Cybercrime is continually on the rise, threatening to attack and compromise data at any time. The risk of cyberattacks such as ransomware attacks and data breaches is becoming more significant for businesses of all sizes.
Cyber Essentials is an important measure to protect your business from cyber threats. It’s an effective, Government backed scheme that will help protect your business, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks. The scheme provides a set of basic cyber security controls that businesses can put in place to help protect themselves against the most common cyber threats. These controls include:
- Firewall configuration
- Secure configuration
- Access control
- Malware protection
- Patch management
Achieving Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates to customers, suppliers, and stakeholders that a business takes cybersecurity seriously and has implemented essential cybersecurity controls. It provides a level of assurance that correct measures have been put in place to help secure systems and data and also demonstrates a commitment to protect against cybercrime.
Top benefits of achieving the Cyber Essentials certifications:
- Increased security: Helps identify and address vulnerabilities, which in turn improves their overall security posture. The certification ensures that businesses are implementing basic cybersecurity measures and provides reassurance to clients and stakeholders that the organisation is taking cyber threats seriously.
- Competitive advantage: Cyber Essentials certification can help businesses stand out from their competitors by demonstrating their commitment to cybersecurity. It can also make it easier for businesses to work with larger companies and government organisations who require their suppliers to have Cyber Essentials certification.
- Improved reputation: Certification can help businesses build trust and confidence with their clients and stakeholders, improve their reputation and increase customer loyalty.
- Reduced costs: Implementing the Cyber Essentials requirements can help businesses to reduce the likelihood of a cyber attack, which can save them money in the long term. Cyber attacks can be costly in terms of financial losses, reputational damage, and legal fees, so investing in cybersecurity measures can be a cost-effective way to protect the business.
- Compliance: In some cases, Cyber Essentials certification is required by law or contract. It is often a requirement for bidding on government contracts or working with certain industries, such as healthcare or financial services. Having the certification can help your organisation meet these compliance requirements.
- ‘Free’ cyber insurance: Essentially, holding this certification serves as an incentive for insurance companies to offer insurance coverage at no cost (up to a certain limit, and subject to the insurance company’s terms & conditions), given the newly implemented and robust security controls. What’s more, insurance companies are now more frequently posing questions about cyber security to make sure that businesses have taken the appropriate steps to ‘protect’, ‘detect’, ‘identify’, ‘respond’, and ‘recover’ (in accordance with the NIST framework). Cyber Essentials gives you tangible proof of having these measures in place.*
- Increased security for hybrid workers: A significant number of employees across a wide range of industries are now working remotely. As a result, layered security models which historically protected business’ primary place of work (i.e. the office), no longer fully extend robustly to a geographically dispersed workforce. Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus take this into consideration, with measures and controls which prioritise data protection and information security.
Certification process
The certification process involves completing a self-assessment questionnaire or undergoing an external audit to ensure that the necessary cyber security controls are in place. Once a business has achieved Cyber Essentials certification, it can display the Cyber Essentials badge on its website and marketing materials, demonstrating its commitment to cyber security.
Ultimately, achieving Cyber Essentials certification is crucial for businesses seeking to safeguard their systems and data from cyber threats. It provides a set of basic cyber security controls that businesses can implement to protect against the most common cyber threats, and demonstrates a commitment to cyber security to stakeholders. Certification can also provide several other benefits, including identifying potential vulnerabilities, demonstrating compliance, and providing a competitive advantage.
*Insurance not provided by Frontline Consultancy and Business Services. Insurance criteria will be subject to terms and conditions outlined by selected third party Insurance provider.
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