Cyber Security

Is Poor Cyber Security Costing You Lucrative Contracts?

Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent, and have hit as many as one in four businesses in the past year. They are costly too, with losses per business averaging over £4,000. Suddenly being unable to service your customers due to a data breach can be devastating. But for those customers who rely on you, the situation can be equally damaging. And that’s precisely why so many organisations are selectively choosing suppliers with a proven commitment to cyber security.

More and more organisations are adopting the opinion that reducing risk means choosing suppliers that have made a commitment to cyber security. No business can afford to lose a vital cog in its supply chain without warning. Neither can a business risk the safety of its data. Both of which are exactly what can happen following a supplier cyberattack.

With this in mind, larger organisations and public sector bodies are making it mandatory for their suppliers to be cyber security accredited through a government-backed, industry-supported scheme.

The accreditation is known as Cyber Essentials. It is an obligatory requirement for businesses who wish to tender for specific government contracts that involve the handling of personal information, or the delivery of certain IT products and services.

But Cyber Essentials isn’t just for the public sector supply chain. Thousands of businesses across the UK are getting themselves Cyber Essentials certified to help boost their competitive advantage, demonstrating that they are taking cyber security, and the safety of their customers’ data, seriously.

Cyber Essentials also delivers the added advantage of making businesses aware of what they need to do to reduce the threat of cyberattacks, whilst also preparing them for vital data protection compliance.

What is Cyber Essentials?

The Cyber Essentials scheme is a UK government-backed certification that helps businesses of all sizes guard against the most common cyber threats.

It also allows a company to demonstrate its cyber security commitment to prospective customers, increasing competitive advantage in the process.

Cyber Essentials certification helps protect businesses against 80% of the most common types of cyberattacks, as well as reducing the risks of business disruption and diminished productivity that go hand in hand with cyberattack downtime.

Through five technical controls, the Cyber Essentials scheme will reveal what your business needs to do to reduce the threat of cyberattacks on your organisation.

Each of the controls focuses on an aspect of your IT system:

  • Boundary firewalls and internet gateways – to protect your internet connected devices
  • Secure configurations – to prevent hackers gaining access to your data
  • Access control – to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access and control
  • Malware protection – to protect your data from viruses, malware and other cyber threats
  • Patch management – to resolve any software vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals will be on the lookout for targets that do not have these controls in place. But by following the Cyber Essentials scheme towards certification, you’ll have everything covered.

“61% of certified organisations say they are more likely to choose suppliers with Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification.”

Cyber Essentials is a self-guided certification process, whereas Cyber Essentials Plus involves third party manual verification. Cyber Essentials certificates issued in the previous 12 months are displayed on the National Cyber Security Centre website, showing suppliers your commitment to protecting your and your customers’ data.

Ready to expand your prospective customer base, boost your competitive edge and enhance your IT security?

Cyber Essentials has the power to do all of the above for your organisation.

Helping our customers stay productive and competitive by ensuring they are up to date with how they deal with and respond to cyber threats is something we take very seriously.

As well as providing a range of expert cyber security services, including firewall solutions, Office 365 security and disaster recovery strategies, we are also here to help you become Cyber Essentials certified, taking you through the process of implementing the required changes and ensuring you have a clear understanding of how everything works by making the complex simple.

To learn more about the benefits of becoming Cyber Essentials certified, and to discover how ClearTec IT can support you through the process, please get in touch.