Cyber Essentials was established in 2014 and is the only UK Government endorsed cyber certification. It was created for SMEs to help them reduce their risk to the most common cyber-attacks and it is known to reduce this risk by a massive 80%.
The main key benefits of becoming certified are:
- You identify your own organisations cyber vulnerabilities. Allowing you to take proactive action to protect your business from ever increasing cyber-crime.
- You will be in a position to win new business, specifically public sector/government contracts where, being Cyber Essentials certified is now a mandatory requirement for bids on work which involves the transfer of personal data.
- You provide reassurance to your customers and suppliers that you take cyber security seriously, offering them peace of mind that they are in safe hands when they deal with you.
There are two levels of certification that your business can apply for:
Cyber Essentials (Basic): the standard Cyber Essentials certification is a self-assessment questionnaire and is reviewed externally. It has 5 baseline checks which are as follows:
Boundary firewalls and internet access gates
Protect against malware
Managing updates
Secure setup
Controlled access
Cyber Essentials starts from just £299 per year. Although it is a self-assessment based process, for a small additional fee, our experts here at Bluegrass Group offer a guided process to ensure you answer the questions correctly, avoiding any failed submissions.
Download the Cyber Essentials Basic PDF now.
Cyber Essentials Plus: this includes all the assessment for the Cyber Essentials certification but system tests are carried out by an external certifying body and include an internal scan and an on-site assessment of your infrastructure, specifically focusing on workstations and mobile devices. It has the same requirements as the basic certification, but you also need these 5 additional levels of protection:
Firewalls
Secure setup
Command of User Access
Protect against malware
Patch management
Cyber Essentials Plus starts at £1,999 per year and is a completely guided process. It includes a dedicated Account Manager and up to 10% off Cyber Insurance – offering further peace of mind should your business need it.
Download the Cyber Essentials Plus PDF now.
Certification for both lasts 12 months from completion.
By having the Cyber Essentials Certification you not only protect your business against 80% of Cyber Attacks but you also increase your potential to work with a wider range of customers and suppliers.
