Cyber Essentials Certification
CloudTech24 partners with accredited Cyber Essentials assessors to help UK organisations achieve certification quickly and confidently. Our cybersecurity experts guide you through preparation, gap analysis, and self-assessment readiness.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification from the NCSC (National Cyber Security Council) and is designed to help organisations protect against the most common cyber threats. It sets out essential security controls covering areas such as firewalls, user access, malware protection, and software updates.
Being certified demonstrates your commitment to cybersecurity and helps safeguard your business from 80% of common cyber-attacks. It also builds trust with customers, partners, and suppliers by showing that your organisation takes data protection seriously.
If you want to do business with the MOD (Ministry of Defence) or any other UK Government agency, Cyber Essentials is mandatory for contracts which involve handling sensitive data or technical services.
Your Cyber Essentials certification is valid for 12 months before it needs to be reassessed.
Benefits of Cyber Essentials Certification
Cyber-attacks threaten every organisation, regardless of size — from data breaches to ransomware disrupting operations. Cyber Essentials provides a UK government-backed framework with five essential controls (firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management) to defend against the most common cyber threats.
Certification proves your commitment to NCSC cybersecurity standards, unlocks the Cyber Essentials logo for marketing, reduces insurance costs, and meets mandatory requirements for MOD and public sector contracts. Valid for 12 months with annual renewal, it delivers practical protection, compliance, and trust for your business.
What does Cyber Essentials cover?
The Cyber Essentials framework is based on five pillars that cover the foundational building blocks for protecting businesses against common cyberattacks like phishing, ransomware, and DDoS.
- Firewalls
- Secure configuration
- User access
- Security update management
- Malware protection
At CloudTech24, our cybersecurity experts simplify certification by identifying gaps in your current setup, guiding self-assessment preparation and submission, and ensuring full NCSC compliance with minimal disruption. Our proven process, is aligned with industry best practices and delivers quick, confident certification and stronger cyber defences. If key technical controls are missing, CloudTech24 provide targeted services to close those gaps efficiently.
How do I get certified?
To obtain the Cyber Essentials certification it is required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire that is then independently validated by an accredited Cyber Essentials certification body (IASME). This evaluation process ensures your organisation meets the five technical controls (firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and security update management) and has the required cybersecurity in place to protect against common threats like phishing and ransomware.
CloudTech24 makes this process seamless. Our consultants review your self-assessment results, pinpoint technical weaknesses, and implement targeted remediation across all five controls. Whether you need firewall hardening, access management setup, or patch management automation, we bridge gaps efficiently while preparing you for independent verification — ensuring fast certification, NCSC compliance, and eligibility for government contracts including MOD supply chains
You can download a copy of the assessment criteria from the IASME website from the following link: IASME Cyber Essentials Questions
Working with CloudTech24
Our IT and cybersecurity experts bring years of proven experience helping businesses achieve Cyber Essentials certification quickly and confidently. Our team will guide you through the five core technical controls, identifying and closing compliance gaps while supporting your self-assessment and independent verification.
CloudTech24 are also independently validated and hold security accreditations in Cyber Essentials Plus, CREST and ISO 27001.
What is Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials Plus provides the highest level of Cyber Essentials certification through independent, hands-on technical validation through the audit of your IT systems. This extends far beyond the standard self-assessment. This advanced NCSC Cyber Essentials verification tests your firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and security update management in real-world conditions ensuring your business can validate their alignment to the criteria
The Cyber Essentials Plus audit typically takes 2-3 weeks, depending on your network complexity and there is a prerequisite in that you must hold a verified Cyber Essentials certificate that was issued within the last 3 months before applying for the Cyber Essentials Plus certification. Although most organisations bundle Cyber Essentials Plus with their initial assessment, achieving both certifications simultaneously. All Cyber Essentials certificates (standard and Plus) are valid for 12 months with annual validation and renewal required.
Cyber Essentials Plus is mandatory for high-security UK government contracts, MOD supply chains, and demonstrates your commitment to cybersecurity compliance.
What’s the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials certification uses a self-assessment questionnaire verified by an independent body like IASME, confirming your organisation meets the five core technical controls. In contrast, Cyber Essentials Plus requires a hands-on technical audit which can be performed either on-site or remotely. During the audit assessors actively validate your live systems for real-world compliance.
