Huntress has entered into a strategic collaboration with CyberCert to deliver the dynamic cybersecurity standard, via the Huntress partner ecosystem, to businesses in Australia to increase their overall cyber resilience.
Headed up by Huntress Regional Director APAC, Reece Appleton and CyberCert Co-Founder & CEO, Peter Maynard, the partnership will offer SMB1001 certifications for a number of Huntress Managed Service Provider (MSP) partners.
SMB1001 is a multi-tiered cybersecurity certification standard, with certifications across five tiers of Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond each signifying increased alignment to the Standard’s cybersecurity requirements.
The investment from Huntress will enable partners to certify themselves to the Gold certification, whilst also having the choice of certificate bundles to be used for their customers. Partners can choose a variation of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Certificates to certify their customers against the Standard, proving their cybersecurity posture and providing a tangible cybersecurity outcome, something that has been lacking for small and medium businesses.
“The SMB1001 CyberCert standard aims to democratise access to cybersecurity standards tailored specifically for SMBs who don’t have IT and security experts at their disposal. Unlike the complex and costly ISO/IEC 27001 certification, we’re enabling MSPs to deliver structured cyber resilience and compliance solutions at a fraction of the price, with a managed offering that requires no security expertise and effort,” says CyberCert Co-Founder & CEO, Peter Maynard.
“This is a win/win strategy for the MSP and their SMB customer. The customer gets a fit-for-purpose security uplift and a cyber security certification, and the MSP gets to deliver a much-needed service, thus bolstering the relationship and opening up sales opportunities.”
Huntress recognised the need for an SMB-specific standard after seeing many partners struggle to align their customers to more complex and high investment standards or frameworks, especially at scale. Whilst not a replacement for recognised frameworks or standards like the Essential Eight or ISO 27001, the SMB1001 standard can be used in conjunction with or as a pathway to them.
“The SMB1001 standard fills a massive gap in the SME space. Through Huntress subsidising a number of these certification subscriptions, our partners can take their customers on a cybersecurity improvement journey and provide them with something tangible to prove their cybersecurity posture to the world,” said Reece Appleton, Regional Director APAC, Huntress.
“Some vendors think that bundling a few products will help MSPs differentiate. I believe partners that can demonstrate value and real cybersecurity outcomes for their customers are the ones who will differentiate, and this partnership will help them do that.”
As a testament to the success, Michael Gibby, Founder & Managing Director of SEQ IT, one of the early beneficiaries of the Huntress and CyberCert partnership, emphasises the transformative impact on his MSP business.
“The CyberCert and Huntress initiative has been instrumental for us in the industry. Not just a badge and a tool; it’s a strategic initiative that helps us differentiate ourselves in a crowded market,” he said.
