CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

KnowBe4 vs Trend Micro

KnowBe4 sells attack simulation and training, email and collaboration security, and agent security through the KnowBe4 Platform. Trend Micro is a cybersecurity company whose TrendAI business sells enterprise security, including TrendAI Vision One. CISO Tribune files both under Email security. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • KnowBe4
  • Trend Micro
KnowBe4 vs Trend Micro: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
KnowBe4KnowBe4 sells attack simulation and training, email and collaboration security, and agent security through the KnowBe4 Platform.knowbe4.comTrend MicroTrend Micro is a cybersecurity company whose TrendAI business sells enterprise security, including TrendAI Vision One.trendmicro.com
What it sells
  • Security Awareness Training[4][5][7]Education on recognizing threats, reinforced with phishing and vishing simulations.
  • Cloud Email Security[10]A suite of AI-driven products for inbound and outbound email.
  • Defend[1][4][5][6][10][11]Inbound email protection against phishing, ransomware and business email compromise.
  • Prevent[5][10][12]Outbound email protection and data loss prevention.
  • Compliance Plus[13]Compliance training platform.
  • Student Edition[5]Security awareness training for academic institutions.
  • BreachSim[14]A free tool to identify network vulnerabilities.
  • Weak Password Test[15]A free tool that finds users with weak passwords.
  • TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector[19]Version 7.0 includes an active scanner for device discovery as a Vision One network sensor.
  • Phish Insight[20]Service that involves phishing simulation emails sent to employees.
Categories
Headquarters
Clearwater, United StatesTokyo, Japan[3][25]
Founded
2010[1]1988[3]
Ownership and funding
Owned by Vista Equity Partners since 2023[2][4][8][9]Public (TSE: 4704)[2][7][10][14]
Named customers
Not stated on its pages
  • Amazon MGM Studios[4]
  • Decathlon[5]
  • Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board[6]
Recent news
  • May 5, 2026KnowBe4 launched a two-tier Security Awareness Training offering and a new AI defense agent for custom content creation.[7]
  • April 6, 2026Dashlane announced an integration with KnowBe4 that links credential risk detection to security training for at-risk users.[18]
  • October 19, 2026Trend Micro announced up to 10 billion yen toward a cyber resilience initiative aimed at strengthening security for Japanese organizations.[12]
  • September 29, 2026TrendAI opened a private preview of Autonomous Vulnerability Discovery, a service that finds, validates and checks fixes for flaws in customer source code.[7]
  • August 20, 2026TrendAI, an enterprise business unit of Trend Micro, announced it has passed $1 billion in global AWS Marketplace sales.[28]
  • August 19, 2026TrendLife, the consumer business unit of Trend Micro, announced the availability of TrendLife Kaleida, an AI solution designed for families.[27]
  • August 13, 2026Trend Micro reported second-quarter 2026 results for the period ended June 30, with annual recurring revenue above 1.7 billion US dollars, up 5%.[8]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 4, 2026[8]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 4, 2026[9]
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[14]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Not written yetFrom its own pages, Trend Micro sells mainly to enterprise organizations, and says it serves them across many countries. TrendAI is the enterprise security business of Trend Micro. Trend Micro describes the businesses in its portfolio as each serving distinct customers, markets, and needs. Apex One is available on-premises and as a service, so both deployment models appear. Phish Insight is used by customers' IT administrators, who upload the recipients of the service. Trend Micro also offers security for devices, identity, and privacy at home and on mobile.
Last verified
September 27, 2026October 10, 2026

Where they overlap

  • KnowBe4 and Trend Micro are both filed under Email security.

Where they differ, field by field

  • KnowBe4's primary category is Security awareness training; Trend Micro's is EDR and XDR.
  • KnowBe4 is also filed under Human risk management and AI model and agent security. Trend Micro is also filed under Cloud-native application protection (CNAPP).
  • KnowBe4 lists Security Awareness Training, Cloud Email Security, Defend, Prevent, Compliance Plus and 3 more. Trend Micro lists TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector and Phish Insight.
  • KnowBe4 is headquartered in Clearwater, United States. Trend Micro is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
  • KnowBe4 was founded in 2010. Trend Micro was founded in 1988.
  • KnowBe4 is owned by Vista Equity Partners, since 2023. Trend Micro is a public company listed on TSE as 4704.
  • Trend Micro publicly names Amazon MGM Studios, Decathlon and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

