Cyber Essentials certification
Cyber Essentials is a UK government backed certification built around five controls. Get those five right and you close off most of the common attacks aimed at businesses.
The five controls behind Cyber Essentials are not exotic. They are the things that should already be true of any business network, and very often are not.
The five controls
Firewalls. Your network boundary is configured deliberately, with rules that are documented and reviewed, and nothing exposed to the internet that does not need to be.
Secure configuration. Default passwords changed, unnecessary software and accounts removed, and devices set up from a known good build rather than whatever the box came with.
User access control. Everyone has their own account, administrator rights are the exception rather than the norm, and leavers are shut down promptly.
Malware protection. Every device is protected, the protection is updating, and somebody is watching the alerts.
Security update management. Everything is supported and patched, and unsupported software has either been upgraded or removed.
If you read that and recognised a gap, that is the readiness check doing its job early.
What is included
What you get
Readiness check
We assess you against the five controls: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and security update management.
A plain-English fix list
What passes, what fails, and what has to change. No acronyms without an explanation.
We fix the gaps
Rather than handing you a list and wishing you luck, we do the remediation work. The price is fixed once we know what is needed.
The assessment itself
We help you complete the self-assessment questionnaire and submit it, so the answers are accurate and the evidence is right.
Cyber Essentials Plus preparation
If you need the audited version, we get you ready for the technical assessment and the on-site testing.
Renewal reminders
Certification lasts twelve months. We remind you before it lapses and handle the renewal.
How we work
What working with us looks like
- 1
Readiness check
We look at your devices, accounts, firewalls and patching, and score you against the five controls.
- 2
Fix list and fixed price
You get one document: what fails, what we will do about it, and what the whole thing costs.
- 3
Remediation
We do the work, around your working day where it affects people.
- 4
Certification
Questionnaire completed, evidence gathered, submitted. Then the certificate.
Local and fixed price
Cyber Essentials, sorted for you
We check your setup, fix what fails and get you through certification. You get the certificate without the headache.
Common questions
How long does Cyber Essentials take?
It depends entirely on what the readiness check finds. A business already patching properly and using MFA can be certified quickly. One with unsupported Windows versions and shared admin accounts has real work to do first. We tell you which you are after the check.
What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment that is reviewed and verified. Cyber Essentials Plus adds a hands-on technical audit by an assessor, including testing a sample of your devices. Plus is usually needed when a contract specifically asks for it.
What does it cost?
We do not publish a figure, because it would be a made up one. There is a certification fee paid to the scheme, set nationally and based on the size of your organisation, and then our fee depends on what the readiness check finds. A company already running multi-factor authentication and patching properly is a very different job from one starting from nothing. The readiness check tells us which you are, and then you get a fixed price for the work before anybody commits to anything.
Do we have to be an IT support client?
No. We certify businesses who have their own IT team or another provider. It helps if whoever supports you is willing to make the changes we identify.
How long does the certificate last?
Twelve months. It has to be renewed each year, and the requirements are updated periodically, so a renewal is not always a formality.
Get in touch
Tell us what is not working
Send us a line about your setup and we will come back with what we would actually do about it. No sales pitch, no obligation.
Or call 01482 586 550 or email info@selectgroup.co.uk.
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