Cyber Essentials Certification
Establishing Your Cyber Foundation with Confidence.
Achieving Cyber Essentials means demonstrating that your organisation has the essential controls in place to defend against the most common cyber threats. Delivered in two tiers, Basic (self‑assessed) and Plus (independently tested), this UK government‑backed scheme is perfect for growing businesses focused on resilience, trust, and compliance.
Select The Right Certification Level for Your Organisation
The five technical controls and what they mean for your business
These core controls form the mandatory foundation of any certification stack:
Only authorised traffic reaches your network. Default credentials removed, rules tight, admin access locked down.
Devices stripped of unnecessary software, with only essential services enabled and default settings replaced by hardened baselines.
Individual user accounts have limited privileges, and MFA is enabled where feasible.
Trusted anti‑malware tools blocking risks, with smart application control and regular scans.
All devices are patched promptly to reduce exposure, updates are tracked and applied across systems.
Benefits You’ll See
- Peace of mind – Board‑level confidence that baseline cyber threats are addressed.
- Competitive advantage – Certified status often favours you in bids and procurement.
- Cost-effective resilience – Certification can reduce insurance claims, litigation risk, and breach recovery costs.
How VITS Guides You Through Certification
Start Your Cyber Essentials Journey Today
Speak to VITS about developing your cyber security foundation. We’ll work with you to assess, certify, and strengthen your organisation so you can operate securely, confidently, and compliantly.
Cyber Essentials FAQs
Most organisations can complete the Cyber Essentials self-assessment in just a few days, provided the right security measures are already in place. If additional improvements are needed, the process may take longer. Cyber Essentials Plus can take more time as it requires independent testing.
Costs vary depending on the size of your organisation and whether you choose Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus. The basic self-assessment starts at a relatively low cost, while Cyber Essentials Plus is more expensive due to the on-site or remote audit.
If you don’t meet the requirements on your first attempt, you’ll usually be given feedback and a short timeframe (often 48 hours to two weeks) to make the necessary improvements and resubmit without extra cost.
Certification is valid for 12 months. To stay protected and compliant, organisations must renew annually and keep their security practices up to date.