We're proud to share that we have successfully achieved the Cyber Essentials Plus certification, an upgrade from our previous certification. This is a huge achievement for our IT team, as it demonstrates our ongoing commitment to cybersecurity and helping other businesses protect their digital assets. It also means that our cybersecurity specialists can guide and support you in achieving this certification level too.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a certification scheme backed by the UK government that aims to help businesses protect themselves against common cyber threats, such as data breaches. By adhering to a set of essential security measures, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and improve their overall security.
The certification focuses on five key areas:
- Firewalls
- Secure configuration
- Access control
- Malware protection
- Patch management
Another incentive for businesses to get Cyber Essentials certified is the free cyber liability insurance that comes with it. Included at the standard level, this insurance provides cover up to £25,000, giving you an extra layer of financial protection.
What makes Cyber Essentials Plus different?
While the standard Cyber Essentials certification is a self-assessed process, Cyber Essentials Plus goes a step further. It requires an extensive assessment conducted by an external team of qualified professionals. This involves testing that your systems and processes to ensure they meet the highest cybersecurity standards. This additional verification gives your customers and partners greater confidence in your commitment to protecting their sensitive information.
How to get Cyber Essentials certification
The process in which businesses of all sizes can take advantage of the Cyber Essentials scheme can be broken down into 3 stages. These are:
- Self-Assessment: Begin with the standard Cyber Essentials certification by completing the self-assessment questionnaire covering the key security information. You can find more information on the National Cyber Security Centre website here.
- Implementation: Using the information learned from the questionnaire, ensure that your business has implemented the necessary security solutions to address any and all risks.
- Verification: For Cyber Essentials Plus, an independent assessor will conduct a more rigorous evaluation of your systems to confirm that you have successfully implemented your learning and are compliant with their requirements.
Having recently gone through this process ourselves, our team of cybersecurity specialists are equipped with the knowledge and experience to help you do the same. Providing their expert guidance and support to ensure a smooth journey toward gaining your certification.
How long does Cyber Essentials certification last?
The certification is valid for 12 months from the date it was issued. Therefore, you must renew it yearly to maintain compliance. Our Gemini team of experts is on hand to offer support and help you stay up to date with any changes in the certification process and requirements.
What our Gemini Cyber Security Specialists can do for you
With our newly achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, we have proven our knowledge and expertise in managing cybersecurity. This means that we are specially equipped to support businesses with not only attaining their certifications but also maintaining them and ensuring that they are equipped with the correct measures to protect them against cyber threats.
Contact our expert IT team today to find out how we can help you achieve the Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification and protect your business.