In 2024, making sure your business cybersecurity is top notch is vital. However, not many businesses know how to do this or what can be done to make sure their business follows a best practice for cybersecurity. This is where the cyber essentials certification comes in. Read on to find out more about Cyber Essentials Plus and how it can aid in making sure your business stays secure.

 

What is Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials Plus (CE Plus) is the next step up from the standard Cyber Essentials certification. By achieving the CE Plus certificate, you’re ensuring that your business is at a high level of cybersecurity. Your business will need to complete the standard level of Cyber Essentials before you can complete the Plus certificate.

How is Cyber Essentials Plus Different?

Cyber Essentials Plus is different due to its external technical testing to ensure that the security measures are in place and being followed correctly. This is different to the standard CE certification which only requires a questionnaire to be completed.

This added step means that your answers to the questionnaire are verified. A common analogy to understand this is like getting your car its MOT. By having someone other than ourselves verify each part of the car system is working, it provides assurance due to their professional status and ability to find issues.

Why Cyber Essentials Plus?

CE Plus is becoming the new standard for cybersecurity certification and carries more assurance than the standard CE certification. If your business is considering Cyber Essentials, its worth thinking ahead to getting the Plus certification rather than leaving it at the standard certification. Not only will this benefit your cybersecurity, it will also carry a higher level of assurance in terms of winning contracts and new customers.

What Does Cyber Essentials Plus Cover?

There are 5 key areas which CE Plus covers. These are the following

• Firewalls
• System Configuration
• User Access and Control (What can users do and see)
• Virus Protection
• Patch and Update Management

 How to Get Cyber Essentials Plus Certification

The easiest way to become CE Plus certified is by using an MSP such as Three Cherries to carry out an audit and ensure that your businesses cybersecurity processes are up to scratch and at a level to pass an assessment.

The most important part to remember about gaining the accreditation is that the security processes should continue rather than only be present for your test. If you stop following the practices as soon as you receive your accreditation, the levels of security will drop massively and consequently be pointless.

Three Cherries are able to guide your business through the CE process and ensure security processes are followed continuously making sure your business stays at a sufficient level.

Three Cherries: CE Plus

If you want to find out more about CE Plus and what your business will need to do to both gain and maintain the level of cybersecurity required to be certified contact us today!