Cyber Essentials Plus standards are significantly stricter. Even a single control failure (firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, or security update management) results in overall failure. At CloudTech24, we review your IT infrastructure and cybersecurity setup, identify gaps, and implement targeted remediation across all Cyber Essentials controls before your formal assessment. This ensures a quicker process to certification success and NCSC compliance.
Read more in our blog: Difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
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Cyber Essentials Certification - Frequently Asked Questions
We receive lots of questions about the Cyber Essentials assessment, supporting services and reducing cyber attacks. Take a look at some common Cyber Essentials FAQs.
Who needs Cyber Essentials certification?
Cyber Essentials is suitable for businesses seeking a basic cybersecurity certification that demonstrates essential security controls against common threats.
Cyber Essentials Plus is a more involved process for businesses that require a higher level of assurance. It is externally verified through an independent audit that confirms your compliance.
If you handle sensitive data or work with government contracts, Cyber Essentials Plus may be the better option to enhance credibility.
How much does Cyber Essentials cost?
The cost of Cyber Essentials depends on which level of accreditation you choose to work towards. We’ve refined our process to ensure our clients receive a simplified, rapid, and cost-effective route to certification.
How long does Cyber Essentials certification take?
CloudTech24 can expedite your Cyber Essentials accreditation. We assist our clients with the self-assessment questionnaire and help them identify areas that require development to meet the required standards.
A certificate can be produced in as little as 24 hours. If your business does not have the expected cybersecurity measures in place, however, there is likely to be an additional delay.
How long is the Cyber Essentials certificate valid for?
Cyber Essentials certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of initial certification. As well as providing the initial certificate, CloudTech24 can assist with the annual reassessment required for both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus.
What is IASME Gold?
IASME Gold is often referred to as IASME Governance Audited. This certification involves an on-site assessment and governance audit that evaluates your processes and controls. It is considered an alternative to ISO 27001, typically being more cost-effective and easier for SMEs to implement, while still providing a robust framework for information security management.
Do I need Cyber Essentials to be a government supplier?
Since 1 October 2014, all suppliers bidding for government contracts involving the handling of personal or sensitive information must be Cyber Essentials certified to demonstrate they have cybersecurity basics in place to protect against common cyber attacks.
Can CloudTech24 manage our entire Cyber Essentials certification process?
Absolutely, CloudTech24 provides consultative services to certify, recertify or provide effective Cyber Essentials consulting services to ensure your business can achieve Cyber Essentials accreditation as smoothly as possible.
What is the Cyber Essentials Plus certification?
Cyber Essentials Plus is an enhanced assessment of Cyber Essentials basic. Although it has the same approach and defences/protection, there is enhanced validation performed with a hands-on technical audit and verification by our cybersecurity experts.
Is patch management needed for Cyber Essentials?
Yes. Cyber Essentials requires a patch management process to be implemented to ensure that all software and devices are updated where there are patches available to address vulnerabilities and update software to stable and secure versions. CloudTech24 can provide patch management to meet the requirements of Cyber Essentials and achieve certification.
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Working with CloudTech24 has been a genuinely smooth and valuable experience from start to finish. The onboarding process was structured and efficient, with the team taking time to fully understand our setup, risks, and goals before implementing any solutions.
Day-to-day, their support has been consistently reliable. Issues are handled quickly, often before they become real problems, and there’s a clear proactive approach rather than just reactive fixes.
Their cybersecurity expertise has also added a strong layer of confidence, we know our systems, data, and users are properly protected.
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CloudTech24 have been a huge support to Positively Adam, providing reliable IT and cybersecurity services here in London.
From day one, their approach has been proactive rather than reactive. Their 24/7 support gives real peace of mind, issues are handled quickly, communication is clear, and nothing feels left hanging. It’s reassuring to know our systems are constantly monitored and protected.
They’ve strengthened our Microsoft 365 setup, tightened our security, and made our overall IT infrastructure far more streamlined and resilient. Most importantly, they explain everything in straightforward terms, which makes decision-making easy and stress-free.
If you’re looking for an IT partner that genuinely adds value and helps your business run smoothly, I highly recommend CloudTech24.
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What really stands out is their professionalism and technical expertise. From Microsoft 365 support to strengthening our overall cybersecurity posture, everything feels structured, secure, and well-managed. They explain technical matters in plain English, which is invaluable for non-technical teams.
If you’re a London-based business looking for reliable, proactive IT support that actually feels like a partnership rather than a helpdesk, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend CloudTech24.
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Helpful & cheerful as always thank you Yassi
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