As more and more businesses operate digitally, the frequency and variety of possible cyber attack increases too. Security conscious businesses are turning to Cyber Essentials to protect themselves from cyber attack.
But what exactly is Cyber Essentials? PC Comms are here to guide you through the ins and outs of Cyber Essentials, and why it is essential (excuse the pun) for your business to get involved.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Put simply, Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme that helps to protect your business from cyber attacks.
It is overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre. Businesses that achieve Cyber Essentials accreditation have been certified to adhere to a minimum set of cyber security standards.
Attaining Cyber Essentials accreditation serves as a mark of trustworthiness for your customers, suppliers, and staff. It shows that you take cyber security seriously, and are conducting all the necessary practices to keep all data that passes through your business safe.
How do you get a Cyber Essentials certification?
To get your business certified, you should turn to us!
PC Comms are one of the few businesses in the South West to achieve the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
What does the ‘plus’ mean? It shows that we’ve been independently audited and confirmed to operate as securely as possible. With this in place, we can confidently provide our customers with the best and most up-to-date cyber security advice – because we’re following it ourselves!
As your IT support partner, PC Comms will produce all the required paperwork and implement any changes required to get your business up to Cyber Essentials standards. We will also work closely with your staff to ensure they understand what they need to do to operate in accordance with Cyber Essentials.
How long does a Cyber Essentials certification last?
Cyber Essentials certification lasts for 12 months – but the principles behind it and the safety measures it puts in place will last endlessly.
The training we give your staff to spot potential malicious emails and other security risks will ensure your business continues to be protected against cyber attacks for years to come.
Every time your Cyber Essentials accreditation comes up for renewal, our security department will perform another audit. This will ensure that your security processes are still in place and working, and any potential problems will be quickly resolved.
Which businesses need a Cyber Essentials certification?
You might be wondering: do I need Cyber Essentials certification?
With increased awareness of data protection and the risks of data mismanagement, Cyber Essentials certification is becoming more and more prevalent in many industries.
All businesses should have some level of cyber protection in place. Sectors that particularly need the top security standards Cyber Essentials provides include financial services, law, education, government, energy – the list goes on and on.
The Cyber Essentials badge is a testament to the fact that you are protecting your data and the data of anyone interacts with your business.
Is Cyber Essentials mandatory?
The steps required to attain Cyber Essentials accreditation ensure your business – and all your staff – are adopting cyber security best practices.
It’s also important consider that the vast majority of cyber attacks are aimed at companies who are not performing Cyber Essentials practices – as these companies are seen as an easy target.
A real life analogy: there’s no law stating that you must have a lock on your front door, but more or less all of us do because we know it makes us safer. Attaining Cyber Essentials accreditation is the same: there is currently no law saying every business requires it – but you will be far safer as a business if you do.
What does Cyber Essentials cover?
Cyber Essentials digs deep into how secure your business is, putting in place processes to protect you from cyber attack.
Cyber Essentials covers the different ways a cyber criminal could exploit any weaknesses in your business’s cyber security.
Gaining the Cyber Essentials accreditation gives you the best tools and knowledge to combat these threats, ensuring that you are as protected as you can be.
