What Is Cyber Essentials and Why Would You Certify Your Business?

There are many things to consider when it comes to running a business. Sometimes, there are things you would not even think of, especially when it comes to securing your Internet space. In this article, we will cover what Cyber Essentials is, the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus and why you should consider certifying your business.

Cyber Essentials, What Is It?

Cyber Essentials is a scheme that has come into place. It has an aim to help you and your business protect against the most common security threats online. There are five different ways according to the Cyber Essentials NSCS website. They are the following;

• Using a firewall to protect your Internet connection.
• Check all of your devices and software and make sure that you are using the most secure settings and add any relevant missing passwords.
• Monitor how much control and access each member of staff has to the data and services.
• Make sure you are putting in place security against viruses and software.
• Update your services and software regularly.

Essentials & Plus Certification.

In order to achieve Cyber Essentials Certification, you need to be implementing the above bullet points for your business. This particular scheme is for businesses and organisations that need a basic level of protection. The Government and Industry put together this scheme so that there was a common ground and base point for protection against harmful viruses and activity online.

The Essentials scheme targets the most common threats online, from hacking, phishing and password guessing. It also protects data that is stored on the following software; desktop PCs and laptops, tablets and smart phones and all types of server and networking equipment. To be certified on this scheme you need to find a Certification body, make sure that you tick the essentials listed in the previous section and fill in a special questionnaire.

The Cyber Essentials Plus carries the same characteristics as the Cyber Essentials scheme, however the difference is that with the Plus, you are verified by independent experts. This is great for businesses that want to demonstrate a higher level of Internet protection. With this one, you usually get an extra internal scan and on-site assessment too.

Why Would I Get Certification?

You may be wondering why your business should get Cyber Essentials? Well, not only does it help to attract new leads and business as they can see that you find internet security an important trait of your business, but you can reassure your current customers and clients that you are keeping their data safe. With a Cyber Essentials Certification with a credited body, you also get Cyber Insurance, which helps to protect your company further adding benefits to this scheme in case anything does go wrong.

If you wanted to bid for certain government contracts, you would need to have a certification as it is required by certain local and national business contracts. Therefore, it would widen what you leads you could go for. The Cyber Essentials scheme is becoming increasingly important, especially since the changes in GDPR and how we keep data stored and secure. It is a wise and important security tool to consider for your business.

How Can You Tell If A Company Is Certified?

The NSCS Cyber Essentials website holds a list of organisations that have obtained the certificate in the last 12 months. You can get your organisation or business listed here too, where clients will be able to search for you and get that added reassurance