What it sells: KnowBe4

What Security Awareness Training does[4][5][7]
KnowBe4 says it delivers timely, personalized education that helps people recognize threats. Lessons are reinforced with realistic phishing and vishing simulations.
What Cloud Email Security does[10]
KnowBe4 Cloud Email Security is a suite of AI-driven products designed to detect and prevent advanced email threats across inbound and outbound communication. Contextual banners and prompts are delivered at the point of risk.
What Defend does[1][4][5][6][10][11]
Defend detects and blocks phishing, ransomware and business email compromise with behavioral AI and self-learning threat models. Defend inserts color-coded banners on flagged email and rewrites links, checking them at time of click. Defend integrates with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 through API-based connectivity.
What Prevent does[5][10][12]
Prevent monitors outbound email in real time and alerts users to risky behavior, such as accidental sends or misdirected emails. Prevent is integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Office 365. Prevent Enterprise adds misdirected content detection and custom DLP policies.
What Compliance Plus does[13]
Compliance Plus has a training library of 1000+ items of compliance training content. Compliance Plus offers targeted training for requirements such as HIPAA, PCI and GDPR. Organizations can upload SCORM-compliant content to the KnowBe4 LMS.
What Student Edition does[5]
The KnowBe4 Student Edition enables academic institutions to prepare students to identify and prevent modern cyberattacks. Its training content covers phishing, BYOD risks, password hygiene, social media risks and campus scams.
What BreachSim does[14]
BreachSim is a free tool from KnowBe4 to identify network vulnerabilities. BreachSim tests over 12 realistic data exfiltration scenarios following the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
What Weak Password Test does[15]
The Weak Password Test is a free tool to help IT Administrators know which users have passwords that are easily guessed. It checks the Active Directory and generates a report of users with weak passwords.

What it sells: Trend Micro

What TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector does[19]
TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector (DDI) 7.0, build 7.0.1066, has been released. DDI 7.0 includes an active scanner for device discovery as a Vision One network sensor. DDI 7.0 supports upgrading from DDI version 6.7 or 6.8.
What Phish Insight does[20]
Phish Insight collects and transmits data to Trend Micro as part of using the service. IT administrators sign up and receive a verification email.

Questions about KnowBe4 and Trend Micro

What do KnowBe4 and Trend Micro sell?
KnowBe4 sells Security Awareness Training, Cloud Email Security, Defend, Prevent, Compliance Plus and 3 more. Trend Micro sells TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector and Phish Insight.
Are KnowBe4 and Trend Micro in the same category?
They share Email security. KnowBe4's primary category is Security awareness training and Trend Micro's is EDR and XDR.
Where are KnowBe4 and Trend Micro headquartered?
KnowBe4 is headquartered in Clearwater, United States. Trend Micro is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
When were KnowBe4 and Trend Micro founded?
KnowBe4 was founded in 2010. Trend Micro was founded in 1988.
Who owns KnowBe4 and Trend Micro?
KnowBe4 is owned by Vista Equity Partners, since 2023. Trend Micro is a public company listed on TSE as 4704.
Which customers do KnowBe4 and Trend Micro name?
Trend Micro publicly names Amazon MGM Studios, Decathlon and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
Who are KnowBe4 and Trend Micro sold to?
From its own pages, Trend Micro sells mainly to enterprise organizations, and says it serves them across many countries.
What have KnowBe4 and Trend Micro announced recently?
May 5, 2026: KnowBe4 launched a two-tier Security Awareness Training offering and a new AI defense agent for custom content creation. October 19, 2026: Trend Micro announced up to 10 billion yen toward a cyber resilience initiative aimed at strengthening security for Japanese organizations.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4 sells attack simulation and training, email and collaboration security, and agent security through the KnowBe4 Platform. KnowBe4 says it protects humans, and now their AI agents too. KnowBe4 says its platform uses 15 years of behavioral data against threats including social engineering, prompt injection and shadow AI. KnowBe4 says it serves more than 70,000 organizations worldwide.[6]

