A Northland business owner asked me a fair question this week – “how do I actually prove we’re secure?”
Not a gut feeling. Proof.
27 controls, checked one at a time
So we ran the business through SMB1001 Gold – the NZ small-business cyber standard. 27 controls, checked one at a time:
- Multi-factor login (a code on your phone) on every account
- Encrypted laptops
- Machines kept patched
- Backups you can actually restore
- Staff trained to spot a dodgy email
The policy nobody expects
Part of it is having the right policies in place – including one on how your team can use AI.
When I showed him that one, he volunteered he’d spent the week pasting his contracts into the free version of ChatGPT – which can use whatever you type to train the model. His confidential wording, out the door.
That’s the whole game for us. Know IT & Prove IT.
Gold was one of the things we put in front of the judges when IT Live Northland made the final for Best Emerging Business at the 2026 Northland Business Excellence Awards.
Would your business pass?
If you’ve ever wondered whether your business would pass – or you just want to know where your gaps are – let’s have a chat. Nice and simple.
Take the free SMB1001 cyber readiness self-check, or get in touch and we’ll walk you through it.