Learning, the Easy Way
Online Training in Data Protection, Information Security & AI
Learning – anywhere, anytime
About us
Compliance Essentials is the e-learning specialist for data protection, information security, and AI literacy. The Compliance Essentials editorial team is known for the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of AI mishaps and security incidents (security-incidents) as well as data breaches (DSGVO-Portal).
Media outlets, industry experts, and researchers regularly rely on our research – including SPIEGEL, t-online, heise/c’t, Haufe, and Fraunhofer.
We are the only training provider that combines editorial knowledge of real, up-to-the-minute compliance incidents with decades of experience in data protection and information security consulting from our sister company, Holzhofer Consulting. This unique combination ensures the best possible training for your employees – and therefore the best possible security for your company and your customers.
Employees have already earned more than 34,500 certificates of completion with our courses.1 Now available: any company can book the courses directly online.
What Sets Us Apart
German Servers, No Tracking
As one of the few providers, we deliberately do without tracking and third-party scripts. Your employees’ data is not shared with third parties and is stored in compliance with the GDPR on German web servers only.
Security Specialists
Security is our field of expertise. This is demonstrated by the numerous certifications held by our data protection experts (TÜV, DEKRA, BSI, …), extensive additional qualifications, and more than 20 years of experience.
100% Fine-Free
All companies supported by our data protection experts are 100% fine-free! No objections from the authorities regarding data protection, IT security, or information security in the past two decades.
Certified Today
No sales calls, no waiting. Once your booking is complete, your training courses are online, and after passing the final quiz, your employees can receive their certificate the very same day.
Legally Sound Proof of Training
The personalized certificates of completion (including all recommended documentation) clearly prove in the event of an audit that you have thoroughly trained your employees in accordance with the GDPR, Art. 4 of the EU AI Act, or ISO/IEC 27001.
Always Up to Date
Rapid AI developments. New requirements and court rulings under the EU AI Act, the GDPR, and the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). Our team monitors the latest developments every day and updates the training immediately when needed – but at least once a month.
Maximum Simplicity
No software to install, no new hardware, no extra costs. Your employees learn in their browser on the device of their choice.
Learn on Your Own Schedule
Our courses take between 30 and 100 minutes. They are available around the clock and can be paused and resumed at any time.
Easy to Understand
Legal provisions and technical terms cannot be avoided entirely. But we explain them so that even non-experts can understand them.
Fair Prices
Volume pricing from €2.39 per participant (plus VAT). 12 months of access, all updates and certificates included. Full transparency – no extra costs.
Certified Expertise
Among other things, our team holds the following qualifications, verified by independent bodies:
- TÜVData Protection Officer
- TÜVData Protection Auditor
- DEKRAData Protection Specialist
- udiszertCertified Data Protection Officers
- iappCert. Information Privacy Professional/Europe
- CISSPCert. Information Systems Security Professional
- TÜVITIL Service Management
- BSIISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor
| TÜV | Data Protection Officer |
| TÜV | Data Protection Auditor |
| DEKRA | Data Protection Specialist |
| udiszert | Certified Data Protection Officers |
| iapp | Cert. Information Privacy Professional/Europe |
| CISSP | Cert. Information Systems Security Professional |
| TÜV | ITIL Service Management |
| BSI | ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor |
| ... |
The Company
Compliance Essentials specializes in e-learning for data protection, information security, and AI literacy and was founded in 2019 in Planegg near Munich.
Our team of 12 includes e-learning experts, editors, media designers, data protection specialists, and IT security experts (see Our Partnership).
Leadership
The company is headed by Martin Holzhofer:
- More than 25 years of experience in information security and over 20 years in data protection
- Senior positions at Siemens, Kaufland, and SupplyOn (a BOSCH joint venture)
- His expertise is trusted by Germany’s largest consumer protection organization, Antenne 1, heise, Haufe, and Fraunhofer, among others.
Our Goal
The most important security factor is the person in front of the screen. We prepare your employees to handle sensitive information and AI systems. We show practical solutions for everyday work. And we do everything we can to make digital learning an experience rather than a tedious obligation.
Our Partnership
Our course content is developed in collaboration with our sister company, Holzhofer Consulting. Since 2011, the consulting firm has been advising mid-sized companies in Germany and Switzerland on data protection and information security – valuable hands-on knowledge that flows directly into our courses.
Our History
- 2000
Martin Holzhofer starts working in information security.
- 2006
Data protection becomes his second focus.
- 2011
Holzhofer Consulting is founded to advise mid-sized companies on data protection and information security.
- 2019
Compliance Essentials GmbH is founded to expand and perfect its e-learning offering.
- Today
Decades of consulting experience and up-to-the-minute editorial work, combined in 4 compact online courses.
