Our story
Scandinavian Business Certification was founded on a simple idea: to create a modern certification body with minimal administration, designed to better meet customer needs.
Certification as It Should Be
Scandinavian Business Certification (SBcert) was established in 2014 by Peter Hallberg and Ulf Nordstrand. With extensive experience on both the customer and auditing sides of the certification process, they laid the foundation for a new way of working. At the time, the industry was dominated by larger players, often burdened by outdated administration and cumbersome bureaucracy.
“The entire industry carries a legacy, a way of working rooted in how government agencies operate. We saw a huge need to bring in the customer’s perspective. Just because you have an independent and reviewing function doesn’t mean the process needs to be unnecessarily complicated or difficult to manage,” says Peter Hallberg.
Less Paperwork, Greater Flexibility
The solution was to optimize everything that could be optimized. From the start, the business was built to reduce administration. Instead of being bogged down by paperwork and lengthy processes, the company would use modern methods, digital tools, and a more flexible structure.
“We wanted to focus on what was important to customers: high-quality audits with broad expertise across different industries, along with clarity in both pricing and the process itself,” says Peter Hallberg.
After a few initial years of stable organic growth, Sten Boman joined the ownership duo in 2017, a highly significant partnership that elevated SBcert to the next level.
“Sten brought new energy and expertise, along with a large network of clients and auditors. Within a year, we doubled our revenue,” says Ulf Nordstrand.
Practicing What You Preach
Optimized processes and strong customer insight have paved the way for SBcert’s growth journey. Since its inception, SBcert has certified over a thousand organizations. Today, the company has long-standing collaborations with several industry organizations and operates in Germany, Norway, Iceland, and Finland. The network of team members includes a unique breadth of skills and experience, and SBcert is accredited to issue certificates for the most widely used standards. Information security has become a key niche, where SBcert is likely the leading player in the Nordic region.
“We’ve built a strong brand in this area, which is great because the demand for IT security continues to grow in society. The qualification requirements for an auditor are tough, it requires technical expertise and continuous professional development. You need experience in operations or development,” says Ulf Nordstrand, himself an information security auditor.
Alongside its focus on growth, SBcert has always prioritized competence and credibility. The company employs no dedicated salespeople, marketing has been kept to a minimum, and all owners are actively involved in the core business as auditors.
“Partly because it’s enjoyable, but also because it’s crucial for quality. If you’re not actively involved yourself, you lose touch with reality. As business leaders, we get direct feedback on how the company is performing and what customers find important,” says Sten Boman.
A Unique Relationship
Ulf, Peter, and Sten agree that the company’s long-term success is rooted in a deep respect and understanding of both the customer’s and auditor’s perspectives, especially given the unique relationship between certification bodies and their clients.
“As a customer, you’re buying the service of being reviewed, which is naturally an unusual and challenging situation. It’s incredibly important to have trust in the person coming to your business, to have a dialogue, and to share a common goal of improving the organization’s performance and profitability,” concludes Peter Hallberg.
Certification Process
Transfer to SBcert
If you are already certified, you can easily transfer to SBcert through a transfer audit. The transfer is usually conducted alongside your regular surveillance audit or recertification. No additional time or costs are incurred beyond the standard audit.