April 6th 2023
WHAT IS CYBER ESSENTIALS AND WHY DO YOU NEED IT?
Welcome to the second edition of our cyber security series. As part of staying protected from cyber attacks, organisations should follow recognised standards that implement security and compliance measures in place. Cyber Essentials, a cyber security standard, originates from the UK’s National Cyber Security Strategy which is aimed at making the UK’s cyberspace a safer place to do business. Available to organisations of any size and sector, Cyber Essentials is a crucial certification for those looking to continue doing business without the risk of potential cyber-attacks.
In this blog, we will discuss what Cyber Essentials is, the certifications available and how it will benefit your organisation in the long run.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-led scheme that ensures your organisation is protected from various common cyber threats. Organisations in particular are vulnerable to attacks from cyber criminals due to poor security measures in place. In the last year alone, 39% of UK businesses were impacted by an attack in the previous year. These attacks included data breaches and attacks such as phishing, viruses, spyware and malware.
As more businesses are seeing cyber security as a high priority, Cyber Essentials will help guard you against these common attacks by completing a certification in either Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus. Find out what these certifications involve below.
What Are the Levels of Certifications Available?
Cyber Essentials Certificate
This is a foundation-level certificate which shows the basic level of controls your organisation has put in place to avoid the risk of common cyber threats. You will need to complete an online self-assessment questionnaire which will highlight whether you know how to address weak IT security and prevent typical cyber attacks.
A representative of your organisation will first answer a set of questions on the main 5 elements of Cyber Essentials. Once all the necessary information has been provided, a member of your senior team or board will need to sign a declaration to confirm the accuracy of the answers given. A qualified assessor from Lily will review the answers via a secure online assessment platform and award you with the certificate if successful.
Cyber Essentials Plus Certificate
This is the highest level certification that involves a more rigorous assessment of your current cyber security measures. You will complete the same Cyber Essentials self-assessment questionnaire but will also have a technical expert from Lily conducting an audit of your IT systems.
Our IT specialist will conduct an on-site survey and technical verification to ensure your systems are secure, which will help you identify any cyber issues that you did not address or were unaware of during your self-assessment form. By going with Cyber Essentials Plus, you will get advanced insight into your security and ensure you are meeting the relevant standards.
Before going ahead with the Cyber Essentials self-assessment, we recommend completing the Cyber Essentials readiness toolkit provided by the NCSC. Once you have completed the revision toolkit, you will receive a personal action plan to help you get prepared and move towards achieving the Cyber Essentials requirements.
The Benefits of a Cyber Essentials Certification
A Cyber Essentials Certification will benefit your organisation in many ways. It will help protect you against common cyber threats, prepare you for being GDPR compliant and demonstrates that you take cyber security seriously.
By showing that you comply with a cyber security standard, you will also be able to bid for government contracts. Government contracts will often involve handling government employees' personal data and providing official IT services or products that process, transfer, or store data. As such, Cyber Essentials certification is a mandate if you are looking to successfully enter into these contracts.
Obtain a Cyber Essentials Certification with Lily
Certify your organisation with a Cyber Essential or Cyber Essentials Plus certification with Lily. The cost to complete Cyber Essentials will vary depending on the size of your organisation so if you are looking to implement this standard in your company, contact the Lily team today or call us on 0343 507 1111