10/09/21

Are you Cyber Essentials certified? Should you be?

Tens of thousands of businesses have already recognised the very real threat to their IT systems from hacking and cybercrime and have become Cyber Essentials certified. Isn’t it time you did the same?

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed programme, launched in 2014, which helps you protect against cyber attacks while demonstrating a commitment to cyber security – and it was never more important than it is NOW!

Regular readers of our blogs will know just how important we think Cyber Essentials is in protecting businesses and other organisations from the ever-inventive ways cybercriminals have in trying to unlock your systems.

Our commitment

We have been working hard for some time spreading the Cyber Essentials message, raising awareness about the scheme and helping businesses of all sizes become Cyber Essentials certified.

It has proved to be really successful and we would welcome the opportunity to work with you, helping and advising on the way to certification – a standard of security that provides the reassurance of knowing your IT systems are up to the task of warding off cyber attacks.

This is particularly important at the moment with the added dangers of more people working from home over the past year and an ongoing rise in hacks and cybercrime since March 2020.

How does Cyber Essentials work? The five basic controls:

There are five controls that will help protect against cyber attacks:

– Firewall security
– Secure configuration
– User access control
– Malware protection
– Patch management

Addressing these areas are vital to receiving certification – which is available at two levels:

Cyber Essentials – an independently verified self-assessment where businesses assess themselves against the five basic security controls which are then verified by a qualified assessor.

Cyber Essential Plus – a higher level of assurance where a qualified and independent assessor examines the same five controls, testing their integrity by simulating basic hacking and phishing attacks.

Your certificate

Obtaining certification is a great way of doing something about keeping your business safe from cyber attacks. If you haven’t already thought about it, we would urge you to do so – and there is help available! Let us guide you through the process and help you become Cyber Essentials certified!

For more information call us on 01743 290588 or email katy@pcnetsolutions.co.uk