Quick, Painless - Cyber Essentials Certification
Protect your business against cyber threats and boost client confidence with Cyber Essentials certification. Cyber Tec’s team will provide you with expert guidance at every step of the journey, streamlining the certification process and helping your organisation to bolster its defences and demonstrate its commitment to cybersecurity.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a UK Government scheme, introduced in 2014, that offers SMEs a straightforward and affordable cybersecurity certification. By aligning with the five critical technical controls of Cyber Essentials, businesses can safeguard themselves against up to 80% of common internet-based attacks, while showing clients, partners and stakeholders that they take cybersecurity seriously.
Focusing on five key areas of cybersecurity – update management, user access, firewalls, secure configuration and malware protection – Cyber Essentials certification comes in two levels: Cyber Essentials Basic, which involves a self-assessment, and Cyber Essentials Plus, which requires an independent technical audit.
The 5 Simple Fundamentals of Cyber Essentials
Many businesses are already doing the below because it makes good business sense. It’s all you need to obtain your Cyber Essentials Certification. We can help you make sure all the boxes are ticked.
Why Certify With us?
Cyber Tec helps businesses get Cyber Essentials certification right first time. Here’s why you should choose Cyber Tec for Cyber Essentials.
Human Support
Our friendly and helpful team of experts will be on hand with insights and useful advice to help boost your chances of a first-time pass.
Best Price In UK
Cyber Tec offers a best-price guarantee on like-for-like Cyber Essentials packages – so you’re sure to find one that works for your budget.
Assured Pass
Our guided certification packages are designed to assure your business obtains a first-time pass, giving you added peace of mind.
Speedy Turnaround
We understand that getting certified is a matter of urgency. That’s why we strive to help businesses achieve certification within 24 hours.
Remote Auditing
We complete all auditing remotely, so you can get on with business as usual – without the extra hassle of arranging on-site visits.
Why Work With Us
Being the top third Certification Body in the UK, we pride ourselves on our Consultative, hands-on approach—there are no pre–populated dashboards or AI when working with us!
Don’t take our word for it, though – our clients will tell you:
“My Assessor fully explained everything he was doing. Provided additional information outside of the assessment criteria which will give additional security to our environment.“
Sarah
information Technology and Services
“Always a pleasure to go through CE, or CE+, with My Assessors and dealing with the Cyber Tec team in general.”
Andy
Information Technology and Services
“As always prompt and efficient service. Thank you once again guys for your excellent and informative support. We’ll be working with you again for the coming year.”
Martin
Hospital & Healthcare
“As always, My Assessor was professional and practical and good humoured – an ideal combination …”
Tim
Management Consulting
“Attention to detail, clear, constructive feedback, and plenty of patience. My Assessor was exceptional.”
Chris
Management Consulting
“The Assessment Team have been responsive and helpful with all their responses to questions we have”
Andrew
Pharmaceuticals
Louis
Real Estate
“Clear instructions and advice at all times.”
Karen
Legal Services
“Communication was timely, concise and clear; very grateful for the intimate support provided.”
Kevin
Research
“Easy, seamless and clear process”
Rich
Education Management
“Efficient and to the point”
Mikhail
Construction
“Everything was explained clearly, and it made the process very simple and straightforward.”
Feargal
Telecommunications
“Excellent service as always. The Assessors are fast, clear and efficient. Couldn’t fault anything”
Andy
Information Technology and Services
“Excellent team, helpful and responsive to ensure we passed first time with ease”
Dan
Entertainment
“Extremely helpful, and written clearly and in a friendly supportive tone”
Stephen
Sports
“Fast response – very patient and helpful – thanks”
Rebecca
Research
“Friendly, helpful staff – supporting all the way”
Margaret
Education Management
“Good feedback on initial submission”
Graham
Research
“Great communication and support throughout the whole process!”
Garratt
Information Technology and Services
“Great feedback during the process of submitting”
Aaron
Education Management
“Great levels of support and provided some excellent guidance to help us through certain areas where we were unclear as to what was required. Very responsive from a timescales perspective too and overall we felt well supported throughout the process.”
Steve
Financial Services
“Great overall experience. The assisted application process is a complete no-brainer as a lot of the questions are quite poorly structured/worded leading a variety of (mis)interpretations. Being guided through this was critical. The assisted process was incredibly fast, clear and very helpful. Bravo all round.”
Kristjan
Real Estate
“Great response and very helpful”
Helen
Management Consulting
“Great service”
Richard
Accounting
“Great support from beginning to end. So much easier having last years completed questionnaire as a template.”
