Securing Your Service-Based Business: The Power of Cyber Essentials Accreditation

In the digital age, cybersecurity is no long a luxury, but a necessity for service-based businesses. One way to ensure robust security is through the Cyber Essentials accreditation. Below, we will explore the benefits of obtaining this accreditation, and how we can help you along the way.

What is the Cyber Essentials Accreditation?

The Cyber Essentials accreditation (or scheme) is the UK government’s answer to the rising threat of cyber-attacks on businesses. Obtaining this accreditation is proof that your business has undergone the necessary training and implemented their five basic security controls. In essence, it is an incentive to make yourself more secure and less susceptible to cyber-attacks.

The scheme is aimed at reducing the impact of the following types of threats:

• Phishing attacks
• Malware
• Ransomware
• Password-guessing attacks
• Network attacks

The Benefits of Cyber Essentials Accreditation

According to the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre), having the Cyber Essentials accreditation will help protect your business against 80% of common cyber threats. It does this by providing you with a framework for basic cybersecurity hygiene to ensure that you business’s digital assets are secure. A lot of this protection comes down to training you and your staff for what to look for in the day-to-day.

More often than not, cyber-attacks come in the form of phishing emails sent out en mass, which then get opened by unassuming people or businesses. The scheme trains you to be more mindful of what you click on, share, or enter your details into.

In an era where data breaches are common, being able to demonstrate that you have the Cyber Essentials accreditation signals to your clients that you take cybersecurity seriously. Afterall, would you rather put your faith – and your money – with a business that can prove its commitment to preventing cyber-attacks, or one that can’t?

By obtaining this accreditation, you are opening the door to prospective clients, as more and more contracts will require it of you. The UK government also requires it, and being certified will bolster your chances when it comes to bidding for contracts.

How We Can Help You Get Started

It’s our job to make your life easier when it comes to your IT systems and security. Part of our role includes helping you obtain your accreditation.

Together, we will work with your business to ensure that you are certified through the scheme and provided with the necessary support to do this as efficiently as possible. As your IT support provider, we can help you by:

• Finding Vulnerabilities: We will conduct a thorough audit of your IT systems to find any vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
• Implementing Security Measures: Based on the results of the audit, we can implement the necessary security measures to meet the Cyber Essentials standards.
• Providing Ongoing Support: Cybersecurity is not a one-time task, but requires ongoing maintenance. As your IT support provider, we can give you continuous support, ensuring your business is still compliant with the Cyber Essentials standards well into the future.

After all, obtaining this accreditation is not just about a certificate, but withstanding threats from cyber-attacks, and these can happen at any time.

Preparing for Cyber Essentials Accreditation

Whilst it is our responsibility to take you through this process and get you to the point where you are certified, there are steps that you can take for your business to prepare.

• Understand the Requirements: Familiarise yourself with the Cyber Essentials requirements. This will give you a clear understanding of what is expected of you to obtain and maintain this accreditation.
• Conduct a Self-Assessment: This will help you to find where your business currently stands in terms of cybersecurity and where any weak points are that we can address as part of our comprehensive service.
• Create a Cybersecurity Policy: We will work with you to develop a clear cybersecurity policy that outlines how your business will support cybersecurity hygiene. We also offer backup and disaster recovery packages that will help to see you through, should the worst happen.
• Train Your Staff: Cybersecurity is a team effort. Together, we will ensure your staff is trained and understands its importance and their role in protecting your business.

The Cyber Essentials accreditation is not just an additional benefit or certificate that you are considering obtaining in order to impress clients, it could be the very thing that protects your business from the barrage of cyber-attacks that small-mediums enterprises are faced with in this modern age. Please get in touch to let us know how we can help you to defend against all manner of cybersecurity threats.