We at Firth & Scott are proud to say that we are now listed as one of the UK’s organisations to hold a Cyber Essentials Certification. Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme that aids businesses to protect against the more common cyber threats, and demonstrates a great commitment to cyber security.

What is Cyber Essentials?

Operated by the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Cyber Essentials scheme is a verified self-assessment that any business can undergo. The assessment prompts you to assess your systems and controls in order to determine that your cyber security is up-to-scratch. The assessment requires you to answer questions surrounding five security controls:

• Firewalls
• Secure Configuration
• User Access Control
• Malware Protection
• Security update management (or Patch management)

The certification gives the reassurance that you are protected from a wide variety of the most common cyber-attacks.  This is highly important because vulnerabilities in your systems can make you an easy target for cyber criminals.

There is also a “Cyber Essentials Plus” scheme, which is a more, in-depth, technical audit of your systems.

What are the benefits?

With four in ten UK businesses (39%), and 26% of UK charities being hit by successful Cyber-attacks from 2020 to March this year, and an increasing number of cyber insurance claims throughout the year, ensuring your business has an adequate layer of protection against cyber-attacks and data breaches should be a high priority.

Having a Cyber Essentials Certificate can reassure customers that you are cyber-aware. It also shows that you work to secure your IT against cyber-attacks and data breaches. The accreditation gives a clear picture of your organisation’s cyber security level.

In addition, it could help to grow business if you are looking to bid for certain Government contracts that require the certification.

How to get certified

One way to get started and to better understand this is to use the Cyber Essentials readiness toolkit. The responses you give to the questions in the toolkit help create an action plan to move towards meeting the Cyber Essentials requirements. The action plan includes links to guidance on how to meet requirements.

Once you feel ready, you can apply through the IASME consortium to undergo the self-assessment and get certified.

Please Note: The Cyber Essentials basic assessment costs around £300+VAT. Firth & Scott (Insurance Brokers Ltd) are not affiliated with the IASME Consortium, and do not receive remuneration for any Cyber Essentials Accreditation applied for.  

Cyber and Data Breach insurance

As businesses increase their technology use, the digital assets held become more valuable and more vulnerable. Having Cyber and Data Breach Insurance in place would issue your business with an extra layer of protection against growing cyber threats. Not only can it help businesses with the financial and PR repercussions; it can also provide a dedicated advice line and ongoing support.  

If you want to know more about Cyber and Data Breach Insurance, please get in touch.