KnowBe4 describes its personalized education as helping people recognize threats, followed by realistic phishing and vishing simulations. KnowBe4's AI-Native Security Awareness Training gives academic institutions a path to reducing student-driven human risk. Real-Time Coaching sends a contextual SecurityTip to reinforce secure behavior when a student clicks a suspicious link or tries to access restricted content. AIDA automates training assignments, phishing simulations, policy quizzes and knowledge refreshers based on each student's individual risk profile. KnowBe4 says its agent security is powered by AIDA, short for Artificial Intelligence Defense Agents, and a proprietary Risk Score. KnowBe4 says it offers real-time visibility, automated threat detection and active AI agent control to eliminate AI security blind spots.[5][6]

KnowBe4 Cloud Email Security is a suite of AI-driven products designed to detect and prevent advanced email threats across inbound and outbound communication. Defend detects and blocks phishing, ransomware and business email compromise with behavioral AI and self-learning threat models, and enhances Microsoft 365's built-in security. Prevent monitors outbound email in real time and alerts users to risky behavior, such as accidental sends or misdirected emails. Protect offers policy-based email encryption and automatically enforces an organization's security policies. KnowBe4 says its layered cloud defenses spot and stop phishing, malware and social engineering attacks. KnowBe4 Cloud Email Security delivers contextual banners and prompts at the point of risk, which KnowBe4 says augment security awareness and training through real-time teachable moments.[5][10]

Defend combines AI-powered detection, real-time user education and actionable insights to protect against phishing threats. Defend inserts color-coded banners when an inbound email is flagged, providing risk explanations and teachable feedback. Defend rewrites links and checks them at time of click. Defend detects QR codes within email to warn users of quishing attempts. Defend includes sender policy verification lookup and validation for SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Defend filters graymail to a separate folder. Defend integrates into MS Outlook apps on Windows Desktop, Mac, iOS and Android, and with MS Safelinks. The KnowBe4 Defend and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 integration delivers threat management through API-based connectivity. Defend has an API that supports integration into a SIEM/SOAR. A Microsoft Sentinel connector is available on Azure marketplace for Native Microsoft customers.[5][11]

Prevent uses machine learning to analyze emails in real time, focusing on sender behavior, content and recipients. Prevent is integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Office 365. Prevent alerts users when they receive or attempt to interact with domains less than 50 days old. Prevent Enterprise adds misdirected content detection, custom DLP policies and integration with Microsoft Azure Information Protection (Purview). Prevent Enterprise features are customized to an organization's DLP requirements and require Professional Services to implement.[10][12]

Compliance Plus has a training library of 1000+ items of compliance training content. Compliance Plus offers targeted training for legislative and data privacy requirements, such as HIPAA, PCI and GDPR. With Compliance Plus, organizations can incorporate their own policies and procedures into brandable modules and upload SCORM-compliant training and video content to the KnowBe4 LMS. The KnowBe4 Student Edition enables academic institutions to prepare students to identify and prevent modern cyberattacks. Student Edition training content covers phishing, BYOD risks, password hygiene, social media risks, campus scams and off-campus data security.[5][13]

BreachSim is a free tool from KnowBe4 to identify network vulnerabilities. BreachSim tests over 12 realistic data exfiltration scenarios following the MITRE ATT&CK framework. The Weak Password Test is a free tool to help IT Administrators know which users have passwords that are easily guessed. The Weak Password Test checks the Active Directory for several types of weak password-related threats and generates a report of users with weak passwords. KnowBe4's Security Culture Benchmarking Analysis Center provides analysis of security culture benchmarking data by industry, organizational size and geographical region.[14][15][16]

Hood College used Student Edition to see an increase in reported phishing emails and to reduce clicking on phishing campaigns. Bridgewater State University is a KnowBe4 customer. The Mido Foundation equipped young learners to recognize and respond to real-world cyber threats with KnowBe4. One customer says it selected KnowBe4 Defend and Prevent as added security layers in its Microsoft 365 environment. The KnowBe4 CSM team assists in guiding customers through onboarding tasks at no additional cost. KnowBe4 Customer Success Managers work with customers to tailor program requirements based on organizational goals, objectives and desired outcomes. KnowBe4's Customer Success Team spans the globe.[3][5][6][10][11][13][17]

