Carahsoft will now distribute KnowBe4’s Human Risk Management (HRM+) platform through its public sector channels. The new partnership centers on a persistent cybersecurity challenge: people remain the most targeted attack surface.
Government organizations are tasked with defending highly sensitive systems but face constant constraints - tight budgets, limited cybersecurity staff, and legacy infrastructure that lags modern threats. Nation-state actors and advanced cybercriminals exploit these gaps, and the point of compromise is often a user decision rather than a technical vulnerability. The KnowBe4–Carahsoft partnership provides agencies with a proven, AI-driven solution designed to reduce that human risk at scale.
Kirsten Esposito, VP of Global Channel Partners & Programs at KnowBe4 described the opportunity for partners to ChannelE2E:
"Many government cybersecurity offerings emphasize technical controls (firewalls, endpoint protection, network security). With KnowBe4, resellers can lead with the human element, offering proactive management of the human attack surface - training, phishing simulations, behavioral analytics, security coaching - which is increasingly recognized as a top security priority.”
For Carahsoft’s resellers, this creates a clear differentiation point: a chance to move beyond infrastructure-centric conversations and build value around security culture and workforce readiness.
Compliance as a Catalyst, Not a Roadblock
Winning federal business often hinges on compliance credentials. Without them, opportunities slow or stall. KnowBe4’s HRM+ platform is already FedRAMP authorized, which means partners can avoid long, bureaucratic cycles and focus on demonstrating outcomes.
Esposito highlighted the significance. "The FedRAMP authorization for KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and PhishER Plus (anti-phishing protection that automates threat response with real-time intelligence and smart prioritization) significantly accelerates the sales cycle for public sector opportunities. This compliance credential also provides credibility that extends to state and local agencies, who often look to federal security standards as best practices. KnowBe4's availability through Carahsoft’s SEWP V contracts (NNG15SC03B and NNG15SC27B) offers channel partners streamlined procurement pathways that further reduce friction and time-to-contract. Partners can now focus on positioning value and customer outcomes rather than navigating complex compliance requirements.”
For partners, this translates into faster deal velocity and a stronger foundation for long-term customer trust. For agencies, it simplifies procurement while ensuring solutions are benchmarked against rigorous federal standards.
Agentic AI Brings Adaptability to Training
Traditional awareness training has often been criticized for being generic, repetitive, and disconnected from real-world user behavior. KnowBe4 has addressed this with the addition of agentic AI to its HRM+ platform. The company’s Artificial Intelligence Defense Agents (AIDA) use proprietary user and threat data collected over 15 years to personalize and adapt training to the needs of individual end users.
Esposito explained how this reshapes partner conversations: “KnowBe4’s HRM+ platform is a key component of an overarching cybersecurity strategy to better protect government organizations by focusing on the human element. Partners can position KnowBe4's agentic AI capabilities as a force multiplier within comprehensive cybersecurity and compliance frameworks. AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Defense Agents) is an AI-native suite of agents that enhances partners’ approaches to human risk management. It leverages 15 years of proprietary user and threat data alongside multiple AI technologies to create personalized, adaptive, and highly effective training for all end users that actually changes behavior.”
For partners, AIDA creates a compelling co-sell story. It’s not just another training module—it’s an evolving, AI-driven defense layer that helps government employees make better decisions in real time.
Strengthening Security Culture at Scale
The partnership between KnowBe4 and Carahsoft is more than a distribution agreement. It’s a recognition that human risk management is no longer optional in public sector cybersecurity strategies. Technical defenses can stop malware or block suspicious traffic, but they can’t prevent an employee from clicking the wrong link or responding to a sophisticated social engineering attempt.
By making HRM+ widely available through trusted procurement channels, Carahsoft and its reseller ecosystem are giving agencies a practical way to address this persistent vulnerability. At the same time, partners gain a platform that strengthens their value proposition, accelerates the sales cycle, and opens doors to broader security and compliance opportunities.
With compliance credentials in place, AI-driven training at its core, and clear distribution pathways, the partnership positions both KnowBe4 and Carahsoft as central players in helping U.S. government agencies build security cultures that can withstand today’s threats.
