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Why Your Business Benefits from Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification scheme that helps businesses put essential cyber security controls in place and reduce exposure to common online threats. Built around five core technical controls, it gives your organisation a clear, practical standard for improving security, supporting compliance, and strengthening resilience as your business grows.
The Five Controls Behind Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials is built around five core technical controls that help businesses reduce exposure to the most common cyber threats. Backed by the National Cyber Security Centre, it gives organisations a practical baseline for cyber security and supports stronger compliance, resilience and day-to-day protection across users, devices and cloud services.
Firewalls and internet gateways
Control inbound and outbound traffic to help block unauthorised access to your network
Secure configuration
Ensure devices, applications, systems and cloud services are securely configured by removing unnecessary features and unsafe default settings.
User access control
Limit access to the people who need it, using strong authentication, appropriate permissions and multi-factor authentication where supported.
Malware protection
Protect users and devices against ransomware, spyware and other malicious software with effective anti-malware controls.
Patch management
Keep operating systems, applications, devices and other business-critical software up to date so known vulnerabilities are not left open to attack.
Director
Why work with Hubtel IT for Cyber Essentials?
Working with Hubtel IT means treating Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus as more than a tick-box exercise. We help businesses prepare properly, not just pass an assessment. That means reviewing the controls that matter, improving Microsoft 365 security, closing compliance gaps and building a stronger security foundation that supports contracts, customer trust and long-term growth.
What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials is the baseline certification and is completed through a self-assessment against the scheme’s core security controls. Cyber Essentials Plus builds on that foundation with an independent technical assessment to verify that those controls are working effectively in practice.
Who needs Cyber Essentials certification?
Cyber Essentials is suitable for organisations of all sizes that want to reduce cyber risk and prove they take security seriously. It is especially valuable for businesses that need to meet customer, supply chain, insurance, regulatory or tender requirements, including organisations bidding for government-related work.
How long does it take to get Cyber Essentials certified?
There is no single fixed timeframe, because certification depends on how prepared your business is before the assessment begins. In general, Cyber Essentials is faster because it is based on self-assessment, while Cyber Essentials Plus takes longer due to the additional independent testing and any remediation needed before sign-off.
What are the benefits of getting Cyber Essentials certification?
Cyber Essentials helps businesses reduce exposure to common cyber threats, strengthen their overall security posture and demonstrate a clear commitment to protecting data. It can also improve trust with customers, partners and suppliers, support compliance, strengthen tender opportunities and help businesses build resilience as cyber risks and expectations continue to evolve.
Does Cyber Essentials cover cloud services such as Microsoft 365?
Yes. Under the 2026 assessment approach, cloud services used for work are fully in scope. That includes platforms such as email, file storage, collaboration tools, CRM systems and other business-critical SaaS applications, so businesses need to ensure cloud environments are configured and protected properly as part of certification.
Do Cyber Essentials requirements change over time?
Yes. Cyber Essentials requirements are updated annually to reflect changing threats and modern working practices. In 2026, the scheme became more rigorous around areas such as cloud services, user access control and the consistent use of multi-factor authentication where supported.
A Phased Approach to Cyber Essentials
Review
Review your current security controls and identify any gaps against Cyber Essentials.
Strengthen
Strengthen key areas across users, devices, Microsoft 365 and cloud services.
Support
Support your business through Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus with practical guidance.
Compliance
Keep compliance on track beyond certification with ongoing support through CyberHub.
IT Support & Services
Providing Specialist Cyber Security & Services to Businessses
Cyber-Hub
Dark Web Monitoring
Managed DMARC
Password Management
Cyber Security Awareness Training
Penetration Testing Services
News
Latest Cyber Security News
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