KnowBe4 Strengthens AWS Security & Resiliency with Teleport Infrastructure Identity

Challenge

KnowBe4’s rapid growth and expanding AWS footprint introduced several identity and access challenges:

• A growing number of engineers, services, and environments
• Increased reliance on AWS-native services and Kubernetes-based workloads
• Increased risk from long-lived credentials and associated operational complexity
• Delivering a positive engineer experience while maintaining strong security controls 

Prior to Teleport, identity and access relied on static credentials, manual processes, and fragmented tooling. These approaches created operational overhead for security teams and introduced risk through over-permissioned access and limited visibility.

KnowBe4 needed to modernize their approach to privileged access in order to:

• Enforce least-privilege access by default
• Provide strong auditability and traceability
• Integrate cleanly with AWS, Kubernetes, and existing identity providers
• Remove friction from engineering workflows
   

Solution

After evaluating available options, KnowBe4 selected Teleport to serve as their Infrastructure Identity provider for their AWS-based infrastructure.

Teleport was deployed across KnowBe4’s cloud environments to improve resiliency and modernize privileged access:

• AWS-hosted infrastructure
• Kubernetes clusters
• Servers and internal services
• Production and non-production environments

By deploying Teleport across its AWS infrastructure, the security team was able to eliminate static credentials, unify and harden identities, and implement just-in-time access. Teleport integrated with KnowBe4’s existing identity provider, providing seamless interoperability with existing investments.

Teleport’s automation-friendly, infrastructure-as-code design allowed KnowBe4 to scale its access policies securely as the organization grew.

Results

Improved Security and Compliance Posture

With Teleport, KnowBe4 significantly reduced reliance on long-lived credentials and standing privileges. Engineers now authenticate using biometrics and are authorized for needed systems based on tasks, with time-bound access that aligns with least-privilege principles.

This shift improved KnowBe4’s overall security posture and strengthened auditability and access visibility across AWS environments.

Reduced Operational Overhead

Teleport replaced fragmented identity systems and manual access request workflows with centralized identity and access controls, reducing the administrative and operational burden on security and platform teams. 

Better Engineer Experience

Teleport improved the daily experience for engineers, making it easier for them to access the cloud resources they need. Engineers can securely connect to required resources without juggling credentials or navigating complex approval processes and access paths. The result is faster onboarding, fewer delays and interruptions, and improved day-to-day productivity.

Scalable Foundation for Growth

Teleport provided KnowBe4 with a scalable identity and access model that can grow alongside its AWS footprint—supporting new teams, services, and environments while preserving KnowBe4’s  security posture and resiliency.

AWS Partner Perspective

As an AWS Partner, KnowBe4 relies heavily on AWS-native services to power its cloud platform. Teleport integrated seamlessly with KnowBe4’s AWS architecture, complementing existing AWS security controls while further improving resiliency and improving engineer productivity.

Teleport enabled KnowBe4 to:

• Modernize privileged access to AWS-hosted infrastructure, eliminating management of static IAM credentials
• Unify and enforce access policies across AWS and Kubernetes environments
• Improve auditability and identity security with visibility into who accessed which resources and when
• Implement zero trust and compliance best practices

By combining AWS services with Teleport’s infrastructure identity platform, KnowBe4 established a more secure and scalable foundation for operating in the cloud.
 

Future Plans

KnowBe4 plans to continue expanding its use of Teleport as its cloud environment evolves. Areas of future exploration include:

• Extending Teleport to additional internal services and workflows
• Deepening automation and policy-as-code practices
• Supporting new teams and environments as the organization scales

Teleport remains a foundational component of KnowBe4’s long-term approach to managing infrastructure identity.
 

Key Takeaways

• Before Teleport: Fragmented access tooling, static credentials, and operational overhead
• After Teleport: Unified identity and access controls across AWS and Kubernetes
• Impact: Improved security posture, reduced operational burden, and improved engineering productivity