Cyber Essentials is mandatory for businesses looking for specific government contracts. Specifically those that handle personal information of any UK citizen,government employees ministers or payroll details s; i.e. bank details or home addresses. And deliver IT products or services designed to store, process, or transfer data at an official level.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) places further emphasis on businesses being Cyber Essentials certified and requires all its suppliers to comply with the Cyber Essentials scheme.

Should your business get a Cyber Essentials certification even if it is not mandatory for your business?

Yes.

Cyber Essentials is an increasingly important certification to achieve for all businesses of all sizes in the UK. Even where not mandatory, the rise of consumer and client awareness of the impacts of cyber attacks or the consequences of personal data breaches, have rightly seen an increased demand for evidence that your business takes its responsibilities seriously and invests in cyber protection.

Be prepared to be asked by your clients to prove that you are committed to maintaining cybersecurity and with Cyber Essentials certification being able to quickly respond to prove it.

There are additional benefits to achieving Cyber Essentials, other than bidding for a government or MOD contracts. For SMEs with little or no IT support or expertise, it provides a basic first step towards cybersecurity. Most SMEs lack adequate cybersecurity measures because they mistakenly feel that they will not be targeted. This is a misconception:

Computerbase can either work with your existing IT department to ensure you are ready or work on your behalf to bring your systems up to the required standard.

If you are ready and your systems meet the standards certification can be achieved same day.

Cyber Essentials is required every year. Our Cybersmart subscription service based on amount of users will monitor your systems daily to ensure your compliance throughout the year. This shows your commitment to your partners that  you have the essential security controls you need to have in place to reduce the risk posed by threats on the Internet. Organisations can then make this a selling point, demonstrating to their customers through the Cyber Essentials badge that they take cyber security seriously.

Since the dashboard is cloud based, you can get started in less than 30 minutes. Our fastest customers achieve certification same day!

The CyberSmart app ensures you stay compliant 24/7 and allows you to distribute polices to your team. It will reduce your exposure to the majority of the cyber threats by ensuring that your devices are up to date and secure.