The free chat allows employees to converse freely with Alex outside of lessons: to ask generic cybersecurity questions or to get answers based on reference documents uploaded by the company. An administrator activates it and chooses the mode valid for the entire organization.
The setting is found in the sidebar menu, in Cyber Awareness › Setup, in the AI-powered free chat card within Preferences.
At a glance
| Status | GA (available to all eligible customers). |
| Intended for | Administrators, who choose the free chat mode and, for Personalized mode, upload reference documents. End users (employees) use the feature by chatting with Alex on their messaging channel. The mode is a setting valid for the entire company, not a preference for individual users. |
| Required role / permission | Administrator with access to Cyber Awareness configuration to change the mode; no particular role is required for end users to chat. |
| Availability | Customers with Cyber Chat (Alex) active and a messaging channel other than Webchat (see Prerequisites). |
Free chat modes
Free chat offers three modes; the administrator chooses one for the entire company.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Disabled | No free chat. Alex handles lessons only; a message sent during a lesson continues the lesson. |
| Classical | Alex answers generic cybersecurity questions asked outside of lessons. |
| Personalized | Alex answers based on documents uploaded by the company (as well as general cybersecurity), so answers reflect the organization's policies. |
Prerequisites
- Plan: Cyber Chat (Alex) active for the organization.
- Role: Administrator with access to Cyber Awareness configuration to change the mode.
- Messaging channel: a channel other than Webchat — Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Chat. Free chat is not available on Webchat: in a Webchat-only configuration, the free chat card does not appear.
- For Personalized mode only: at least one supported document must be uploaded and have completed processing before Alex can base responses on it.
How to activate free chat and choose the mode
The choice of mode is up to the administrator and applies to the entire company.
- From the sidebar menu, open Cyber Awareness › Setup and locate the AI-powered free chat card in Preferences.
- Select a mode. The change is saved immediately and applies to the entire company:
- Disabled — no free chat; Alex handles lessons only.
- Classical — Alex answers generic cybersecurity questions.
- Personalized — Alex answers based on documents you upload (covering general cybersecurity as well).
- For Personalized mode, click Add new document and choose a file. Repeat for each document (limits are shown below). A document is usable once processing is complete.
- To remove a document, click the trash icon next to it: it is deleted from Alex's knowledge base.
The AI-powered free chat card in Cyber Awareness › Setup, with the three Disabled / Classical / Personalized modes.
Personalized mode: reference documents
In Personalized mode, documents uploaded by the administrator become the material on which Alex bases responses: for example, password policy, procedure for a lost or stolen device, or company security charter.
Upload limits
- Up to 20 documents.
- Each document up to 100 MB (the 100 MB limit is per file, not total).
- Supported file types: doc, docx, html, json, md, pdf, pptx, txt.
A document becomes usable only after its background processing is complete; deleting it removes it from what Alex can draw on to answer.
NOTE: any uploaded document can be cited to Alex by any employee who writes to him. Upload only material suitable for all staff — never secrets, credentials, or personal data.
Chat with Alex outside of lessons
From the end user's perspective:
- From your messaging channel (Teams, Slack, or Google Chat), send a message to Alex when you are not in a lesson.
- Alex responds: a generic response in Classical mode, or a response based on company documents in Personalized mode.
- If you are in the middle of a lesson, a normal message continues the lesson. To chat freely, first send cancel to stop the lesson.
Language
You can write to Alex in any language: Alex responds in the same language used by the user. In Personalized mode, Alex searches for the answer in the language the documents are written in and then returns it in the user's language.
Expected results
- Immediate effect: after the administrator selects a mode, a confirmation appears and the choice takes effect on new conversations; a user who writes outside a lesson receives an Alex response on the same channel.
- Delayed effect: a document uploaded in Personalized mode is indexed in the background and becomes usable only after processing is complete (a document still uploading is not yet usable).
- Where to see the result: in the configuration card (the selected mode and list of uploaded documents with their status) and in the chat channel, with Alex's responses.
Data and privacy
- Uploaded documents: in Personalized mode, documents are indexed by an artificial intelligence service so Alex can consult them; deleting a document from settings removes it from the index.
- Conversation history: is retained per user until deleted.
- Shared content: as noted above, what is uploaded can be cited to any employee who interacts with Alex; upload only material suitable for all staff.
Frequently asked questions
Does free chat work on Webchat?
No: you need Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Google Chat. On a Webchat-only configuration, the free chat card does not appear.
Can employees write in their own language?
Yes: you can write in any language and Alex responds in the same language used.
What can you upload for Personalized mode?
Up to 20 documents, each up to 100 MB, in doc, docx, html, json, md, pdf, pptx, and txt formats.
Does Alex answer non-cybersecurity questions?
Classical mode is limited to cybersecurity; Personalized mode also answers based on documents uploaded by the company.
Can an employee chat with Alex during a lesson?
By default, a message continues the lesson in progress; sending cancel stops the lesson and you can chat freely.
Is what I upload visible to employees?
Uploaded content can be cited to anyone who writes to Alex: upload only material suitable for all staff.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Solution | Escalation |
|---|---|---|---|
| The free chat card does not appear in the configuration | The company uses Webchat channel only | Connect Teams, Slack, or Google Chat; free chat is not available on Webchat | Contact Support if the card is missing on a channel other than Webchat |
| Employees cannot chat outside of lessons | The mode is Disabled, or the user is in the middle of a lesson | Set the mode to Classical or Personalized; the user sends cancel to exit a lesson | Contact Support |
| In Personalized mode, responses ignore my documents | No document uploaded, processing not yet complete, or file type not supported | Verify that the document is uploaded, processing is complete, and the file type is supported | Contact Support |
| Document upload is rejected | File over 100 MB, unsupported type, duplicate name, or 20 documents already present | Check file size, type, and number of documents; rename duplicates | Contact Support |
Related features
- Cyber Chat (Alex) – Preferences — the configuration page where the free chat setting is found.
- Cyber Chat (Alex) – Awareness Dashboard — where you monitor lesson engagement and completion.