Why You Should Have a Cyber Essentials Certificate

In this digital age, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a robust cyber security infrastructure in place. With the ever-increasing frequency of data breaches and cyber-attacks happening every day, it’s essential that your business takes proactive steps to protect itself and your customers.

One of the best ways to reassure customers and clients that you have this infrastructure in place is to have been awarded a Cyber Essentials certificate. This government-recognised certification proves that your business takes cyber security seriously and has put robust measures in place to protect itself from potential attacks. Achieving this certification puts businesses at the start of a path towards greater cyber security.

Let's take a look at what cyber security measures your business should have in place and what you need to demonstrate to achieve the Cyber Essentials Certification.

What is the Cyber Essentials Certificate?

The Cyber Essentials Certificate is a UK government-backed certification scheme that sets out the basic controls all organisations should have in place to mitigate the risk from common cyber-attacks.

Organisations that possess the Cyber Essentials certificate can display the UK Government's 'Cyber Essential' badge, which gives potential customers and clients confidence that you are taking cyber security seriously and are proactive in protecting their data.

There are currently two levels for this certification: Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essential Plus. Cyber Essentials is the entry-level certification and covers the five essential technical controls that organisations should have in place to protect themselves against common cyber-attacks. Cyber Essential Plus goes one step further and includes an on-site assessment to verify the implementation of these controls.

Cyber Essentials covers these key areas of cyber security:

• Boundary firewalls and internet gateways: these act as the first line of defence and protect your organisation from unauthorised access from the internet.

• Secure configuration: this is the process of ensuring that your systems are configured in a way that makes them as secure as possible. This includes things like ensuring that passwords are strong and cannot be easily guessed, that only authorised users have access to sensitive data, and that systems are kept up to date with the latest security patches.

• Access control and user privilege management: this is making sure that only the right people have access to the systems and data that they need to do their job, and no more.

• Malware protection: this is a vital component of cyber security. It helps to protect your systems from malicious software that could potentially do damage or steal information. Malware protection software can detect and block these threats, keeping your systems safe.

• Pitch management: this is the process of managing and deploying software patches in a business. This is often done in order to protect the business from cyberattacks, as software patches are often released to fix security vulnerabilities.

More information can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre, Cyber Essentials webpage. [Click here for the link.] (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview)

Why should your business have the Cyber Essentials Certificate?

There are many reasons why your business should have a Cyber Essentials certificate, but ultimately it comes down to two things - reducing the risk of a successful cyber-attack and providing peace of mind for your customers and clients.

The UK Government has been clear that all organisations should be doing everything they can to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. We see in the news that cyber-attacks are becoming a daily occurrence, and the costs of a successful attack can be devastating for a business both financially and reputationally. By having the Cyber Essentials certificate, you are demonstrating to your customers and clients that you have taken the necessary steps to protect their data from these kinds of threats.

How can Ronin help?

We are [professional cyber security experts] (/about) and can ensure that you have all the systems and protection in place so that you can apply for this government recognised certification and achieve it. UK Cyber Essentials Certification is something that more and more businesses are recognising as being vital in order to prove that they are proactive in cyber security, and it also shows that you are constantly reviewing your cyber security position and making sure that you are as up to date as possible. This is vital in today's climate where cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

So, if you are looking to obtain a UK Cyber Essentials Certification, then [please get in touch] (/contect); we will be more than happy to help you. We will assess your current systems, put in place any controls that may be missing, and provide guidance on how to complete the certification process. We will make sure that you have all the systems and protection in place so that you can successfully achieve certification.

This is something that we are passionate about, and we want to help as many businesses as possible in order to make the UK a safer place when it comes to cyber security. More information on our services can be found on our website.