CrowdStrike & CyberCert back SMB1001 for small firms

CrowdStrike has partnered with CyberCert to provide cybersecurity and certification support to small and medium-sized businesses in Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on readiness for the SMB1001 cybersecurity standard.

The partnership combines CrowdStrike's Falcon platform with CyberCert's certification services, giving managed security services partners a way to package security monitoring and certification support for smaller business customers.

Under the arrangement, managed providers can offer Falcon-based services alongside help for clients seeking SMB1001 certification. For a limited period, qualifying customers and managed security services partners will also be able to access complimentary SMB1001 certification credits.

CyberCert describes SMB1001 as a multi-level cybersecurity certification framework for small and midsized businesses. It is intended to help those businesses assess their cyber posture and improve it over time.

The partnership targets a part of the market that often lacks dedicated security teams and specialist expertise, despite facing many of the same cyber risks as larger organisations. Vendors and service providers have increasingly focused on smaller businesses as attacks on supply chains and outsourced providers have widened the range of potential entry points for attackers.

Channel focus

The companies are positioning the offering through managed security services partners rather than selling certification support directly to end customers. That approach reflects the role of service providers in the small business market, where external partners often manage security tools, compliance work and operational support.

For CrowdStrike, the deal adds a certification pathway to its partner-led security offering in Australia and New Zealand. For CyberCert, it expands the channels through which SMB1001 can reach smaller businesses that already rely on managed providers for cyber defence.

Jon Fox, Vice President of Channels and Alliances, CrowdStrike Japan and Asia Pacific, said smaller firms were under growing pressure from attackers using artificial intelligence.

"SMBs face increasingly sophisticated AI threats without the security resources of the world's largest enterprises," said Jon Fox, Vice President of Channels and Alliances, CrowdStrike Japan and Asia Pacific. "Together with CyberCert, we're giving MSSPs a powerful way to bring enterprise-grade, AI-native protection to more SMBs while helping customers advance their cybersecurity maturity."

Certification path

CyberCert said SMB1001 is designed specifically for smaller organisations and is recognised by insurers, enterprises and governments. Standards of this kind can help businesses show customers, supply-chain partners and underwriters that they have taken formal steps to manage cyber risk.

The new arrangement links that certification process with outsourced security services, a model that may appeal to businesses without internal security staff. It also gives managed providers a way to add assessment and certification work to existing endpoint, cloud or identity security services.

Ryan Ettridge, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CyberCert, said the link between cyber defence and standards compliance was becoming more important for smaller companies.

"Today's threat landscape demands SMBs strengthen their cybersecurity while keeping pace with evolving standards," said Ryan Ettridge, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CyberCert. "By partnering with CrowdStrike, we're enabling MSSPs to help SMBs progress toward SMB1001 certification while building stronger cyber defences with the Falcon platform."

The announcement highlights how cybersecurity suppliers are increasingly bundling technology, advisory support and formal standards work into partner-led offers for smaller businesses, which often need to balance cost pressures with customer and insurer demands for stronger cyber controls.