Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials is a new Government-backed and industry supported scheme to guide businesses in protecting themselves against cyber threats.

The Cyber Essentials scheme provides businesses small and large with clarity on good basic cyber security practice. By focusing on basic cyber hygiene, your company will be better protected from the most common cyber threats.

Cyber Essentials is for all organisations, of all sizes, and in all sectors – we encourage all to adopt the requirements as appropriate to their business. This is not limited to companies in the private sector, but is also applicable to universities, charities, and public sector organisations.

Cyber Essentials is mandatory for central government contracts advertised after 1 October 2014 which involve handling personal information and providing certain ICT products and services. Find out more here.

The Cyber Essentials scheme has been developed as part of the UK’s National Cyber Security Programme and in close consultation with industry.

Whether your organisation seeks to attain either of these or simply to self-assess and apply the controls will depend on your business drivers and the level of rigour you need or want to demonstrate.

Cyber Essentials documents are FREE to download and any organisation can use the guidance to implement essential security controls, but some may want or need to gain independent assurance that they have fully deployed the controls. Organisations that have been successfully independently assessed or tested through the scheme’s assurance framework will attain a Cyber Essentials certification badge. This will help you demonstrate to customers, partners or clients that your company takes cyber security seriously – boosting reputations and providing a competitive selling point.