Partners Cyber Academy
Free Cybersecurity Training for Your Whole Team
Compliance-grade security awareness training that satisfies HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and ISO 27001, at no cost to NC business owners and their employees.
Most NC SMBs Pay $50, $200 Per Employee Per Year. We Made It Free.
KnowBe4. Proofpoint. Mimecast. Hoxhunt. Compliance security awareness training platforms aren't cheap, most charge between $50 and $200 per employee per year. For a 25-person business, that's $1,250 to $5,000 annually for content that's largely the same across vendors.
PCG built Partners Cyber Academy because we believe every NC business, not just our paying clients, deserves access to compliance-grade security awareness training. The curriculum is reviewed and updated annually by our cybersecurity engineers. Certificates are issued. Progress reports go to business owners. No credit card. No upsell. No gotchas.
Sign Up Once. Email the Link to Your Whole Team.
One business owner signs up. We send you a shareable training link plus admin instructions. Forward the link to your employees. Get a completion report when everyone is done.
What Partners Cyber Academy Covers
12 short modules covering the threats your employees actually face, not theoretical academic content.
Phishing Recognition
Spot the red flags in emails, texts, and chats. Real phishing examples from current attack campaigns targeting NC businesses.
Password Hygiene
Why password reuse kills businesses, how password managers work, and what makes a strong passphrase.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Why MFA matters, how to set it up on the apps your team uses, and how to recognize MFA fatigue attacks.
Social Engineering
How attackers manipulate people: phone-based scams, impersonation, urgency tricks, and pretext-based social engineering.
Ransomware Awareness
How ransomware spreads, what employee actions help or hurt, and what to do (and not do) when you see suspicious activity.
Wire Fraud & BEC
Business Email Compromise prevention: verify wire transfers, recognize CEO impersonation, and protect financial workflows.
Safe Internet Use
Browsing safely, recognizing malicious websites, handling suspicious downloads, and managing browser extensions.
Mobile & Public Wi-Fi
Risks of working on hotel Wi-Fi, airport networks, and unmanaged mobile apps. How to use VPNs and mobile security.
Incident Reporting
How to report suspicious activity, what information to capture, and why fast reporting saves the business in an active incident.
AI Tool Safety
How to use ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and other AI tools without leaking sensitive business data. New for 2026.
HIPAA Basics
For healthcare-adjacent employees: what PHI is, how to handle it, and what HIPAA requires of every staff member.
PCI-DSS Basics
For employees who touch payment systems: what cardholder data is, how to handle it, and what PCI-DSS requires.
From Sign-Up to Certified Team in 30 Days
A simple four-step process designed around how busy NC business owners actually work.
You Sign Up
One business owner or compliance lead fills out the form on this page. Takes 90 seconds. No credit card.
Get Your Shareable Link
Within 24 hours we email you the training link plus admin instructions. Forward the link to every employee.
Employees Train at Their Pace
Each employee takes a pre-test, completes the 45-minute curriculum, then takes a post-test. Certificates issued automatically.
You Get the Report
When your team finishes, we send you a completion report with each employee's pre/post scores and downloadable certificates.
Built to Satisfy Security Awareness Training Requirements
Partners Cyber Academy is structured to satisfy the security awareness training requirements of major compliance frameworks. Annual completion + certificates documented for your audit trail.
Real Annual Savings for NC Businesses
Pricing ranges based on publicly listed mid-market security awareness training platform pricing as of 2026. Your specific quotes may vary.
Partners Cyber Academy: Your Questions Answered
Is Partners Cyber Academy actually free?
Yes. Partners Cyber Academy is provided at no cost to NC business owners and their employees. We built it to be a genuine community resource for North Carolina small and mid-sized businesses that cannot afford the $50-200 per employee per year that other compliance training platforms charge. There is no credit card required and no upsell during the signup or training process.
What compliance frameworks does the training satisfy?
Partners Cyber Academy is built to satisfy the security awareness training requirements of HIPAA, PCI-DSS 4.0, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and the security awareness component of CMMC Level 2. Each employee who completes the training receives a certificate documenting completion date and topics covered, which can be filed in your compliance documentation. Annual refresh is built into the program structure.
How does the training work for my employees?
After you sign up as the business owner or compliance lead, we email you a shareable link and admin instructions. You forward the link to your employees, who can complete the training at their own pace from any device. Each employee takes a brief pre-test, completes the training modules (about 45 minutes total), then takes a post-test. We send you a completion report showing each employee's pre/post scores and certificate.
What topics does the training cover?
Partners Cyber Academy covers phishing recognition, password hygiene, multi-factor authentication, social engineering, ransomware awareness, email-based wire fraud, safe internet browsing, public Wi-Fi risks, mobile device security, incident reporting, AI tool safety, and the basics of HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and other compliance frameworks relevant to your industry. The curriculum is reviewed and updated annually by PCG cybersecurity engineers.
How long does the training take?
The full Partners Cyber Academy curriculum runs about 45 to 60 minutes per employee, broken into short modules of 5-10 minutes each. Most employees complete the training across two or three sessions during a normal work week. You can require completion within whatever timeframe works for your business, we recommend 30 days to balance compliance with operational reality.
Why is PCG offering this for free?
Two reasons. First, security awareness training is one of the highest-ROI cybersecurity investments any business can make, and we want every NC business, not just our managed services clients, to have access to it. Second, businesses that experience the quality of our training often become PCG clients for managed IT, cybersecurity services, or other engagements. The Academy is a way for us to build relationships and trust with the NC small business community on something that genuinely helps everyone.
What happens to my employees' data?
Employee data captured during training (name, email, training completion, pre/post-test scores) is stored securely and used only for training delivery and compliance reporting back to you, the business owner. We do not sell or share employee data with third parties. We do not market to employees beyond optional follow-up educational content they can opt into. Full privacy policy details are at /privacy-policy/.
Are the certificates valid for compliance audits?
The certificates document completion of security awareness training that aligns with HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and CMMC Level 2 requirements. Most auditors accept these certificates as evidence of annual security awareness training. If your specific auditor or framework requires additional training topics or specific certifications, we can discuss whether Partners Cyber Academy meets your needs in your kickoff call. The certificates are documented but not formally accredited.
Give Your Whole Team Free Compliance Training Today
90 seconds to sign up. We email you the shareable link within 24 hours. Your team trains at their own pace.
No credit card. No upsell. Just real cybersecurity training for NC businesses.