Cyber Essentials Certification: Safeguard your business against digital threats

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme that helps businesses protect themselves from the most common cyber attacks. It is a five-step process that covers the following areas:

• Boundary firewalls and internet gateways

• Secure configuration

• Access control

• Malware protection

• Incident management

What is the Cyber Essentials Register?

The Cyber Essentials Register is a publicly accessible database that contains information about organisations that have achieved Cyber Essentials accreditation. It serves as a repository of businesses committed to maintaining robust cybersecurity practices.

The benefits of Cyber Essentials accreditation extend far beyond mere compliance. It provides peace of mind to both customers and stakeholders, assuring them that the organisation takes cybersecurity seriously. This can be a crucial factor in building trust and maintaining a positive reputation in today's data-driven business environment.

There are a number of reasons why you should get Cyber Essentials certified, including:

• To protect your business from cyber attacks

• To comply with government and industry regulations

• To win new business opportunities

To get started with Cyber Essentials, simply choose one of our packages, We will then guide you through every step of the way to ensure you pass Cyber Essentials first time - including providing any new policies or training needed for your team.

The time it takes to get Cyber Essentials certified will vary depending on the size and complexity of your business. However, we can help you to achieve compliance as quickly as possible.

Cyber Essentials certification is valid for 12 months. After 12 months, you will need to recertify to maintain your compliance.

This is because cyber threats are constantly evolving, and Cyber Essentials certification ensures that your business is protected against the latest threats.

We recommend that you start the recertification process a few months before your certification expires. This will give you enough time to address any areas where your business needs to improve and to ensure that you are ready for the recertification assessment.

We can help you with the recertification process, and we will provide you with support and guidance throughout.

Yes, Cyber Essentials is definitely worth it. It is a relatively simple and inexpensive way to protect your business from the most common cyber attacks.

Cyber Essentials certification is also required by many businesses and government organisations in the UK, so it can help you to win new business opportunities.

In addition, Cyber Essentials certification can give your customers peace of mind knowing that your business is taking steps to protect their data.

Here are some of the benefits of Cyber Essentials:

• Protection from cyber attacks: Cyber Essentials helps you to protect your business from the most common cyber attacks, such as phishing, malware, and ransomware.

• Compliance: Cyber Essentials compliance is required by many businesses and government organisations in the UK.

• Peace of mind: Knowing that your business is protected from cyber attacks can give you peace of mind.

• Competitive advantage: Cyber Essentials certification can give you a competitive advantage over businesses that are not certified.

• Increased customer confidence: Cyber Essentials certification can help to increase customer confidence in your business.

If you are serious about protecting your business from cyber attacks, then Cyber Essentials certification is a must-have for businesses.

What is the Cyber Essentials cost?

The Cyber Essentials certification cost can vary depending on the package you choose. Our packages start from £50 per month. However, the investment in Cyber Essentials is often considered a worthwhile expenditure given its significance in bolstering cybersecurity.

Cyber Essentials is not mandatory for all businesses in the UK, but it is required by many government departments and agencies for suppliers that handle sensitive or personal data. It is also required by many businesses for their suppliers, and it is becoming increasingly common for businesses to require Cyber Essentials certification from their suppliers.

In addition, Cyber Essentials is a good way to demonstrate to customers and stakeholders that your business is taking steps to protect itself from cyber attacks. This can be important for winning new business and maintaining customer trust.

Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are both government-backed schemes that help businesses to protect themselves from cyber attacks. However, there are some key differences between the two schemes.

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment scheme, which means that businesses can assess their own compliance against the Cyber Essentials requirements and this is verified by a certification body (like Cool Waters Cyber).

Cyber Essentials Plus, on the other hand, is an audited scheme, which means that businesses must have their compliance audited by a certification body to verify that all the controls are in place.

The controls for Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus are exactly the same but the level of assurance is different. Cyber Essentials Plus offers a higher level of assurance as the controls have been checked by a third party to ensure they are correctly implemented. You must have passed Cyber Essentials within the last three months to be able to apply for Cyber Essentials Plus.

Cyber Essentials and ISAME Cyber Assurance are both related to cybersecurity, but they have different scopes and focuses.

Cyber Essentials primarily focuses on basic technical cybersecurity controls, while IASME Cyber Assurance certification encompasses a broader range of cybersecurity aspects, including organisational and process-related controls.

IASME Cyber Assurance builds on Cyber Essentials and you must already have Cyber Essentials in place before you can apply for Cyber Assurance.

IASME Cyber Assurance is designed to be a lower cost alternative to ISO 27001 for small-medium sized organisations.