KnowBe4 on the record

Sources

KnowBe4 full record

  1. [1]About usKnowBe4 · knowbe4.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Vista equity partners completes acquisition of knowbe4KnowBe4 · knowbe4.com · published February 1, 2023 · Tier A
  3. [3]Contact usKnowBe4 · knowbe4.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]KnowBe4 | Secure Your Digital Workforce: Human + AIKnowBe4 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]KnowBe4 Student Edition | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Warning: Attackers Are Using Calendar Invite Files to Evade Security FiltersKnowBe4 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]KnowBe4 Launches AI-Native Attack Simulation & Training Product and Twelfth AI AgentBusiness Wire · published May 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training Reviews 2026 - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier C
  9. [9]KnowBe4 Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier C
  10. [10]Cloud Email Security for Microsoft 365 | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Pricing | DefendKnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Pricing | Prevent | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Compliance Plus: Compliance Training Platform | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]BreachSim | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Weak Password Test | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Security Culture Report Analysis Center | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]KnowBe4 Customer Success | KnowBe4KnowBe4 · undated page, accessed November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Dashlane Launches First-of-its-Kind Integration with KnowBe4 to Transform Security Awareness into Proactive DefensePR Newswire · published April 6, 2026 · Tier A

Trend Micro full record

  1. [1]PlatformTrend Micro (TrendAI) · trendaisecurity.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Trend Micro's Enterprise Business is now TrendAI™Trend Micro Incorporated · published March 23, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]sec.govTrend Micro, Inc. via SEC EDGAR · sec.gov · published October 31, 2006 · Tier A
  4. [4]Amazon mgm studiosTrend Micro · trendmicro.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]DecathlonTrend Micro · trendmicro.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]DpcdsbTrend Micro · trendmicro.com · undated page, accessed October 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]2026 09 29 Introducing TrendAI TM Autonomous Vulnerability Discovery Next Generation Threat Remediation at Machine SpeedTrend Micro · newsroom.trendmicro.com · published September 29, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]2026 08 13 Trend Micro Reports Earnings Results for Q2 2026Trend Micro · newsroom.trendmicro.com · published August 13, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]2026 05 14 Trend Micro Reports Earnings Results for Q1 2026Trend Micro · newsroom.trendmicro.com · published May 14, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Trend Micro (US) | Global Enterprise AI Cybersecurity PlatformTrend Micro · undated page, accessed October 29, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Smart Protections Server Disconnected from Smart Scan/Web ReputationTrend Micro · undated page, accessed October 29, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Trend Micro Announces Up to ¥10 Billion toward Cyber Resilience Initiative to Strengthen Security for Japanese Organizations in the AI EraTrend Micro · published October 19, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]TrendAI™ Launches Inception Program to Power the Next Wave of Secure AI InnovationTrend Micro · published May 31, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Trend Micro Antivirus + Security Reviews & Product DetailsG2 · undated page, accessed October 29, 2026 · Tier C
  15. [15]Upgrade to Foundation-based Endpoint Inventory: Key ConsiderationsTrend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]SECURITY ALERT: WordPress Core unauthenticated RCE (CVE-2026-119977)Trend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]TrendAI Vision One™ Agent OS Compatibility Matrix & SupportTrend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Uninstall client or agent - Trend Micro Apex OneTrend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]TrendAI Deep Discovery Inspector DDI 7.0 Released – What's NewTrend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  20. [20]Data Collection Disclosure - Phish InsightTrend Micro · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  21. [21]Resolving multiple vulnerabilities - Control ManagerTrend Micro · published June 19, 2018 · Tier A
  22. [22]Multiple Vulnerabilities - InterScan Web Security Virtual Appliance 6.5Trend Micro · published March 28, 2017 · Tier A
  23. [23]Multiple vulnerabilities on Trend Micro Smart Protection ServerTrend Micro · published August 8, 2016 · Tier A
  24. [24]Trend Micro Launches End-to-End Protection for Agentic AI Systems with NVIDIATrend Micro · published November 5, 2025 · Tier A
  25. [25]TrendAI™ appoints Auckland-based Richard Harrison as Global VP of AI SecurityTrend Micro · published July 23, 2026 · Tier A
  26. [26]Trend Micro Reports Earnings Results for Q4 2025 and FY 2025Trend Micro · published February 18, 2026 · Tier A
  27. [27]TrendLife Announces Kaleida: The World's First Safe AI Built for Every Member of the FamilyTrend Micro · published August 19, 2026 · Tier A
  28. [28]TrendAI™ Surpasses $1 Billion in AWS Marketplace Sales as AI Security Co-Innovation with AWS AcceleratesTrend Micro · published August 20, 2026 · Tier A

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