Scott
Leisure, Travel & Tourism
“Help always comes promptly and right to the point”
Balazs
Information Technology and Services
“Helpful and attentive throughout”
Ahmed
Hospitality
“I got plenty of assistance all the way through. “
Victoria
Accounting
“It was a simple process – all good”
Andy
Information Technology and Services
“It was quick, efficient and helpful, and with useful insights.”
Jurate
Defence & Space
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with My Assessor – he reviewed our responses speedily and gave clear guidance on remediation. A huge thank you from us!”
Katie
Professional Training & Coaching
“I’ve rated highly due to the level of support that has been provided, not only from My Assessor and My Auditor, but also the sales and admin team , who have all assisted each year we work with you, to provide quick and informative answers to our technical and non-technical questions. Thank you all, looking forward to working with you for CE+ and beyond.”
Chris
Fundraising
“My Assessor and the auditor are always available and provide us with excellent advice”
Gareth
Information Technology and Services
“My Assessor was awesome. Very understanding and extremely helpful. Made the whole process smooth “
Abbas
Legal Services
“My Assessor was polite, courteous and very experienced.”
Hifzulrehman
Research
“My Assessor was very useful and explained in detail what needed to be done to get us up to standard.”
Ryan
Real Estate
“Provided the right level of support to enable me to complete the assessment quickly and accurately.”
Tom
Legal Services
“Quick and efficient.”
Graham
Machinery
“Quick response time, clear guidance. Whole process made very easy”
Andrew
Non-Profit
“Quickly answered any questions and available to speak when needed.”
Marcus
Industrial Automation
“Really helpful & clear guidance.”
Dave
Information Technology and Services
“Responses to our queries very quickly, review quick and good advice. Thank you”
Manuel
Insurance
“Smooth as!”
Colin
Information Technology and Services
“Strong communications and reminders before, during and following the process. My Auditor in particular performed way above and beyond our expectations during the CE+ stage of the assessment. Thank you for your service.”
David
Information Technology and Services
“Superb as always. Clear and to the point. 100% would come back”
Grant
Information Technology and Services
“The Assessors communications were clear, concise and to the point. They helped me use my time effectively and efficiently.”
Airan
Information Technology and Services
“The Assessor was very helpful”
Martina
Hospital & Healthcare
“The Sales Team and My Assessor were both professional and extremely patient.”
Marc
Management Consulting
“The support I had was great. As a non technical person, everything was communicated really clearly, which was much appreciated.”
Lis
Non-Profit
“Their notes clarified the details and requirements of the assessment. They made it make sense..”
Gregor
Information Technology and Services
“Thorough and helpful”
Shirley
Business Supplies & Equipment
“Very helpful and insightful when providing feedback to help us pass the assessment.”
Graham
Recreational Facilities and Services
“Very helpful and responsive in a timely fashion.”
Asaf
Information Technology and Services
“Very Helpful!”
Brandon
Information Technology and Services
“Very helpful, fast responses. Thank you.”
Victor
Research
“Very helpful, Quick to respond, Made the process easy”
Curtis
Information Technology and Services
“Very prompt review and submission process. Big thanks to the auditors as they ensured to always get back to me within 2 business days with friendly and informative replies… we will continue to use CyberTec in the future.”
Jordan
Non-Profit
“We as a company have downsized as I’m on the flight path to retirement. I am the only employee and renewing the certificate filled me with dread. But both My Assessors were very patient and professional. It actually turned out to be an almost enjoyable experience. Well done guys, I very much appreciate your guidance and help.”
Stephen
Staffing & Recruitment
“You do what you say and in a timely manner!”
Tom
Retail
Cyber Essentials Certification Packages
Reseller rates also available. Ask about reseller pricing.
# Free Cyber Insurance is available for a UK-domiciled organisation with a turnover under £20m passing Cyber Essentials.
* Assured pass assumes you follow our consultant’s advice and ensure that all the required controls are put in place.
Keep in constant Compliance with our Monthly Vulnerability Assessments at only £100/$130
Want To Ask Questions Or Request A Quote?
Cyber Tec’s friendly and helpful team of experts is on hand to address your cybersecurity queries and concerns. Just fill in the contact form below and we’ll get back to you soon.
Lets get Secure together
- Jersey: +44 1534 715260
- UK: +44 117 457 3331
- Bermuda: +1 441 279 7101
- [email protected]
-
Kensington Chambers, 46/50
Kensington Place, St Helier, Jersey JE1 1ET
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do business need to get certified?
Cybersecurity threats are growing in number and sophistication all the time. This is why businesses need robust cybersecurity measures in place, in order to protect themselves against attacks.
Cyber Essentials provides an achievable cybersecurity starting point for businesses across all sectors, focusing on the absolute fundamentals of cybersecurity. The National Cyber Security Centre and Financial Conduct Authority recommend that organisations align with this standard to demonstrate their commitment to cybersecurity.
