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Cyber Essentials Accreditation

Help guard your organisation against cyber threats by achieving compliance against the Government-backed scheme. 

Accreditation is available in various formats, to suit your requirements and the level of support you need to protect your organisation from cyber crime.

Centre for Assessment offers Cyber Essentials accreditation (with or without support from our technical experts), Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation to fulfil contractual requirements, or Cyber Essentials Plus Extra if you need the most comprehensive package on the market.

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Fill out the following form to start your Cyber Essentials application.

Cyber Essentials
What is Cyber Essentials?
Accreditation is recommended for any company that stores both company and client data, is governed by GDPR requirements, or simply has a desire to improve their IT infrastructure security.

As it is a Government-mandated scheme, any organisation looking to tender for work with a public-sector body will be required to have met the Cyber Essentials standard.  It is also an increasingly more common requirement for tender applications in the private sector.

In addition to this, heavily regulated sectors like Medical, Legal and Financial, where more sensitive client data is stored, can use the Cyber Essentials scheme to help with regulatory compliance.

For example, The Law Society references Cyber Essentials as a “should have” in both their Lexcel and CQS Management Frameworks.

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Have a Question?

Speak to our team on 0161 237 4080

The Cyber Essentials Controls

Cyber Essentials requires only basic information security hygiene measures to be in place which, when implemented correctly, will significantly reduce the level of vulnerability to external cyber attacks.
Applicable to organisations of any shape and size, the scheme has 5 critical controls

  • Secure information
  • Firewalls
  • Access control
  • Malware protection
  • Patch management
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Cyber Essentials FAQs
  • What is cyber security?

    Cyber security is the means by which individuals and organisations reduce the risk of becoming victims of cyber-attack.

    Cyber security's core function is to protect the devices we all use (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers), and the services we access - both online and at work - from theft or damage. It is also about preventing unauthorised access to the vast amounts of personal information we store on these devices, and online.

    Cyber security is important because smartphones, computers and the internet are now a fundamental part of modern life, it is difficult to imagine how we would function without them. It is more important than ever to stake steps that can prevent cyber criminals getting hold of our accounts, data, and devices.

  • What is Cyber Security Accreditation?

    Cyber Essentials is a Government backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks.  These include things like Phishing attacks, Malware, Ransomware, Password guessing and Network attacks

    Cyber-attacks can affect all businesses in a variety of different ways with varying impacts whatever the size of the business some being catastrophic and costly eventually leading to the closure of businesses. Attacks can be small or large, but the vast majority are very basic and carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. They are the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it is unlocked. Cyber Essentials is designed to help you prevent these attacks.

    With over 80% of UK businesses vulnerable to avoidable security threats, the Cyber Essentials framework has been designed as a strong security baseline for every business in

    There are two levels of certification, Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus dependent on your organisation’s needs.

  • Is Cyber Essentials for you?

    Businesses of all shapes and sizes use Cyber Essentials to help protect their IT from attack.  Cyber Essentials can help to keep the devices and data you rely on safe.

    Not everyone has a dedicated IT department, or an in-depth knowledge of cyber security. Cyber Essentials has been designed to be flexible, considering all types and sizes of organisation.

    This self-assessment option gives you protection against a wide variety of the most common cyber-attacks. This is important because vulnerability to simple attacks can mark you out as target for more in-depth unwanted attention from cyber criminals and others.

Four Options
Centre for Assessment offers four Cyber Essentials assessment and accreditation options. Each assessment type offers different benefits, depending on what support you need and what level of accreditation your organisation needs.
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Cyber Essentials Accreditation
Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment driven scheme, whereby applicants review their IT infrastructure via an application document. Once completed, this is then returned to Centre for Assessment for review. This scheme is recommended for smaller businesses looking for entry-level cyber protection compliance.

Cost: From £300+VAT

Have a Question?

Speak to our team on 0161 237 4080

Supported Cyber Essentials Accreditation
If you need assistance with completing your Cyber Essentials self-assessment questionnaire, we can help. Maybe you are not an IT specialist, or you do not have one in your business. You might be unsure about some of your answers and need reassurance that your submission will be successful.

Fill in the questionnaire and then our technical expert will call you to review your answers and to advise you about any gaps. After the call, you will feel much more confident in your self-assessment and can submit it using our online portal. Our expert will then formally validate your answers and, if successful, you will get your certificate.

This collaborative approach will help you get the most out of Cyber Essentials accreditation.

The cost of this service starts at £300 for Cyber Essentials accreditation and from £300 for the technical support.

Cost: From £600+VAT

Have a Question?

Speak to our team on 0161 237 4080

Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus offers a much more comprehensive assessment, whereby applicants complete and return a more in-depth application document, which assesses IT infrastructure in greater detail.

This assessment type also involves penetration testing, mobile device testing and on-site assessment by an ACE registered assessor, who will access the required network and test for any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that may not have been previously found. A full, comprehensive report is then given to the client to highlight findings during the assessment, and any improvements that need to be made to ensure quality Cyber Security. This is then reviewed by the assessor and certification can then be awarded pending results.

Cost: From £1,475+VAT

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Cyber Essentials Plus EXTRA
The new EXTRA scheme covers all the important details of both the Basic and Plus levels of assessment, however, this also includes a full pre-assessment evaluation of client systems, which is then fully reported on.

We then work with clients to help improve and manage systems from the findings of the pre-assessment and help to ensure that any issues are rectified. Once satisfied, you would then be assessed under the scheme rules, following the same process as Cyber Essentials PLUS. If for any reason the standard is not met, this level of assessment will also cover a FREE re-assessment to ensure that clients are given ampler opportunities to ensure that their systems meet the scheme rules. This is recommended for companies that are looking to ensure that they meet the standard with as much support and information as available.

Cost: From £2,125 + VAT

Have a Question?

Speak to our team on 0161 237 4080

ISO 27701 add-on
The Application Process
Applying for cyber essentials is very simple. All you need to do is complete application form at the top of the page with your details (a mobile telephone number is a requirement).

Once set up you will receive an email from IASME with your login and username. You will also receive an SMS to the mobile number you provided with your passcode.

Once you have logged in to the portal you can start your application. Your application will be verified by a Cyber Essentials auditor and you will be advised of your results.

A certificate will be provided for a successful outcome of your application which will be valid for 1 year.

Have a Question?

Speak to our team on 0161 237 4080

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