This week, we have been presented with our 5th certification for Cyber Essentials. This means we are accredited for the next 12 months as a Cyber Secure IT company, and we can also assess our client’s security against the official Government-backed Cyber Essentials certification to help guard against the most common cyber threats and enhance their security.
Initially, we only had a small number of clients who required Cyber Essentials certification and this was mainly due to the fact that they were concerned about the loss of financial data. However, with the increase in remote working over the past 12 months we are now finding that the requirement for the Cyber Essentials accreditation has increased dramatically.
Andrew Pollard, one of our Cyber Essentials assessors’, explains, ‘The Cyber Essentials Certification is operated by the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) and measures organisations against five basic security controls and helps to protect organisations against a range of the most common cyber attacks. It ensures that businesses meet a standard IT security baseline and includes such things as making sure that password policies are in place, ensuring that starters and leavers are dealt with correctly and only providing staff with an appropriate level of access required to enable them to carry out their roles and thereby reduce the potential for data loss.’
There are many reasons why companies want to achieve the Cyber Essentials accreditation, but the underlying reason is to demonstrate their commitment to cyber security. Some businesses also require Cyber Essentials to meet eligibility requirements for government and MOD contracts and subsequently attract new business.
We would strongly recommend that every business or organisation that takes their IT security seriously engage with the Cyber Essentials scheme and achieve a level of certification whether that be the Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
Holker are able to provide this assessment, in a no-jargon manner, and as Andrew says, ‘As long as the assessment is answered honestly, and our recommendations are actioned appropriately we will ensure that you meet the basic IT Security requirements and be awarded the ‘Cyber Essentials’ certification.’
Over the past 5 years, Andrew has been surprised by the number of businesses that do not have the correct level of IT Security in place. If systems are compromised it can result in significant data and financial loss and schools have also become a particular concern due to the growth in remote learning.
Please speak to us today, or email sales@holkerit.co.uk to find out more and enquire about how to become IT Safe and IT Secure in today’s climate.
