information security becomes second nature.
Compliance reporting
Clear reports on participation, results, risk scores and trends, exportable for audits and accountability. This helps you demonstrate to the board, auditors and regulators that awareness is structural and verifiable.
Multilingual & integrations
Content and notifications in the employee's language, with integration to your HR system and identity provider. Users, departments and roles stay up to date automatically, and employees sign in securely via single sign-on.
Who we build security awareness platforms for
Security awareness matters to every organisation, but requirements and risks differ considerably by sector. For each, we build software that suits the target audience, the policies and the frameworks your team works within.
SMEs to enterprise
Organisations that want to move awareness from a one-off action to a structured programme. The platform scales from a single team to multiple sites, brands and languages, with central management and reporting. You can read about our broader approach at custom software development.
Healthcare
Healthcare providers handle special category personal data and are a popular target for attackers. Awareness helps staff protect patient and client data, with content that reflects the workload and systems used in healthcare.
Government
Government organisations work within frameworks such as the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO). The platform supports demonstrable awareness and aligns with the accountability expected internally and by regulators.
Financial sector
Banks, insurers and fintechs face strict information security requirements and are constantly targeted by social engineering. Awareness with realistic simulations and sharp reporting helps staff and the board fulfil their roles.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
We build on a modern, maintainable web stack and connect the platform to the systems you already use. For security awareness, the most relevant integrations are: with your HR system and identity provider so users and groups stay current, single sign-on via, for example, Microsoft Entra ID, and automated user management via SCIM. We set up every integration with data minimisation, so only the data the platform needs is processed.
Why choose Appfront for your security awareness platform?
Appfront builds custom software and always starts with a thorough analysis of your risks, target groups and systems. An awareness platform must not only be technically sound, but also fit the way your employees work and learn. Content and simulations that match your daily practice drive engagement, and engagement is what changes behaviour.
We build privacy by design and data minimisation into the architecture from the outset, and we write clear documentation so that your own team or a future supplier can understand and manage the software. No black box, but transparent code and clear agreements on access control, logging, monitoring and maintenance.
You work with a dedicated point of contact who understands both the technology and the practice of information security. This keeps communication tight, avoids misunderstandings and speeds up decisions when choices need to be made during the build.
See also our broader services: custom software development, a custom LMS and assessment software. Do you have questions? Get in touch with us.
- A custom platform tailored to your risks and policies
- Privacy by design and data minimisation as a starting point
- Phishing simulations focused on learning, not punishment
- Risk scores per employee and department
- Multilingual content for international teams
- Integration with HR and identity via SSO and SCIM
- Reporting for compliance and audits
- Clear documentation your team can read and manage
- A fixed point of contact, no account managers passed around
- Ongoing management and further development as you grow
Security and privacy in an awareness platform
An awareness platform processes employees' personal data: names, email addresses, and participation and results from simulations and training. That is why privacy by design is central. For each data flow we record the lawful basis for processing, apply data minimisation and set up access controls based on role and need, so that a team leader sees no more than necessary. We use results to learn and adjust, not to hold individuals to account, and we embed that choice in the design.
We build in line with the GDPR, with encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access, comprehensive audit logging and clear retention periods. For government organisations we also take the Baseline Informatiebeveiliging Overheid (BIO) into account. We document data flows and authorisations so that your record of processing activities remains complete and you can demonstrate control. The platform provides the evidence base for frameworks such as NIS2 and ISO 27001; whether you meet a specific standard depends on your own policy and implementation.
You can read more about our approach to security in our information security policy. Discuss your situation with no obligation via our contact form.
- GDPR-compliant data processing and data minimisation
- A documented lawful basis for each data flow
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access and least-privilege principles
- Results focused on learning, not punishment
- Complete audit logging of access and changes
- Clear retention periods for participation and results
- Documentation for your record of processing and audits
Frequently asked questions about security awareness software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often about a custom security awareness platform.
A security awareness training platform is software that helps you build and measure your employees' security awareness over time. It combines phishing simulations, micro-learning and information security modules with progress tracking, risk scores per employee and department, recurring campaigns and reporting for compliance and audits. A custom platform is configured around your own risks, policies, house style and languages, rather than forcing your organisation to fit a standard package. Because the platform processes employees' personal data, a careful, GDPR-compliant set-up is central.
A security awareness platform focuses on behaviour and awareness around information security: phishing simulations, short recurring learning moments and risk measurement over time. A broad learning platform or LMS is aimed at delivering and managing courses and training on any subject; for that we refer you to our page on custom LMS software. Software that tests or examines knowledge with item banks, scoring and norm groups falls under assessment software. These systems complement each other and we can integrate them where needed, but this platform is specifically about awareness and secure behaviour.
You put together controlled, simulated phishing messages and send them to selected groups of employees. The platform securely records who opens a link, enters data or clicks an attachment, and offers a short learning moment at that point. The results feed into the risk score per employee and department, so you can steer targeted adjustments with follow-up campaigns. We design simulations to help employees learn rather than to penalise them, and we keep the data collected limited to what is necessary.
Yes, the platform helps you demonstrably meet awareness obligations. NIS2 requires organisations within its scope to implement appropriate security measures, including basic cyber hygiene and training for employees and management. ISO 27001 calls for demonstrable awareness, education and training around information security. The platform records participation, results and repetition, so you can substantiate this to auditors. Because the platform processes personal data, we build it in line with the GDPR, with data minimisation, a documented legal basis and clear retention periods. The platform provides the evidence; whether you meet a specific standard depends on your own policy and implementation.
We integrate the platform with your HR system and identity provider, so users, departments and roles stay up to date automatically. When someone joins, leaves or changes role, accounts and groups are updated, so campaigns and reports always run against the right population. Employees sign in securely through single sign-on, for example with Microsoft Entra ID, and user management can run via SCIM. This keeps administration light and access under control.
Yes. We build the platform to support multiple languages, so employees receive content and notifications in their own language, and simulations can vary by country or site. Reports and risk scores remain centrally available to your security or compliance team. For organisations with multiple countries or brands, we set up separation per business unit, with their own campaigns, languages and permissions.
We build custom software. Every organisation has different risks, different systems and a different policy, and awareness works best when the content and campaigns match them. A custom platform fits your branding, your languages, your HR and identity landscape and your reporting needs, and can grow as your organisation or the regulations change. After an intake meeting, we decide together which functionality matters most and in what order to develop it, without promising a fixed lead time or price that we cannot yet justify.
We build for organisations from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises that want to structure security awareness on an ongoing basis, with particular attention to sectors with high information security requirements: healthcare, government and the financial sector. For government, we take frameworks such as the Baseline Information Security for Government (BIO) into account; for healthcare and financial institutions, we consider the sensitivity of the data processed. The platform supports both the day-to-day work of a security team and the accountability that boards, auditors and regulators require.
Ready to build your security awareness platform?
Tell us how your organisation is set up and where you run into trouble, from phishing risks and recurring campaigns to reporting for audits and integrations with HR and identity. We are happy to think along about content, simulations, multilingual support, privacy and information security. In a no-obligation first conversation, you'll get a clear picture of what's possible for a custom platform that suits your organisation.