KnowBe4 wins Frost & Sullivan email security award

KnowBe4 has received Frost & Sullivan's 2026 Global Customer Value Leadership recognition in the email security industry, placing the cyber security company among vendors singled out by the research and advisory firm for customer and business impact.

Frost & Sullivan recognised KnowBe4 for combining technical email protection with behavioural risk management in a single platform. The assessment also highlighted its use of artificial intelligence to reduce false positives, prompts and nudges designed to influence user behaviour during risky interactions, and integration with security environments including Microsoft 365.

The recognition comes as email security vendors face a shifting threat landscape shaped by AI-generated phishing campaigns, impersonation attempts, and attacks launched through compromised legitimate accounts. That environment has pushed suppliers to demonstrate not only detection rates, but also how their products fit into broader workplace security practices.

KnowBe4 has built much of its market presence around security awareness training and attack simulation. Here, Frost & Sullivan pointed to the company's effort to connect those behavioural tools more closely with email defence, policy enforcement, and threat intelligence.

Why it stood out

According to the assessment, the company's approach centres on correlating user activity with technical signals, then using that data to guide intervention. That includes alerts or prompts at the point of risky behaviour, alongside training intended to reduce repeat mistakes by employees.

Frost & Sullivan also cited procurement simplicity and platform consolidation as factors in KnowBe4's favour. Those points matter to buyers because security teams are under pressure to reduce the number of separate products they manage while maintaining high protection standards.

Integration with existing software environments was another factor in the decision. Compatibility with Microsoft 365 was specifically mentioned, reflecting the dominance of the platform in corporate email and collaboration and the importance of fitting into systems customers already use.

The review identified customer support and global adoption as additional strengths. KnowBe4 says it is used by more than 70,000 organisations worldwide, giving it a substantial installed base in a market where customer retention and ease of deployment can weigh heavily in purchasing decisions.

Executive response

KnowBe4 framed the recognition as validation of its effort to link technical controls with user-focused security measures.

"This recognition highlights our commitment to delivering genuine, measurable value for our customers by combining technical sophistication with behavioural insight," said Greg Kras, Chief Product Officer, KnowBe4.

"By embedding innovation at the heart of our strategy, we're redefining digital workforce security, harnessing the power of AI to help organisations defend effectively against the modern threat landscape and reduce unnecessary operational complexity," Kras said.

Frost & Sullivan said its Best Practises recognitions are based on an analytical process that measures companies across business impact and customer impact criteria. In email security, that means weighing product quality and value alongside market execution and customer experience.

Industry analysts have increasingly focused on whether security products can do more than block malicious messages. The rise of social engineering and AI-assisted fraud has increased the importance of systems that can detect suspicious activity while influencing user decisions at the moment of risk.

That trend helps explain the emphasis on behavioural nudges in KnowBe4's offering. Rather than treating each detection solely as a technical event, the approach aims to turn incidents into opportunities for user education, with the stated goal of improving an organisation's internal risk profile over time.

Market context

The email security sector has become more crowded as established cyber security groups, cloud software providers, and specialist vendors compete for corporate budgets. Buyers are increasingly looking for tools that reduce complexity, especially as email threats spill into messaging apps and collaboration platforms used across hybrid workplaces.

KnowBe4's broader platform includes security training, collaboration security, and protections aimed at both human users and AI agents. That wider positioning may help the company argue that email security should sit within a broader framework for managing workforce-related cyber risk.

Frost & Sullivan's analyst commentary also pointed to that direction. "KnowBe4 continues to invest in innovation to address emerging cybersecurity challenges. Future platform enhancements focus on expanding protection beyond email into collaboration platforms and messaging environments where phishing and impersonation attacks increasingly originate," said Claudio Stahnke, Senior Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan.