Short answer. Absolutely!
If you already know that you want to achieve Cyber Essentials, that’s a great start! Jump down to “Our Approach to Getting you Cyber Essentials Certified” and we’ll give you an insight into the how.
If you’ve heard about Cyber Essentials and you’re curious but aren’t quite sure what it means for your business, you’re not alone. Many business owners wonder whether this certification is really necessary and what difference it could make to their day-to-day operations.
What Exactly is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification that helps businesses protect themselves against common cyber threats. Think of it like a digital health check for your company’s IT systems. It focuses on five critical security controls:
- Secure Configuration: Ensuring your devices and systems are set up with security in mind
- Boundary Firewalls and Internet Gateways: Controlling what can and can’t access your network
- Access Control: Managing who has permission to access your most important systems
- Malware Protection: Keeping viruses and harmful software at bay
- Patch Management: Keeping all your software and systems up to date with the latest security updates
Why Should My Business Care About Cyber Essentials?
Here’s a stat that might make you sit up: nearly half of UK small and medium businesses will experience a cyber attack. It’s not about if, but when. Cyber Essentials provides a solid foundation to securing your business:
1. Real Protection Against Cyber Threats
Let’s be frank: cyber attacks are increasingly common. Nearly half of UK small and medium businesses experience a cyber attack at some point. Cyber Essentials provides a solid framework to reduce your vulnerability, addressing the most common ways criminals try to break into business systems.
2. More Than Just a Fancy Certificate
Cyber Essentials isn’t just a piece of paper to hang on the wall. It’s a practical way to:
- Demonstrate to clients that you take cybersecurity seriously
- Comply with data protection regulations
- Open doors to new business opportunities, especially in the public sector
- Build trust with customers who are increasingly concerned about data security
3. A Competitive Edge
We are starting to see data breaches make headlines every week, showing you’ve invested in cybersecurity can set you apart from competitors. Many clients now view Cyber Essentials certification as a sign of a responsible, forward-thinking business.
Our Approach to Getting you Cyber Essentials Certified
Our approach is straightforward and designed to make your life easier:
1. We start by completing a Cyber Essentials gap analysis where we’ll thoroughly assess your current IT setup and identify any areas that need improvement
2. We then create a specific remediation plan to bring your systems up to the Cyber Essentials standard
3. At this stage we discuss together with you, whether to go ahead and implement the whole plan straight away or chip away at it over time
3. During our Technology Strategy Meetings, we provide you with a security score for each key area of technology in your business which includes cyber security
4. We then propose the next highest priority security improvement(s) that will have the greatest impact on reducing your security risk and move you closer to achieving or re-align you with Cyber Essentials standard
5. We manage the entire assessment so you don’t have to. We can liaise directly with your staff members where we need them and only provide actions for you to do if absolutely necessary
6. Even after Cyber Essentials has been achieved, we don’t stop there. Unlike an annual MOT, we continuously check your systems throughout the year. If anything falls below standard, we’ll proactively bring it back up to scratch
7. Best of all we offer simple, predictable pricing with one monthly fee covering everything – no surprise bills or extra charges for renewals (unless new equipment is needed).
A Real-World Example
We recently helped a client who thought Cyber Essentials wasn’t relevant to their industry. Then, unexpectedly, one of their major clients demanded all suppliers be certified. Because we’d been gradually working towards the standard, they achieved certification in just two weeks – avoiding potential contract loss and last-minute panic.
Is Cyber Essentials Right for Every Business?
While the certification is valuable for most companies, the security principles are universally important. We believe Cyber Essentials is a great framework to work towards, even if full certification isn’t immediately necessary. Because of that we work with you to align to Cyber Essentials standards so that if you ever do need to be Cyber Essentials certified, you are already a step ahead.
Remember, cyber threats don’t care how big or small your business is.
Ready to Protect Your Business?
Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. We’ll guide you through the process, explaining everything without the jargon, giving you peace of mind so you can concentrate on running and growing your business, not battling cyber threats.
