ASPECT IT: Does not having Cyber Essentials Certification hold back your business?

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By Peter Dorotiak, Director

CYBER security is an important responsibility for all companies. The UK Government understands that cyber-crime is on the rise and small businesses need help which is why they launched the Cyber Essentials scheme.

But why could not having Cyber Essentials hold back your business? First, we must first understand what Cyber Essentials is.

The scheme provides a framework that enables companies to secure their IT systems against the most common of cyber-attacks. There are two levels of certification:

Cyber Essentials: Using a framework, a company secures its IT systems, completes a self-assessment questionnaire, then submits the questionnaire to an accredited body. If all the framework’s criteria are met, Cyber Essentials certification is awarded.

Cyber Essentials Plus: Once you have achieved Cyber Essentials certification, you can begin the Cyber Essentials Plus certification. The process is very similar, but the key difference is the final assessment process – an external organisation will perform a rigorous test of your IT systems to ensure they meet the required cyber security standards.

Now we can answer the question of ‘does not having Cyber Essentials certification hold back your business?’

There are three key reasons why it could:

Firstly, public sector and government organisations require their suppliers to have Cyber Essentials certification and have done so for some time. Therefore, if you wish to work within these sectors, you must become certified.

Secondly, many privately owned companies are understanding how important Cyber Essentials certification is. Some now require their suppliers and companies connected to their supply chain to have certification. 

Thirdly, by having Cyber Essentials certification, you are demonstrating to your clients and suppliers that you take cyber security seriously as well as ensuring your IT systems are better protected.

So how does a business become certified?

At Aspect IT, we work in partnership with your company to ensure you achieve the correct level of certification and maintain that level with ongoing support.

If you would like to discuss how Aspect IT can help your company, call 0161 241 9050 or visit www.aspectit.co.uk for more information.