What is SMB1001
SMB1001 is more than a technical checklist, it's a benchmark of business maturity. By aligning clients to this global standard, Optimus empowers them to scale confidently, securely, and with consistent IT excellence.
The New Standard for Operational Maturity
When it comes to IT operations, many small and mid-sized businesses still operate on a patchwork of habits, vendors, and “it’ll do for now” decisions. It works, until it doesn’t.
That’s why Optimus is adopting SMB1001, a globally recognised IT service standard, as our foundational model for client environments.
SMB1001 helps organisations move from ad hoc and reactive IT to structured, measurable, and scalable operations. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about building a resilient digital foundation that supports growth, compliance, and confidence.
What is SMB1001?
SMB1001 is a certification framework specifically designed for small and medium businesses. It aligns closely with the pillars of ISO 27001 and NIST, but translates enterprise-scale governance into actionable, relevant practices for SMBs.
The standard covers key operational areas such as:
- Device management and patching
- Identity and access control
- Backup and disaster recovery
- Endpoint protection
- Network configuration
- Compliance alignment (e.g. 2FA, encryption, password policy)
- End-user training and awareness
Importantly, SMB1001 isn’t just a one-off audit, it supports ongoing improvement and accountability, making it ideal for organisations that see IT as a strategic enabler.
Why Optimus is Standardising on SMB1001
At Optimus, we’re moving away from bespoke-by-default. Instead, we’re shifting towards an intentional architecture for client environments. Standardisation is a cornerstone of that vision and SMB1001 gives us a proven industry-aligned framework to work from.
Here's what that unlocks:
Security Without the Guesswork
Security controls are only as good as their implementation. SMB1001 ensure every base is covered, from MFA enforcement to system hardening, with clear benchmarks and remediation steps.
Repeatability at Scale
When every environment follows as common playbook, issues get resolved faster, updates are smoother, and onboarding is seamless. That means less friction, fewer outages, and stronger business continuity.
Better Reporting, Better Decisions
SMB1001 allows us to benchmark maturity, risk posture, and gaps across your IT estate. That means clearer visibility for boards, auditors and stakeholders and more strategic decision-making.
Alignment with Modern Compliance Needs
Even if you're not regulated now, the baseline expectations for privacy and data security are rising globally. SMB1001 helps future-proof your business by aligning with best-practice controls used in ISO and CIS.
A Consistent Client Experience
When all clients are aligned to a shared standard, every service we deliver from helpdesk to proactive reviews becomes faster, sharper, and more valuable.
What this Means for You
We’re now working with all Optimus clients to align environments to the SMB1001 standard. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all implementation, but it is a consistent foundation.
Depending on your current maturity, we’ll guide you through a structured uplift program that may include:
- Formalising device management and security policies
- Implementing patching and monitoring across all assets
- Enhancing backup verification and disaster readiness
- Enabling advanced identity protection features (like conditional access)
- Reviewing and remediating configuration drift across your network
From there, we’ll provide regular reporting and benchmarking so you can track your maturity over time.
Our goal? To ensure every Optimus client is operating from a secure, manageable, and scalable platform, not just reacting to problems but building confidently for the future.
The Bottom Line
Technology should be a growth enabler, not a liability. SMB1001 helps us make that a reality for every client we work with by embedding operational excellence into the way your business runs.
We’re excited to roll this out as part of our core service approach, and we’ll be in touch soon to begin the conversation for your environment.
