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What Is Cyber Essentials and Why It Is Important For Your Business? 

By April 12, 2021No Comments6 min read
cyber essentials UK business

The number of cyberattacks is increasing every year. You should ensure that your business is protected from these attacks. Governments around the world have created several schemes. You can use these schemes for protecting your data from attackers. Cyber Essentials is one of these schemes. You can use it for protecting your company from attackers. In this article, we are going to talk about cyber essentials and why it is important for your business.

Definition of Cyber Essentials:

Cyber Essentials scheme was created by the UK government to protect UK business from attackers. Companies in the UK are certified and assessed against this standard. It will identify the security controls that your company should have. This scheme will help you in protecting your data from attackers.

The scheme mainly focuses on these strategies:

  • Internet gateways and firewalls
  • Patch management
  • Malware protection
  • Access control
  • Security configuration

Companies can use this scheme for implementing the best security solutions. They will also offer certification to your business. You can use this certification for showing your security standards.

Cyber essential is a very important level of cybersecurity. It is considered basic level cybersecurity. However, it will help you in protecting your business from simple attacks. The government is giving certifications to serious companies. If you are following all the security tips mentioned in this framework, then you can easily get a certificate from the government. This certification will act as a unique selling point to customers.

What is Cyber Essential Plus?

It includes a review of your IT workstations. If you want to increase the validity of your certification, then you should go for this review. Your customers will have more trust in your business if you have this certificate.

It will ensure that malicious files can’t enter into your systems. Attackers can’t use web traffic or email for entering your system. It will ensure that your anti-virus is working properly. They will also check the malware protection mechanisms that you are using. Your disaster recovery plan will be checked in this scheme. If your data gets compromised, then you must have a backup plan.

Cyber essential plus will involve more assessment. It will provide better assurance to your business. If you have a Cyber Essential plus certificate, then it simply means that your business is well protected from attacks. Thus, more customers will trust your business.

You need to determine the level of cyber essential certificate that you need. The answer will depend on the perception of your suppliers and customers. If you think that you need to show an extra level of assurance, then you should go for the Cyber Essential Plus. The Cyber essential certificate is also good for normal business. If you are not dealing with sensitive data, then the basic certificate is good for you.

Why does my company need this certificate?

If you are thinking to bid for MOD or government contracts in the UK, then this certificate is mandatory for you. Security professionals generally suggest that companies that are dealing with sensitive data should get this certification. It will ensure that you are at least providing basic security to your customers. The Cyber essentials process is one of the best ways to assess your organization’s security. You can also show it to your customers and clients. Your potential customers will also get attracted to your business due to this certificate.

Customers are now more worried about their privacy and personal data. They want to make sure that their personal data is protected. GDPR was created to ensure that businesses are correctly managing personal data.

If your organization’s data gets leaked, then most of your customers will move to some other business. More than 71% of customers have stated that they don’t want to work with the business after a data breach. You will also need to deal with penalties and fines. These penalties have increased after the introduction of the GDPR law. However, these penalties are still very less when you compare them to losing 71% of your customers.

Cyber essential is a very important tool for your business. It will help you in checking the security level of your business. You can follow the security standards mentioned in cyber essential to protect your business. If you have Cyber essentials accreditation, then it simply means that you are protecting your customer’s data.

How can I get Cyber Essentials certification?

You might think that the Cyber Essentials accreditation is a time-consuming process. However, you can easily clear it by working with a good MSSP. Experienced MSSPs like Bleuwire will help you in explaining all the stages of Cyber Essentials certification. They will help you in implementing all the important security controls.

You should also focus on implementing strict security controls. This will ensure that your business is also following other security compliance. There are many other security compliances that are important for modern business. If you are operating in the healthcare industry, then you need to follow HIPAA compliance. Similarly, if you are operating in the finance industry, then you need to follow PCI DSS compliance. Experienced MSSPs like Bleuwire can help you in following all the security compliance.

Conclusion

Cyber Essentials will provide peace of mind to both your customers and business. It will ensure that your business is protected from cyber attackers. If you don’t have access to a good IT security team, then you should consider working with a good MSSP. Experienced MSSPs like Bleuwire will help you in implementing all the best security controls. This will ensure that your business is protected from hackers. You don’t need to worry about manually implementing all the security controls. Bleuwire will help you in monitoring your network and systems. Thus, you don’t need to worry about manually monitoring your network. They will also help you in getting all the compliance certifications. You can also ask them to perform a security audit. A security audit will ensure that your business is protected from vulnerabilities. If you need more information regarding IT security services, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.