What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification scheme that supports organisations, like care services, to protect themselves against common cyber threats. It’s also a great way to reassure your existing and prospective clients that you’re committed to keeping their data safe.
It comes in two levels of certification:
Cyber Essentials
For this level you’ll need to carry out a self-assessment for five basic security areas that cover a wide range of common cyber risks. A qualified assessor will then verify the information you provide.
Cyber Essentials Plus
This option is the same as usual certification (above) but includes an additional step where an assessor will carry out a technical audit of your systems to verify the security controls are in place. This ensures a higher level of assurance – and we’d know, as we’ve just renewed our certification!
Why should you get Cyber Essentials?
Besides giving you a great framework to evaluate your own security measures against and highlighting areas of improvement, the Cyber Essentials certifications can also serve as a great source of reassurance for your clients that you’re working hard to keep their data safe. Having strong cyber security measures in place, makes you a more attractive service for new customers and also staff.
Additionally, having the Cyber Essentials Plus certification will take you one step further to achieving ‘Standards Exceeded’ in the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), a requirement for handling sensitive NHS data. Next to a good DSPT level, some government contracts now also require you to have a Cyber Essentials certification in place.
Get your certification
Start your journey towards achieving your Cyber Essentials certification by accessing the following resources:
Cyber Essentials readiness toolkit [National Cyber Security Centre (NCSS)]
Where to get the certification [IASME Consoritum]
FAQs [National Cyber Security Centre (NCSS)]
