Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme: What It Is and Why You Should Get It
If you’ve been worrying about cybersecurity lately but not sure where to begin, then look no further. The Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme is designed to be the ideal first step when it comes to establishing basic cybersecurity best practices – especially for small businesses. Here’s what you should know to get started.
What is The Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme?
It’s a government backed scheme that helps businesses cover the basics of cybersecurity and avoid around 80% of security breaches. It also doubles up as a great way for you to demonstrate your business’s security publicly. It involves preparing for and then self-assessing a series of basic security measures that a business should be taking.
What Is Cyber Essentials Plus and How Does It Differ?
It’s a more rigorous test of your organisation’s security. It involves an external examination and is thus a little more of an investment. You’ll be needing to have participated in the a Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme to take part in it too. The benefit is of course that it’s more highly regarded.
How can these certifications benefit your business?
Being certified is more than just a piece of paper. It’ll positively impact a range of areas within your business.
It’s a great way to audit your security
There is a range of basic security areas that must be checked regularly. Are your passwords strong and regularly changed? Is your firewall up to date? Failure to attend to these issues can make your business low hanging fruit for criminals.
It can make you more secure
If you spot weaknesses whilst carrying out Cyber Essentials Certification, then that’s a win for your business’s security. A more secure business means less stress for you the owner and – as we’ll see below – an improved bottom line.
It should lower your insurance
Proving your commitment to cybersecurity will please any insurer. And beyond lower premiums, if you’re a UK-domiciled business with less than £20m in turnover, you’ll be entitled to free liability insurance if you certify with an IASME certification body.
You can win more business
Clients like working with businesses that are cyber secure and will take good care of their data. This is particularly true for industries like health, finance, and legal. The Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme is also mandatory for winning government contracts. All four of those types of work can be particularly lucrative.
You can build trust within your industry and your supply chain
When more of your peer group trust you and your working relationship deepens, you can achieve all sorts of things. You can become privy to information that less trusted businesses aren’t. Or you might get access to exclusive deals. And your reputation can win you new business and new employees. Trust is the glue that holds so many businesses together and good cybersecurity contributes to that.
It’ll help with compliance
Whilst a business’s compliance requirements will vary depending on its industry, The Cyber Essentials Certification Scheme is always going to be a good start. Whether it’s staying in line with GDPR, MiFID II, or anything else, Cyber Essentials Certification can contribute.
Getting Cyber Essentials Certified is worth it for the peace of mind it provides alone. But when you consider the potential gains to your bottom line, it’s almost guaranteed to pay for itself, many times over. As cybersecurity experts, we can help you meet all the necessary criteria to protect your business from making costly cybersecurity mistakes.
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