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Secure behavior management (SBM) gives channel partners a way to move beyond selling security tools or one-off training: help customers understand what people do, interpret evidence of risk, and work on measurable improvement over time. That is the opportunity Craig Marshall-Brown argues for in IT Pro—not proof that the channel as a whole is already growing through SBM.
What secure behavior management means
SBM treats security-related behavior as an ongoing management concern, rather than treating course delivery or completion as the end result. In practice, the work can include understanding expected behavior, gathering relevant evidence, identifying where risky actions may occur, and choosing support or operational changes that can be reviewed later.
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NIST’s 2025 initial public draft uses the related capability label “Security-Related Behavior Management (BEHAVE).” It describes the goal as ensuring users understand expected security behavior and how to avoid or prevent actions that could compromise information. The draft lists training, rules of behavior, access and use agreements, courseware, and certifications as possible evidence to track. It is a draft capability description, not a finalized commercial definition of SBM and not an endorsement or certification of any product. Read NIST’s draft.
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Why the channel opportunity is about interpretation
Customers face crowded security markets and competing demands on limited attention. Marshall-Brown’s argument is that a partner can add value by helping customers decide where behavior-related exposure exists and what to address, rather than simply reselling another tool. That may mean recurring customer reviews, agreed baselines, tailored interventions, and follow-up measurement; these are practical ways to apply the argument, not a prescribed industry standard.
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IT Pro illustrates the shift with an unnamed MSP that developed an awareness and phishing-simulation add-on into a managed SBM program. Behavioral information became part of regular customer reviews and supported conversations about risk and follow-up. The account is an anecdote: it gives no company name, measured revenue, customer-conversion rate, or independently validated program result, so it should not be read as representative channel evidence. Read the IT Pro article.
Why completion is not the same as changed behavior
A course completion record establishes that someone finished a course. On its own, it does not establish how that person would respond to a consequential request or whether behavior has improved. IT Pro’s case for an ongoing program is to establish a baseline, examine relevant evidence over time, and discuss what is changing with the customer.
Measurement needs context. A score or completion percentage may be useful as one signal, but partners should distinguish direct observations from estimates and avoid presenting a proxy as proof of real-world behavior change. OutThink’s CEO has argued for observable actions over activity measures; that is vendor-authored commentary, not evidence that every behavior is straightforward to observe or that every risk score is invalid. NIST’s draft offers examples of evidence types but does not validate any vendor’s metrics.
What the published risk figures do—and do not—say
| Source and date | Reported figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon, 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, as reported by IT Pro | 62% of confirmed breaches involved the human element | IT Pro relays Verizon’s figure; it is a breach statistic, not a measure of channel adoption or the effectiveness of a particular SBM program. |
| Gartner, public abstract published 14 July 2026 | 68% of cyber incidents derive from risky human behavior | This is Gartner’s claim in the abstract for “Agentic AI — The Next Frontier in Secure Behavior Management.” Its denominator and methodology should not be assumed to match Verizon’s breach statistic. |
The figures are not interchangeable and should not be combined. Gartner’s abstract also argues that organizations will need to account for agentic behavior alongside risky human behavior. The full Gartner research is not available in the public abstract. Read Gartner’s abstract on agentic AI and SBM.
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The scope reaches beyond awareness training
Gartner’s public research abstracts signal a wider scope than conventional email-awareness training. The 14 July 2026 abstract raises the challenge of agentic AI behavior. A separate abstract, published 9 July 2026, considers secure behavior management in cyber-physical systems (CPS), where work practices and production pressures can shape risk.
“The most common exposure in CPS is not a zero-day in a PLC. It is the technician who shares credentials because changing them feels disruptive or a site engineer bypassing a patching window to meet the production target.”
That example, from Gartner’s abstract for “Implement Secure Behavior Management to Secure Your Cyber-Physical Systems,” makes the operational point: secure behavior depends partly on how work is organized, not only on whether employees have received awareness content. The abstract is a summary, not the full report. Read Gartner’s CPS abstract.
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Before packaging SBM as a managed service, a channel partner should consider whether it can do more than deliver simulations or training. These checks turn the strategic idea into a service discussion without assuming a particular platform or commercial model.
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- Set a useful baseline: Agree with the customer what behaviors, roles, and workflows matter, and what evidence can reasonably be collected.
- Interpret findings in context: Connect observed or estimated signals to the customer’s actual work practices, systems, and operational pressures.
- Recommend an appropriate response: Decide whether the next step is coaching, a workflow adjustment, clearer rules, technical controls, or another form of support.
- Review change over time: Revisit the agreed evidence and explain what has improved, what remains uncertain, and what needs attention.
- Handle evidence responsibly: Establish what records are retained or exported, who can see them, and how they will be used in customer reviews.
For a platform or provider comparison, ask about coverage of relevant actions and contexts; how it distinguishes direct observations from inferred scores; whether results support tailored action; what evidence can be retained or exported; and whether delivery is self-run or vendor-managed. NIST’s draft evidence examples can inform the records question, but they do not certify products. IT Pro’s example supports the possibility of a managed program, not any particular service economics or outcome.
What “becoming the channel” means—and what remains unproven
OutThink’s CEO says Gartner adopted “Secure Behavior Management” as a market label in 2026, following earlier terminology such as security awareness computer-based training and human risk management; the post says Gartner published research under the new label on 22 September 2026. That history is vendor-authored commentary and should be attributed to OutThink rather than treated as independently established Gartner or Forrester chronology. Read OutThink’s commentary.
The strategic case is clearer than the commercial evidence: a partner may deepen its customer relationship by turning behavioral evidence into recurring advice and follow-up. The sources cited here do not establish market size, general adoption, channel revenue, customer conversion rates, or independently validated effectiveness across SBM programs.
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