SMB1001 Certification in NZ — Prove Your Cyber Security at LiveSecure Gold
Certify your business against SMB1001 (the cyber security standard built for small & medium business) and show insurers & customers you take security seriously.
More NZ businesses are being asked to prove their cyber security — by insurers, by larger customers & by supply chains. SMB1001 certification is how you prove it, without the cost & complexity of enterprise standards. IT Live gets our managed clients to the Gold tier — we call it LiveSecure Gold — by evidencing the protections you already have & closing the gaps that remain.
What SMB1001 & LiveSecure Gold actually are
SMB1001 is a tiered cyber security standard designed for small & medium business. It runs across five levels — Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum & Diamond — so you certify at the level that fits you today & step up over time. Gold is the top tier a normal SME (small & medium enterprise) can reach by self-attestation, and it covers the controls that matter most — access, backup, patching, email security, policies & staff training.
LiveSecure Gold is our name for getting you there. We run a full SMB1001:2026 Gold gap assessment, show you exactly where you stand, then help you close the gaps until you can certify with confidence.
Why get certified
Insurers are asking
Several cyber-insurance providers now want proof of baseline security before they cover you — and some price it in. A recognised certification is far stronger evidence than ticking boxes on a form.
Customers & supply chains are asking
Larger customers increasingly require proof of cyber security before they’ll work with you. Certification lets you answer that question on page one of a tender, not scramble for it later.
It’s a real standard, not a badge
SMB1001 is maintained by Dynamic Standards International & updated every year to keep pace with new threats. Certifying against it shows you’re managing cyber risk to a genuine, current benchmark.
Where Gold sits — and why it's the right target
Achievable for a normal SME
Unlike ISO 27001 (the heavyweight international security standard), SMB1001 was built for businesses without a dedicated security team. Gold is a real, meaningful tier — but it’s reachable without months of documentation or a big-ticket audit. That’s the whole point of the standard.
More than a technical checklist
The Essential Eight (Australia’s eight technical mitigations) is a strong technical baseline, and Gold covers that ground & more — extending into policies, third-party agreements & staff training. You end up with security that holds up across the whole business, not just the servers.
What the Gold assessment covers
Access & identity
We confirm MFA (multi-factor authentication) & sensible access controls are in place across your accounts. This is the single biggest lever against account takeover.
Backup & recovery
We check your backups are running, protected & actually restorable. Certification wants evidence you can recover, not just a hope that you can.
Patching & devices
We verify systems & devices are kept up to date & properly managed. Unpatched software is one of the most common ways in.
Endpoint & email protection
We confirm your endpoint protection & email security are doing their job. Most attacks on small business still start with an email.
Policies & processes
We make sure the standard’s required policies exist & are written down — including responsible AI use & third-party agreements. Good security needs to survive a staff change.
Education & training
We check your team is getting regular security awareness training. Your people are your first line, so the standard treats them that way.
How it works
1. Self-check
Start with our free 2-minute self-check to see roughly where you sit. It’s the smallest possible first step & it costs you nothing.
2. Gap assessment
We run a full SMB1001:2026 Gold gap assessment against your environment. You get a clear picture of what’s already in place & exactly what’s left to close.
3. Close the gaps & certify
For most managed clients the controls are already running — so this is mostly evidencing & tidying loose ends. We close the remaining gaps with you, then you certify at Gold.
What it costs
It depends on your starting point. If you’re already a managed client, much of the groundwork is done — so the work is evidencing & closing gaps rather than building from scratch, and the cost reflects that. Tell us where you are & we’ll quote it properly, with no surprises.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMB1001 recognised in New Zealand?
Yes. SMB1001 is an international standard designed for small & medium business, and NZ insurers & customers recognise it as proof of baseline cyber security — the same way businesses use it across Australia & the UK.
How is Gold different from Bronze or Silver?
Each tier builds on the one below it. Bronze covers the basics & Silver adds to them, while Gold is the top self-attested tier — the strongest level you can reach without an external audit. It’s the right target for most SMEs that want to prove real security.
Do I need SMB1001 if I already have good IT?
Good security & proof of good security are two different things. You may already run the controls the standard requires — certification is what lets you demonstrate it to an insurer or customer who asks. That’s often the gap we’re closing.
How is this different from ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 is the enterprise standard — comprehensive, but heavy, slow & expensive for a smaller business. SMB1001 gives you a genuine, recognised certification that’s actually achievable for an SME, and Gold sits at the top of that scale.
How long does it take to reach Gold?
It depends on how much is already in place. For a managed client running MFA, backup, patching & the rest, it’s largely evidencing & closing a few gaps. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe after the gap assessment.
Do you only do this for managed clients?
LiveSecure Gold is built around our managed clients, because we already run the controls the standard needs — see our certifications. If you’re not with us yet, the best starting point is the self-check, then a conversation about your cyber security.
See where you stand — then let's close the gap
Start with the free 2-minute self-check. If Gold is within reach, we’ll show you the shortest path to it.
Phone: +64 9 280 1780
Email: sales@itlive.co.nz