The UK Government developed the Cyber Essentials scheme. It gives small to medium-sized businesses a simple and affordable way of achieving a good standard of cybersecurity. With five critical technical controls, Cyber Essentials can help you protect your company against 80% of common cyber attacks. This is the ideal first step for any organisation’s cyber security journey.
You can gain two levels of Cyber Essentials certification; Cyber Essentials Basic and Cyber Essentials Plus. The Plus certification holds greater credibility. It involves an external audit carried out by an official Certification Body to ensure that organisation meets the required standards.
The Benefits of Cyber Essentials
By getting Cyber Essentials certification, you are reassuring customers that you are working to secure your IT against cyber-attacks.
You are able to attract new business with the promise you have cybersecurity measures in place. If you would like to bid for government contracts you need Cyber Essentials. Additionally, if you are handling sensitive and personal information or proving certain technical products and services, Cyber Essentials Certification will help.
Choosing to use a standard like Cyber Essentials lays the foundations of your business’s cybersecurity strategy It allows you to better understand your business needs and utilise the correct solutions to protect against your identified risks.
This saves you money by reducing the purchase of products and solutions that are irrelevant. It ensures you have a framework on which you can base future security decisions, and ensures that any investment made is going to deliver a measurable outcome.
"Getting our Cyber Essentials certification with Sussex Tech Support was straight forward. The way they set up and secured our IT meant we had nearly all of the pieces of the puzzle already in place."
What does Cyber Essentials Focus on?
Boundary Firewalls & Internet Gateways
Cyber Essentials requires all devices connected to the internet to be protected with a firewall.
Secure Configuration
Your settings will more secure making it harder for hackers to break into your systems.
Access Control
You are able to control which team members can see what data.
Malware Protection
Cyber Essentials will help protect your data from viruses, malware and other cyber threats to your business.
Patch Management
It is crucial to have all devices your routinely updated to ensure vulnerabilities are found and solved.
Questions about Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a UK Government backed scheme that will protect your business whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber threats by implementing a specific set of technical requirements. It’s a great place to start securing your business and leads on to Cyber Essentials Plus, or even ISO 27001.
Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus: what's the difference?
There are two levels of certification. Both identify you and your business as taking cybersecurity and threats to your IT systems and data seriously.
Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment option designed to protect against a wide variety of cyber threats. Implementing the Cyber Essentials technical requirements shows you are increasing your cyber security defences and therefore decreasing the risk of cyber-attack.
Cyber Essentials Plus implements all of the technical requirements of Cyber Essentials but includes verification by an independent third party.
How will this benefit my business?
ou will be reassuring customers that you are working to make your IT and data secure against cyber threats. You’ll have a clearer picture of your business’s cybersecurity level. You will be able to attract new business with the promise that you have cybersecurity measures in place.
Do I need this for working with the UK Government?
Some Government departments may require Cyber Essentials certification. At a minimum, a business must demonstrate it has the necessary controls in place. Unfortunately, there isn’t a standard response for all Government departments. It’s best to check with the department you deal with.
How much is Cyber Essentials Certification?
The cost of Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification is dependent upon the number of employees in your business. The cost ranges from £300 + VAT to £500 + VAT. Cyber Essentials Plus also has the additional cost of independent verification.
How long does certification last?
Your Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification is issued by the IASME consortium and lasts 12 months.
How is it different from ISO 27001?
Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001 both aim to protect information resources within your business. Cyber Essentials looks at the protection of data and programs on networks, servers, workstations and other essential IT infrastructure covered. ISO 27001 covers all information regardless of where it is found. This includes paper, information systems, digital media, etc.
To see how Sussex Tech Support can help with Cyber Essentials Certification
