Benefits of taking your business through Cyber Essentials

All businesses are at risk of a cyber-attack
 
 

Cyber Essentials is an official UK wide, government-backed certification that helps companies guard against the most common cyber threats and reduce risk by at least 80%. It allows an organisation to demonstrate to prospective clients their commitment to cyber security

Helping our customers ensure they are up to date with how they deal and respond to Cyber Threats is something the team at CSCM very seriously. As well as providing multiple security services with our Secure IT range of products, we also help our customers achieve their Cyber Essentials Certification.

Benefits of taking your business through Cyber Essentials

There are a number of benefits that businesses can look forward to when getting certified for Cyber Essentials. Here are four reasons why Cyber Essentials is important for every business.

  1. It helps protect you against common cyber attacks

Going through the process can help protect against common cyber-attacks. A majority of cyber-attacks exploit basic weaknesses in organisations such as the lack of updated software or well-configured firewalls. Often, these types of attacks are simple to defend against with straightforward strategies and Cyber Essentials provides those. While there is no security strategy that will stop a hundred percent of the attacks, Cyber Essentials helps organisations mitigate the risks of the most likely ones by providing a strong base for businesses to work with.

  1. It prepares you for being GDPR compliant

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in 2019 across the EU. As part of this regulation, organisations that are processing personal information of EU citizens need to protect this data against data theft and unauthorised access. If an organisation is found to be negligent to the GDPR in the event of a breach, the business could face fines of up to 4% of its global turnover. Following the Cyber Essentials scheme can assist businesses in preventing these heavy fines and prepare them for compliance with GDPR. Even though the GDPR requires a lot more than the five controls in the Cyber Essentials scheme, the latter allows you to audit your internal security and fend off the basic security threats. It is the first step towards the preparation of GDPR compliance.

  1. It enables you to bid for government contracts

The UK Government has made it mandatory for suppliers to be compliant with the Cyber Essentials scheme to be eligible to bid for government contracts. If a contract involves technical services or handling of sensitive information, then you need to be Cyber Essentials compliant. Therefore, for businesses that are looking for a government contract, Cyber Essentials is the only way forward.

  1. It shows customers and vendors that you take cybersecurity seriously

Customers and even vendors can often be skeptical in dealing with you if you display little or no concern for cybersecurity. Becoming Cyber Essentials certified will help you establish the trust of clients and partners. Once you are certified, you will be able to display a Cyber Essentials badge on your business website. This badge proves to customers, vendors, and investors that you take the security of systems and the integrity of data seriously. This is particularly important if you are storing, processing, or transferring personal information or hosting sensitive data.

All businesses are at risk of a cyber-attack, so achieving Cyber Essentials is an important step that any business can take to improve their cybersecurity.

CSCM works with clients taking them through the steps to achieve certification.

Contact us for more information.