On the fence about renewing your Cyber Essentials certification this year?
A lot can change for a business in 12 months and with your renewal now fast approaching, you may be wondering whether it’s really worth re-certifying.
In order to keep your security up to date with the standard and uncover any new vulnerabilities that need taking care of, renewing your Cyber Essentials is a must. The scheme updates its requirements annually as threats and technologies evolve, so while you may have been compliant last year, unfortunately, you cannot assume that is still the case. By keeping your certification up to date you can continue to take advantage of the benefits the scheme offers and ensure you’re maintaining good levels of security to best protect your business.
While it is only as few as 3% of companies that decide not to renew their Cyber Essentials each year, this is often linked to one of the following reasons:
“I’m worried we won’t meet the new requirements”
Unfortunately, as threats grow more sophisticated, it is necessary to raise security standards in order to be properly protected against them, so while the Cyber Essentials standard may feel like it gets tougher each year, this is only because the NCSC and IASME want companies to remain sufficiently secure. We know it can all seem daunting so we get in touch with renewing companies far in advance to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. All our assessors are equipped to help you navigate changes to requirements and provide appropriate remedial instruction so your renewal can be a smooth and stress-free process.
“We know about all the essentials now so we don’t need the certificate”
As mentioned, the Cyber Essentials scheme undergoes yearly updates as security needs and threats are always changing, so while it’s great that achieving certification previously has taught you the fundamentals of good security, your renewal will ensure you’re in line with the current best practices and controls. The certificate is solid proof to clients and partners that you have implemented these at your organisation and continue to be a secure company to work with.
“We no longer need it for the contract we originally got the certification for”
Cyber Essentials is increasingly becoming a requirement for business contracts, such as those in the education sector and with government bodies. While you may no longer need it for the tender you originally got it for, it is advisable to stay ahead of the curve and maintain your compliance so you’ll always be prepared should another tender come along that requires certification.
“It’s too expensive for us right now”
We appreciate times are tough and there may be more pressing matters that your business needs to budget for. But it’s important not to sacrifice your security posture entirely. The financial repercussions of a cyber attack are likely to cost your business more significantly than the cost of your Cyber Essentials renewal, but if it is still feeling like a stretch, there are always other affordable solutions on the market worth exploring – after all, something is better than nothing!
Get in touch to find out more via hm-network.com/contact
