A Few Minutes with Our MD on the Cyber Essentials Scheme
Cyber Essentials continues to set a benchmark for security standards across many industries. Our Managing Director Jordan recently sat down with a business partner to answer some questions on the details and merits of the UK government’s Cyber Essentials scheme.
Q: What is Cyber Essentials, why is it important, and what proportion of businesses have it in the UK?
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed scheme run by the National Cyber Security Centre that audits and certifies organisations that have achieved a threshold level of IT security.
As of 2019, 30,000 businesses have the Cyber Essentials certification, equating to just 0.02% of UK private sector businesses with more than one employee, despite the fact that a recent government report has shown that 39% of UK businesses have reported a cybercrime breach in the last 12 months.
Cyber Essentials helps to mitigate hacking, phishing, and password guessing by malicious attackers by examining the current condition of a company’s networks and technology procedures and processes.
Q: What’s the process for getting Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a checklist for obtaining a government-backed certificate. Each submission will document the application security settings, firewalls, user access control lists, malware protection, and patch management in place for each business.
BTRS supports businesses through every aspect of the Cyber Essentials application, including preparing required documentation on related technology processes. Any shortfalls in the current security settings will be addressed as a separate project prior to the submission. This activity is then repeated every 12 months to maintain the certification.
Q: What are the main benefits to firms that have the accreditation?
The three main benefits of obtaining a Cyber Essentials Certification are as follows.
The organisation will be protected against the most common types of cyber threats, many of which can be extremely costly for a business, and can irreparably damage their reputation.
The organisation will be able to openly demonstrate their commitment to protecting their data to their existing and prospective clients. They will be able to include their certification status on marketing materials and proposals, improving their messaging during the client acquisition process.
The organisation will be eligible for discounted, and in some cases, free, cyber-insurance provided by AIA UK.
Q: What are the benefits to the clients of firms that have the accreditation?
Clients of firms with the Cyber Essentials certification are reassured that their providers are officially certified by one of the world’s leading cyber authorities. They can sleep well at night knowing their confidential data is secure, as the certification itself assists their provider with meeting strict GDPR requirements.
Q: What are the costs of working with BTRS to get Cyber Essentials?
BTRS is extremely cost-competitive in the SMB/SME market for earning the Cyber Essentials Certification. BTRS charges GBP900 for the application process (standard market rates are around GBP1,200-1,500). Any additional work required (i.e. items highlighted by the initial review process) is charged on a project basis.
It’s worth noting a mandatory fee of GBP300 is paid to the government upon submission of the application.
If you’d like to learn more about Cyber Essentials, get in touch via our contact page.
