IT-Seal
IT-Seal is a privately held German IT security firm founded in 2016 in Darmstadt, specializing in phishing-awareness training, security awareness, spear-phishing simulation, and social-engineering defense for organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersDarmstadt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What IT-Seal does
IT-Seal is a privately held, for-profit IT security firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany. With a headcount of 11–50, the company operates as a small specialist focused on phishing-awareness training, security awareness programming, spear-phishing simulation, social-engineering defense, and broader security training. Its commercial web presence is concentrated at it-seal.de, and its positioning targets the human-layer dimension of cybersecurity rather than perimeter or endpoint tooling — a niche served predominantly to German and European organizations seeking to reduce employee-driven cyber risk.
The offering profile described in the firmographic inputs is centered on training and awareness services rather than a software-as-a-service platform; no productized modules, pricing tiers, distribution channels, partnerships, or named customers are documented for IT-Seal. At its headcount and focus area, the firm is consistent with a specialist training / consulting competitor in the European security awareness market, a segment that competes for budget against managed service providers, phishing simulation vendors, and broader awareness platforms from larger players.
A material caveat applies to this dataset: the bulk of the aggregated source material pertains to Hornetsecurity GmbH — a separate, much larger Microsoft 365 security company recently acquired by Proofpoint and explicitly flagged in the source as not being IT-Seal. Consequently, the metrics, product portfolio, channel network, and AI capabilities described for that source should not be attributed to IT-Seal and cannot be used to infer IT-Seal's profile. The investment-relevant signal set for IT-Seal is therefore limited to its firmographic descriptors.
IT-Seal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IT-Seal
- Legal name
- Hornetsecurity GmbH
- Website
- https://it-seal.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- IT-Seal is a privately held German IT security firm founded in 2016 in Darmstadt, specializing in phishing-awareness training, security awareness, spear-phishing simulation, and social-engineering defense for organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IT-Seal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Training
- akta.pro primary industry
- IT Risk Management (ITRM) (HDADAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA)
Keywords
Where IT-Seal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Darmstadt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
IT-Seal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription-based SaaS licensing: Hornetsecurity generates revenue primarily through recurring SaaS subscription plans (365 Total Protection Plans 1–4), sold via channel partners and direct sales. Plans are tiered by feature set, billed annually or monthly.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Plan 1 — Email security foundation with spam/malware filter, email encryption, and signatures/disclaimers. |
| Subscription | Annual | Plan 2 — Adds advanced threat protection, business continuity, and email archiving. |
| Subscription | Annual | Plan 3 — Adds unlimited automated backup and recovery for M365 data. |
| Subscription | Annual | Plan 4 — Full suite with email security, backup, security awareness, permission control, domain fraud protection, and AI-powered tools. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
IT-Seal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IT-Seal provides IT security services centered on phishing-awareness training, security awareness programs, spear phishing defense, and social engineering training. The company is based in Darmstadt, Germany, and operates as a small (11-50 employees) private for-profit firm founded in 2016. The source material does not detail a specific productized software offering or platform.
Product overview
Hornetsecurity offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on 365 Total Protection, a comprehensive Microsoft 365 security suite with four tiered plans. Plans 1-2 focus on email security (spam/malware protection, advanced threat protection, encryption, archiving, continuity), while Plan 3 adds unlimited backup capabilities. Plan 4 delivers the full suite including security awareness training, permission management, and domain fraud protection, powered by the AI Cyber Assistant trio (AI Recipient Validation, Teams Protection, AI Email Security Analyst). Standalone products include VM Backup and Physical Server Backup for infrastructure protection, plus the 365 Multi Tenant Manager for MSP governance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IT security and security training services IT-Seal's offerings combine IT security services with security awareness, phishing-awareness, spear phishing, and social engineering training for organizations. The source material does not break out separate standalone product lines, pricing, or detailed product specifications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 125,000 companies globally trust Hornetsecurity for their M365 security.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use IT-Seal
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
IT-Seal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
IT-Seal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
IT-Seal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KnowBe4: The world's largest dedicated security awareness and phishing simulation platform, headquartered in the USA. Directly comparable to IT-Seal because both sell awareness training anchored on phishing simulation, social-engineering scenarios, and continuous end-user education for B2B customers.
- SoSafe: Cologne-headquartered security awareness and phishing simulation vendor with a strong DACH presence and a behavioral-science-led approach. The closest geographic, cultural, and product match to IT-Seal in the German mid-market.
- Hoxhunt: Helsinki-based enterprise phishing simulation and human risk platform with deep European enterprise credentials. Directly comparable as a phishing-focused awareness tool serving large B2B customers, with a similar gamified/continuous training model.
- Cofense: US-based phishing detection, intelligence, and simulation vendor. Comparable as a phishing-aware training provider, though Cofense places greater emphasis on SOC-integrated detection than pure continuous awareness delivery.
- Terranova Security: Canadian security awareness training provider offering phishing simulation and global content libraries. Closely comparable niche - awareness and phishing training for multinational B2B customers - and a frequent content/benchmarking competitor in the same space.
Broad incumbents
- Proofpoint Security Awareness: Proofpoint bundles security awareness (post-Wombat and post-Hornetsecurity acquisitions) inside a broader threat-protection platform. Represents the suite/incumbent direction that squeezes pure-play awareness trainers like IT-Seal by absorbing training spend into email-security and GRC budgets.
- SANS Institute: Long-established cybersecurity training and certification provider (GIAC, SEC courses). Comparable as an enterprise security training brand, though SANS is more technically deep and certification-centric than continuous awareness delivery.
- Kaspersky Security Awareness: Kaspersky's standalone security awareness training product line bundled with its broader security vendor portfolio. Comparable as an awareness offering inside a broader security suite - emblematic of the consolidation-facing threat to independent awareness trainers such as IT-Seal.
Emerging players
- CybSafe: UK-headquartered security behavior and awareness platform distinguished by its analytics-led approach to human risk and security culture measurement. Comparable as a European awareness player, but with a smaller scale and analytics differentiator than IT-Seal's content-led model.
- AwareGO: Iceland-based security awareness training vendor focused on microlearning and behavioral change content with a strong SMB tilt. Comparable as a niche awareness trainer targeting similar phishing/social-engineering topics, though typically smaller-scale and less enterprise-oriented than IT-Seal.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
IT-Seal social profiles
Digital presenceIT-Seal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IT-Seal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
IT-Seal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IT-Seal M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IT-Seal
What does IT-Seal do?
IT-Seal provides IT security services centered on phishing-awareness training, security awareness programs, spear phishing defense, and social engineering training. The company is based in Darmstadt, Germany, and operates as a small (11-50 employees) private for-profit firm founded in 2016. The source material does not detail a specific productized software offering or platform.
Is IT-Seal a public or private company?
IT-Seal is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was IT-Seal founded?
IT-Seal was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is IT-Seal based?
IT-Seal is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does IT-Seal make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription-based SaaS licensing.
Who are IT-Seal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KnowBe4, SoSafe, Hoxhunt, Cofense and Terranova Security. Broad incumbents are Proofpoint Security Awareness, SANS Institute and Kaspersky Security Awareness. Emerging players are CybSafe and AwareGO.
Does IT-Seal have an API?
No public API is recorded for IT-Seal.
What industry is IT-Seal in?
IT-Seal's product category is Cybersecurity Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAIAD, IT Risk Management (ITRM), with a secondary code of EDAAANAA, Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications.