Baidam, a leading First Nations information technology provider, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AUSCERT, one of Australia’s oldest and most trusted not-for-profit cyber emergency response teams based at The University of Queensland (UQ). The partnership aims to uplift Australia’s cybersecurity community through mutual trust, technical collaboration, and a shared commitment to creating meaningful change.
A relationship built on shared values
Under the agreement, Baidam and AUSCERT will focus their collaboration on five key areas: cyber threat intelligence; incident response; phishing takedowns; security capability training across technical, risk, and executive functions; and joint events.
The agreement formalises a relationship that has been quietly growing since 2019, when the two organisations first came together during NAIDOC Week. What began as an informal alignment of values has evolved into a structured, twelve-month partnership framework built on honesty and people who genuinely care about the greater good.
Beau Hodge, CEO of Baidam, highlights the underlying mission of the collaboration: “At Baidam, we believe technology is most impactful when it’s driven by people and purpose. This partnership with AUSCERT reflects our shared commitment to creating meaningful change – not just for customers, but for the communities we serve. We aim to deliver impactful social and financial returns that help bridge the gap for Australia’s First Nations Peoples while strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity resilience.”
Combining complementary technical strengths
Sharing a strong moral alignment, the partnership combines the complementary strengths of both groups. For over thirty years, AUSCERT has maintained a vendor-agnostic position, providing threat intelligence, awareness training, and member engagement. Baidam complements this by excelling in incident response, technical integration, and service packaging.
Dr David Stockdale, Director of Cyber Security at The University of Queensland, echoes Hodge’s sentiment of mutual respect: “What makes Baidam different is that they gave before they took. That’s rare. This partnership is founded on a genuine desire to help the other party succeed, and that is what makes it so meaningful. We’re not just formalising a commercial arrangement – we’re recognising a relationship built on honesty, shared purpose, and people who genuinely care.”
