Master Integrator has partnered with CyberCert to help systems integration businesses across Australia and New Zealand strengthen their cybersecurity practices, offering ten complimentary Bronze certifications to eligible participants.

The certifications are based on the SMB1001 cybersecurity standard, a framework designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Its Bronze level focuses on foundational cyber hygiene, including firewalls, endpoint protection, software updates, strong passwords, backups and staff awareness.

Master Integrator founder and managing director Paul Skelton says cybersecurity should be considered a core responsibility for systems integration businesses.

“Our industry installs and supports technology that sits at the heart of homes, workplaces and increasingly essential services. We connect networks, devices and systems that people rely on every day. That means cybersecurity cannot be somebody else’s problem. It has to be part of how we design, install, document and support every project,” he says.

“These ten complimentary Bronze certifications are a starting point, and I want them to encourage a much broader conversation about raising standards across Australia and New Zealand.”

The collaboration follows Master Integrator’s recent appointment of Aegis Cybersecurity as its Official Cybersecurity Advisory Partner. The two initiatives are intended to provide integrators with both specialist advice and a structured pathway to demonstrate improvements in their cybersecurity practices.

CyberCert co-founder and chief executive Ryan Ettridge says the SMB1001 framework provides businesses with a pathway to improve their cybersecurity practices over time: “We’re proud to support Master Integrator members and help them build the confidence to do what they do best, with a cyber community standing behind this community.”

“Integrators hold the keys to the systems their clients rely on every day, and most are already doing many of the right things. SMB1001 gives them a clear, proportionate pathway that starts at Bronze and grows with them, and certification helps them evidence the steps they’ve taken. These ten Bronze certifications are a great start, and we’d love to see them build momentum right across the industry in Australia and New Zealand.”

Master Integrator will invite expressions of interest from Australian and New Zealand systems integration businesses. Application details, eligibility criteria and allocation arrangements will be published on the organisation’s website.