Three Steps to a Certificate
- Book the training
- Train your employees successfully (approx. 30–100 min)
- Download the certificates – done.
Our Online Courses
AI-Literacy for Employees
Leverage the potential of AI safely and effectively. Your employees will learn how to avoid typical risks and pitfalls when working with AI systems.
View course
Data Protection for Employees
Your team will learn how to handle data in compliance with GDPR & FDPA and how to protect it from unauthorized access (e.g. hacker attacks).
View course
Information Security for Employees
Your team will learn how the latest attack techniques (ransomware, phishing, social engineering, ...) work and how to stop them.
View course
Mobile Working for Employees
Company data is particularly exposed to threats on the road and in the home office. Your employees will learn about the risks and special safeguards.
View courseFrequently Asked Questions About Compliance Essentials
Who is behind Compliance Essentials?
Compliance Essentials GmbH was founded in 2019 by managing director Martin Holzhofer, based in Planegg near Munich. He has worked in information security since 2000 and in data protection since 2006. Course contents are developed together with experts at Holzhofer Consulting.
Which online courses does Compliance Essentials offer?
Currently, we offer four courses for employees: AI-Literacy for Employees, Data Protection for Employees, Information Security for Employees, Mobile Working for Employees. Each course ends with a final quiz and a personal certificate of completion.
Do companies have to train their employees in data protection?
Yes. Raising awareness among employees and training them is one of the tasks of the data protection officer (Art. 39(1) GDPR). The reason is simple: only those who know the data protection principles can comply with them (Art. 5 GDPR). And only with employees who understand the risks can the security of processing be ensured (Art. 32 GDPR). For managing directors and executive boards, the evidence that the accountability obligation requires anyway also matters (Art. 5(2) GDPR): those who can prove that their employees were trained can reduce their liability if something goes wrong.
Do employees need information security training?
For many companies it is a legal requirement; for all others it is a question of liability. Managing directors and executive boards must organize their company in a way that prevents damage from cyberattacks as far as possible (Section 43 of the German Limited Liability Companies Act, Section 93 of the German Stock Corporation Act). Trained employees are one of the most effective measures. Anyone processing personal data is also bound by the GDPR: only those who deploy employees who understand the risks can ensure the security of processing (Art. 32 GDPR).
Training and awareness measures are explicitly required, among others, for:
- essential and important entities under the German BSI Act (BSIG), which implements the NIS2 Directive in Germany (Section 30(2) no. 7 BSIG). Management must implement and monitor these measures and is liable for them (Section 38 BSIG).
- providers of digital infrastructure and digital services such as cloud and data center providers, MSPs/MSSPs, DNS service providers, and trust service providers (NIS2 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690).
- financial entities under DORA, for all employees and the management body (Art. 13(6) Regulation (EU) 2022/2554). Their ICT third-party service providers are included in the training.
- telecommunications companies that are essential or important entities (Section 165(2a) no. 7 and (2d) of the German Telecommunications Act, TKG).
- operators of energy supply networks and energy facilities (Section 5c(4) no. 7 and Section 5e(3) of the German Energy Industry Act, EnWG).
- aviation security companies, including the secure air cargo supply chain (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998, Annex point 11.2.8).
- medical and psychotherapy practices under the German statutory health insurance system and medical care centers (MVZ) (Section 390 of Book V of the German Social Code in conjunction with the IT security guideline of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, KBV).
Companies that are certified or audited under ISO/IEC 27001, BSI IT-Grundschutz, or TISAX must also prove that their employees have been made aware and trained (ISO/IEC 27001 clause 7.3 and Annex A 6.3, IT-Grundschutz module ORP.3, VDA ISA 2.1.3).
Our course Information Security for Employees helps you raise your employees' awareness and provides the evidence with a certificate for each participant.
Is AI training mandatory for employees?
Yes, for companies that use AI systems: under Art. 4 of the EU AI Act, providers and deployers of AI systems must ensure, since February 2, 2025, that their staff have a sufficient level of AI literacy.
Can anyone buy the courses?
We sell to businesses, self-employed professionals, and public institutions only, not to consumers.
Do you also offer in-person training?
Yes, on request our experts also train your employees on site, tailored to your company. Just contact us using the contact form. For most companies, however, we recommend online training: it meets the requirements at a fraction of the cost. And it solves the typical problem of in-person sessions: anyone who misses a session because of vacation, illness, or a business trip does not need a make-up date but simply completes the training when they are back. It also suits hybrid work between home office and the office: everyone learns wherever they happen to be working.
How long does a course take, and how long do I have access?
A course takes 30 to 100 minutes and can be paused at any time. Each license is valid for 12 months, including all updates.
Which languages are the courses available in?
All courses are available in German and English. The language is set individually for each participant.
1 Including the web-based training that Holzhofer Consulting offers its clients. As of September 2026.
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