Written by SRM

19th April 2016

• Cyber Essentials
• Cyber Security

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Gaining Cyber Essentials certification protects a business’ reputation as well as its cash flow. With over £50 billion in annual online retail sales in the UK, it is becoming increasingly essential for businesses of all sizes to protect their customers from all types of potential fraud. For at the same time as Internet sales have increased, so has the capability of online fraudsters. And with alarmingly regular reports detailing the thefts of both personal and financial data, online shoppers are also wising up to the inherent risks of dealing with companies that do not adhere to recognised online safety measures. Certification as a Cyber Essentials UK company benefits a businesses’ reputation by demonstrating a robust cyber security stance to its customers.

At a glance, these reputational benefits of Cyber Essentials certification are:

• It shows your commitment to security; demonstrating to your business partners, regulators and suppliers that you take cyber security seriously.
• It is a mandatory requirement for government suppliers and for all public service contracts.
• It enables you to safeguard commercially sensitive data.
• It protects your company’s profits and reputation by avoiding the financial implications any negative publicity associated with a cyberattack.
• It gives you a competitive advantage, particularly in comparison to rivals without accreditation.

So what does Cyber Essentials certification entail? The scheme provides five fundamental technical security controls that an organisation needs to have in place to defend against the most common form of cyber attacks emanating from the Internet. These controls are then independently assessed for Cyber Essentials accreditation.

• Boundary firewalls and internet gateways; these must be designed to prevent unauthorised access to or from private networks.
• Secure configuration; ensuring that systems are configured in the most secure way for the needs of the organisation.
• Access control; ensuring only those who should have access to systems to have access and at the appropriate level.
• Malware protection; ensuring that virus and malware protection is installed and is it up to date.
• Patch management; ensuring the latest supported version of applications is used and all the necessary patches supplied by the vendor have been applied.

Expert advice will help you to navigate the process in a cost-effective manner and ensure that you achieve full compliance. Anyone wishing for more Cyber Essentials UK company information may view the following resources or contact SRM direct.