HOW TO BECOME CYBER ESSENTIALS CERTIFIED?
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR PRODUCT
Cyber Essentials
- Access to the online self-assessment questionnaire
- Includes certificate and Cyber Essentials branding for your business
- Provides 12 months’ certification upon successful application
Cyber Essentials Plus
- Showing a commitment to security, and demonstrating to your business partners, regulators and suppliers that you take cyber security seriously
- Safeguarding commercially sensitive data
- Gaining an expert oversight of your cyber security controls
- Giving your organisation a competitive advantage over rivals who do not have the accreditation
Step 2: Complete self-assessment questionnaire
The purpose of the Cyber Essentials questionnaire is to establish whether your organisation has the necessary measures in place to defend itself against the most common forms of cyber attacks.
We suggest that you download the sample questionnaire to see what information your organisation will need to provide during the certification process.
Step 3: become Cyber Essentials certified
Once you complete and submit the self-assessment questionnaire electronically through the members’ area, our Cyber Essentials team will review your application.
We will then be on hand to support you throughout the application process and liaise directly with you regarding any gaps or additional information required.
Once your application has been approved by our team, it will be submitted to the awarding body who will issue your certification, confirming that you are Cyber Essentials certified.
From there, you can promote that you are Cyber Essentials certified!
The Cyber Essentials checklist
We have pulled together a Cyber Essentials checklist guide that takes you through each of the steps of our checklist.
There are five basic steps that make up the Cyber Essentials checklist:
- Protect and prevent malware, including viruses
- Controls who had access to your data and services
- Set up and maintain secure configuration settings
- Keep your devices and software up to date
- Use firewalls to secure your network
Your organisation can implement these steps today for protection against the most common cyber security attacks. Remember – if your organisation has implemented these steps, you are on your way to achieving Cyber Essentials compliance.
What’s more, if your organisation is looking to win public sector contracts, Cyber Essentials is a mandatory requirement to submit a bid to some buyers, including the Ministry of Defence.
To further your understanding Cyber Essentials, we have created a Cyber Essentials checklist guide, that delves into each point to ensure you have a clear understanding of how you can implement Cyber Essentials controls and attain certification.