Why should my business become Cyber Essentials certified?

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification scheme designed to protect your business and safeguard internal data from cyber-attacks. It’s widely encouraged across industries and recommended by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as the minimum standard of cyber security for all organisations.

According to the NCSC, 7.7 million cyber-crimes were experienced by UK businesses over the past year; affecting nearly 50% of all organisations nationwide. These attacks are often deceivingly basic in nature, despite having detrimental consequences. In this guide, we’ll break down what Cyber Essentials is, why it matters, how to get certified, alongside sharing our expert’s advice to help your business stay secure.  

What is a Cyberattack? 

A cyberattack is a deliberate effort to infiltrate, disrupt, or compromise computer systems, networks, or digital devices. Typically, with the harmful intention of leaking sensitive data and stealing financial rewards. Every business is therefore a target, regardless of size or profit.  

But here’s the good news: strengthening and regularly updating your cybersecurity significantly reduces your chances of becoming a victim.  

Why Should My Business Become Cyber Essentials Certified? 

A single breach can rid you of customer trust and halt your success. 

Cyber Essentials helps organisations that may not be fully aware of their vulnerabilities to take their security seriously. It introduces straightforward but robust measures whilst reducing the risk of common threats like phishing, malware, and unauthorised access.  

The certification is affordable and is widely recognised. It can give your organisation a competitive edge while also improving internal awareness of cyber risks. Most importantly, it helps prevent costly breaches before they happen.  

Cyber Essentials Statistics 

*Data from The National Cyber Security Centre Data 

• 89% of organisations say they would recommend the Cyber Essentials scheme to others. 
• 88% report that Cyber Essentials has helped them better understand cyber security risks. 
• 69% of certified organisations believe the scheme has strengthened their competitive position in the market. 

How Does My Business Become Cyber Essentials Certified? 

Cyber security expertise like ours can help your organisation become Cyber Essentials compliant. Certification typically takes a minimum of one week and may extend to up to four weeks or more, depending on the level.  

You can choose between two levels of certification: 

• Cyber Essentials 
• Cyber Essentials Plus 

(Essentials is typically faster to certify, while Cyber Essentials Plus may require additional time and enhanced support.)  

Before a company can be awarded certification, the following five technical controls must be thoroughly implemented: 

1. Secure configuration: Ensuring systems are always set up in the most secure way possible to remove the chance of a gap in protection. 
2. User access control: Restricting access to data and services based on user roles to prevent internal misuse. 
3. Malware protection: Installing and maintaining cutting edge anti malware software to detect and prevent threats before they cause damage. 
4. Secure update management: Keeping software and devices regularly updated to close known loopholes. 
5. Firewall protection: A secure barrier between your systems and the internet to filter out malicious traffic. 

Additional Security Advice for Small Businesses 

To assist you further in strengthening your security, we’ve highlighted common concerns that go beyond the Cyber Essentials framework. Here are some of the questions our IT Experts are often asked. 

How can I protect my devices from malware, threats and security risks? 

Use BitDefender Security to safeguard.

How do I secure user accounts and company data? 

Enable Conditional Access to ensure company data is only accessed under predefined conditions, such as restricting access by location, device, and user risk. 

How can I protect my Office 365 users from phishing emails? 

Enable Safe links and Attachments to help prevent malicious links and attachments coming in on emails. 

How do I manage company devices? 

Use Microsoft Intune as a way to keep tabs on mobile and desktop devices. 

What’s the best way to protect in-house servers?

Install a hardware firewall to defend against external threats. 

How do I ensure my team uses strong passwords? 

Adopt a password manager like Keeper to enforce unique, secure credentials for all accounts. 

Final thoughts:

Becoming Cyber Essentials compliant is more than a tick-box exercise, it is a smart first step toward building a secure and resilient business. By doing this, you are proactive, in reducing potential threats, and a clear and public sign that your organisation is committed to protecting customer and internal data.

Cyber Essentials is not only a way to safeguard your systems; it also helps build trust. The scheme allows you to search a public register to verify whether the businesses you work with are certified and compliant.

We hope this guide has been useful. If you're ready to take the next step in securing your data, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and speak with our experts today.