Cyber Essentials Certification Support in Hampshire

It’s a UK Government-backed security certification. In plain terms, it shows that a business has the basics in place to stop the most common attacks: firewalls, secure settings, up-to-date software, sensible access controls and malware protection. It’s renewed every year.

Not for most private businesses. Some UK government contracts require it, and plenty of customers, tenders and insurers ask for it. The best first step is to check exactly what you’ve been asked for, and if the wording is unclear we’re happy to look at it with you.

Firewalls, secure configuration, security updates, user access control and malware protection. Put simply: your network is protected, your devices and services are set up properly, your software is supported and kept up to date, the right people have the right access, and malicious software can’t run.

It depends on how tidy your setup is and how much needs fixing. If everything is supported, managed and up to date, it can move quickly. Old equipment, unmanaged devices or patchy MFA means more work first. After a short readiness review we’ll give you a realistic idea rather than a guess.

There’s an assessment fee set by the scheme, which depends on the size of your organisation, plus the time to review your setup and any fixes that are needed. If something unsupported turns up, replacing it can add cost, and Cyber Essentials Plus means further work. We’ll agree the scope and cost with you before any work starts, so there are no surprises.

Twelve months. You renew every year, and the requirements are updated from time to time, so it’s worth checking your setup against the latest version before you reapply.

The assessment tells you which answers or controls fall short. You fix those items and resubmit. It’s one reason a readiness review beforehand is worth doing: many delays come from gaps that could have been found and fixed in advance.

Yes. Devices used for your business at home or on the move are in scope by default, whether you own them or your staff do. Home routers are usually out of scope unless you supplied them, which is why a software firewall on each device matters.

If someone uses their own phone or laptop to reach company data, then yes, it’s in scope. Devices used only for calls, texts or an authenticator app aren’t. Clear rules about what can and can’t connect make this much easier to manage.

No. It can make identity, access and device controls easier to manage consistently, but Cyber Essentials covers everything in scope, including devices, network equipment and other cloud services. A licence on its own doesn’t tick the boxes.

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment: you confirm your answers about your setup. Plus covers the same five controls and adds independent technical testing, which gives a higher level of assurance. Plus isn’t automatically needed, so start with what your customer, contract or insurer actually asks for.

No. Certificates are awarded by licensed Certification Bodies through the official scheme, which is backed by the NCSC and delivered by IASME. What we do is get you ready: review your scope, fix the gaps and help you give accurate answers. The declaration stays with your organisation.