General

The Cyber Essentials scheme grows year on year and businesses of all sizes across the UK are getting certified.  By taking the steps to meet the Cyber Essentials requirements, more and more organisations are putting in place the minimum cyber security measures to help protect themselves against the most common cyber attacks, including ransomware.

When the scheme was first introduced by the UK Government in 2014, the goal was to make the UK the safest place to do business online.  Since then, we have seen the Coronavirus pandemic, an explosion of digital products and services, and wide adoption of cloud services and hybrid working. Cyber security is no longer a support part in your business planning, it now takes a serious, significant and central role. Additionally, the scheme is updated every few years by a team of experts to reflect the changing threat landscape and ensure that certified organisations are as well protected as possible. It can be difficult to keep up with this much change.

IASME has created the Cyber Essentials Knowledge Hub to provide a central, up-to-date source of reliable information. This resource will grow and evolve year on year, with additional content being added to answer questions and help you find the information you need.

In the opening version of the Cyber Essentials Knowledge Hub, you will find:

• Tech and cyber basics

For the non technical person, what is a firewall? where is the cloud? and how do I know if I am on a Mac or PC? Find articles and guidance that educate and explain all aspects of tech and cyber.

• The five controls

Cyber Essentials focuses on five cyber security controls that mitigate the most common cyber attacks  and are relatively straightforward to assess.

What are the five controls and how do they apply to your organisation?

• Scope

One of the first things you must do when applying for Cyber Essentials, is to clarify exactly what is included in your certification. This means establishing the boundary of scope for your organisation and determine what is in scope within this boundary. Scope is one of the areas that provokes the most questions to our customers service team. We explore all the ins and outs.

• Size and sector specific

What are the cyber security issues that affect organisations of different sizes and in different sectors?  From legal and accounting to education, charities and micros, we offer specific guidance for getting certified.

• Support period

How to check if your device is still supported by the manufacturer, or whether the support period has ended (end of life).

• Cyber Essentials glossary

Definitions of common technical words used in the Cyber Essentials scheme.

• Latest updates to Cyber Essentials

Any news, changes or updates, you will read it here first.

Take a look at the Cyber Essentials Knowledge Hub here.

Information from IASME