Compliance with Cyber Essentials is increasingly a prerequisite for both public and private sector tendering, including NHS and MoD contracts. Further benefits include:
- Insight into your organisation’s security posture and insight into any vulnerabilities
- Free cyber insurance and reduction in premiums for more comprehensive cover
- Increased business opportunities and an advantage over competitors
Improved relationships with suppliers, partners and clients.
Learn more about the benefits of here.
Do I need Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus?
This will largely depend on your business and its risk profile, but Cyber Essentials Plus is rapidly becoming the de facto standard. The basic-level Cyber Essentials certification, while necessary to identify the controls within your organisation, does not actually verify them.
Achieving the Cyber Essentials Plus standard is therefore a better indication of your actual security posture, as security specialists will check out your infrastructure themselves to determine whether all the requirements of the standard are being met.
How long does it take to get certified?
Provided your business commits the necessary time and resources, and follows any guidance as advised, the basic SAQ can be completed in as little as 24 hours. Cyber Tec also offers an expedited assessment option for a small additional cost.
The Cyber Essentials Plus process, however, has more to it. It is therefore not possible to say in advance exactly how long Cyber Essentials Plus certification might take in any specific case, as it involves a deeper investigation into each business’s infrastructure and the amount of remedial work that’s required.
However, as a general rule, assuming your business dedicates the necessary time and resources to the certification process, it can take between two and nine weeks to obtain Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
Can I go straight to the Cyber Essentials Plus assessment?
You must obtain Cyber Essentials certification before proceeding to Cyber Essentials Plus. However, if you’ve already obtained the basic certification from one certification body and you’re still within the 90-day window – Cyber Essentials Plus must be obtained within 90 days of Cyber Essentials basic – then you can go straight to Cyber Essentials Plus with another certification body.
Do I need Cyber Essentials if I have ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 has many controls, some of which align to Cyber Essentials and some which are additional. However, Cyber Essentials (unlike ISO 27001) is about the safety and configuration of your systems, and involves a fully audited assessment of your systems’ security.
Although ISO 27001 is a great standard to align with, it does not include the checks and vulnerability assessments that Cyber Essentials Plus requires. For those with ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus complements and enhances your organisation’s overall security – and for those without ISO 27001, it represents a good start and is worth completing.
What should I expect during my Cyber Essentials audit?
A Cyber Essentials audit is designed to confirm that your organisation meets the five key security controls required for Cyber Essentials certification, and that these controls are correctly configured and working effectively.
The Cyber Essentials assessment process depends on whether you are completing the Cyber Essentials Verified Self-Assessment (VSA) or progressing to a Cyber Essentials Plus assessment.
Cyber Essentials certification begins with a Verified Self-Assessment (VSA) questionnaire. This involves completing a detailed set of questions covering the five key Cyber Essentials control areas: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and patch management.
As your Cyber Essentials certification body (CB), Cyber Tec Security will review your responses and may request clarification or supporting evidence. Once your organisation meets the Cyber Essentials requirements, your Cyber Essentials certificate will be issued.
How often should I review my Cyber Essentials Certificate?
Cyber Essentials certification is valid for 12 months, so your organisation will need to renew it annually if you want to remain certified.
Annual renewal matters because your IT environment can change quickly. New users, devices, software, systems and suppliers can all affect your security position, while cyber threats continue to evolve throughout the year. Renewing your certification helps confirm that your business still meets the required standard.
If your certification lapses, you may no longer be eligible for contracts where Cyber Essentials is a requirement, particularly in the public sector. It can also raise concerns for customers, partners and stakeholders who expect you to maintain recognised cybersecurity standards. You can learn more about the renewal process here.
Our Complementary Security Services
Cyber Insurance
A specialist cyber insurance policy can give your business maximum protection. Choose from a range of flexible options from market-leading providers.
Penetration Testing
Our monthly or one-off penetration tests simulate an attack on your systems to see how far hackers could go, followed by a detailed report and recommended remedies.
Vulnerability Assessment
Uncover potential gaps and weaknesses in your cybersecurity infrastructure before they can be exploited by online criminals with a vulnerability assessment. Use to stay compliant with cyber certificates such as CE and ICA
Managed Threat Detection
Our threat detection software protects your business against cyberattacks 24/7, with real-time monitoring, SOC analysis and CE Plus alignment.
Incident Response
By using the services of our CREST accredited incident response delivery partner, Pen Test Partners LLP, the impact of any breach or incident can be minimised and business continuity maintained by the provision of services in line with your company’s specific needs, regardless of your cyber maturity level.
The Ultimate Guide to Cyber Essentials
Find out more about what the Cyber Essentials certification process, what it means and how Cyber Tec can help your business in its cybersecurity journey.
