How to Answer Security Awareness Training Questions
Your customer asked: “Do employees receive security awareness training?”
The short answer
Answer based on training your workforce actually receives. A security policy, onboarding conversation, or occasional reminder may be useful, but it should not be described as a recurring formal training program unless that is what your company operates.
Educational guidance only. This page does not determine what is true about your company and does not create a security, compliance, testing, or certification claim.
What the customer is really asking
Understand the question before you answer it.
The reviewer wants to know whether people are taught how to recognize and handle security risks relevant to their work. They may ask about onboarding, recurring training, completion tracking, role-specific training, and phishing exercises separately.
How to answer accurately
Start with the version that matches reality.
If formal training is assigned
Describe who receives it and the real cadence. Mention completion tracking only if records are maintained.
If training is informal
Say what actually occurs. Do not turn security reminders or policy distribution into a formal annual training claim.
If contractors are treated differently
Make the population clear instead of saying “all personnel” unless that is accurate.
A useful answer structure
Status → scope → current practice → supporting information. Start with the direct answer, narrow it to what you can verify, explain how the practice works, and reference evidence only when that evidence actually exists.
Evidence that may help
These are examples, not requirements and not proof that your company has the practice. Use only evidence that really exists and is appropriate to share.
- Training assignment record
- Completion report
- Training content or provider record
- Onboarding training checklist
What not to say
- That all employees complete annual training without current completion records.
- That policy acknowledgment is the same as training.
- That phishing simulations occur merely because the training platform offers them.
How Oredra handles this
Answer it once. Keep the truth behind the answer.
Oredra can keep training policy, stated practice, completion evidence, and testing exercises separate so a customer sees only what your company can support.
Inside Oredra, a written policy, stated company practice, implemented control, available evidence, tested control, and independent certification remain distinct. Oredra uses approved information to draft future answers and flags questions that the approved profile cannot support.
Authoritative references
Oredra uses primary guidance where a technical or assurance concept benefits from verification. These references do not determine your company's answer.
Related questionnaire questions
Do you conduct phishing simulations?
A phishing simulation is a controlled exercise that sends simulated phishing messages to evaluate or reinforce employee behavior. General awareness training and real phishing attempts do not automatically count as simulations.
Do you use endpoint protection or anti-malware?
The reviewer is asking what protects laptops, desktops, servers, or other endpoints from malicious activity. A product license is not proof that every relevant endpoint is enrolled, active, monitored, or configured consistently.
Do you centrally manage company devices or use MDM?
Mobile device management (MDM) or another endpoint-management platform can enforce settings on enrolled devices, but having the tool is not the same as managing every device. Verify which devices and users are actually in scope.