Following an independent assessment, we have retained our Cyber Essentials certification, a UK government-backed accreditation for cyber security introduced in 2014.The assessment was carried out by IASME, an official delivery partner for Cyber Essentials. We achieved the cyber security requirements as identified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a government organisation that provides advice and support to companies on how to avoid computer security threats.
The certification lasts for 12 months, with a new assessment undertaken on the anniversary date. With the increasing number and sophistication of cyber threats on the rise, plus with new working practices including hybrid working more popular, new industry best practices need to be met with each iteration of the assessment.
In this year’s assessment there was a strong focus on mobile and bring your own device (BYOD). A key requirement is to have the appropriate systems in place to manage which devices have access to networks and company information and all secured with adequate access controls and protocols.
Stephen Honeyford, Operations Manager and cyber security champion at iTG Technologies comments: “We need to demonstrate to our customers and partners that cyber security isn’t something we just talk about, but something we take very seriously. Our accreditation also ensures that everyone in our businesses fully understands the importance of a well thought out cyber security program. We have for some time strongly advocated a security-first approach and advise our clients that they should achieve and maintain the Cyber Essentials standards as a minimum.”
Cyber Security Compliance – why you need to act now
An additional benefit to achieving Cyber Essentials accreditation is that basic cyber insurance is included, although companies may want to look at upgrading to more comprehensive cover. For those wanting additional assurance, there’s the Cyber Essentials Plus certification that involves an on-site visit from an independent auditor.
NCSC - About Cyber Essentials
Stephen continues: “Cyber-attacks are increasing in sophistication and frequency and as our clients entrust their technology infrastructure to us, we must take every reasonable step to ensure they know that their cyber security is in a safe pair of hands. Further to this for many government contracts and for some business relationships it is now a standard requirement to have cyber essentials accreditation in place as an increasing number of organisations are looking at their own supply chains to manage risk.”
