Did you know that cybercriminals are becoming more and more interested in small businesses? Hackers see small companies as easy targets because they often have fewer resources and their security measures are often easier to breach.
We believe that all small businesses should look at Cyber Essentials. This is a programme (backed by the government) which helps businesses protect themselves from common online threats.
But is Cyber Essentials worth it for small businesses to spend money on it?
We believe so.
In fact, we believe that cybersecurity needs to be an urgent priority for businesses in Ipswich, Colchester and Felixstowe. In our opinion, cybersecurity needs to be viewed as a continuous journey of improvement, and local businesses need to do whatever they can to protect their data.
To help your small business understand why Cyber Essentials is worth the investment, let’s take a deeper look at what it is and why it’s important.
What is the Cyber Essentials scheme?
Cyber Essentials is a programme backed by the UK government that is meant to help businesses protect themselves from common cyber threats. It gives companies a set of basic security controls they can use to keep themselves safe from cyberattacks.
Cyber Essentials has been designed so that small businesses, which may not have the same budgets as larger businesses, can benefit from fundamental protection.
The benefits of Cyber Essentials for small businesses.
Cyber Essentials can help small businesses in a lot of ways.
First of all, it can help protect against common online threats like phishing, malware, and hacking attempts. This can stop expensive data breaches and keep private information safe.
A valid Cyber Essentials certification can also show customers and business partners that your business takes cyber security seriously. This can help build trust and improve your reputation. Since the Cyber Essentials certificate valid for a year, having it shows that your business is always being checked and evaluated for the latest security risks.
Also, if your business has clients in the public sector, you may need a Cyber Essentials certificate to be considered for tenders. Because of this, it can give you more business opportunities and help your business grow.
Is cyber security an issue in the East of England?
One of the most important parts of our IT support services is to help businesses in Ipswich, Colchester, and Felixstowe improve their cybersecurity defences.
We work closely with small businesses, from freelancers and start-ups to larger businesses with locations all over the region. Even though many of us know that cybersecurity is a big deal, local businesses often don’t know how big the problem is in our area.
Have you read any of our content that we posted during Cybersecurity Awareness Month? If so, you’ll know that we delved into the statistics and discovered that this year alone, organisations in Suffolk have reported losses of almost £13,000 to Suffolk Police due to cyber-dependent crime (source: Action Fraud dashboard)
That’s a huge loss for our local economy and we want to work with local businesses to prevent the situation from worsening.
If you’re a small business, we are here to help you.
Contrary to what you might think, cybersecurity defences are affordable for small businesses and having a Cyber Essentials certificate could open you up to new business opportunities.
How could Cyber Essentials help protect your business from cyberattacks?
Now that we know how big the problem is in our area, it’s important to know how Cyber Essentials can help protect your business.
The scheme gives a clear plan for putting in place basic cybersecurity controls, which can help make it less likely that an attack will succeed.
The framework focuses on five key areas:
- Firewalls
- Secure configurations
- User access control
- Malware protection
- Patch management
You can use each area as a checkpoint to see how well your defences are set up.
As part of the Cyber Essentials certification process, you will need to look at each area in detail to see if you meet the requirements for accreditation. It gives your business a chance to find and fix any weaknesses every year, which greatly reduces the chance that cybercrime will affect you.
It’s important to remember that these checks only give you basic protection against the most common threats. If you need something more complete, you might want to look into what Cyber Essentials Plus can do for you.
What is the cost of Cyber Essentials, and how to get certified?
Costs for Cyber Essentials certification depend on the type of certification body chosen and the size of the business.
But because it is backed by the government, it is generally thought to be a good investment for small businesses. Lower insurance rates and more business opportunities could quickly make up for the cost of getting certified.
We recently published a helpful step-by-step guide, explaining How to achieve Cyber Essentials certification. This is a useful pointer to answer any of the questions that you might have about how to get certified.
Is Cyber Essentials worth the investment for small businesses?
It’s a certainty that cyber-attacks will continue to grow. Hackers will continue to target small businesses because the reality is that a lot of data breaches aren’t very complicated.
We often describe it by saying that most security breaches are like a thief trying to find a door that isn’t locked.
Keeping with this metaphor, if you spend money on Cyber Essentials, you can make sure your doors are locked.
Whether you are a freelancer in Ipswich or a small business just starting out in Colchester, you should plan to spend money on Cyber Essentials certification every year. By considering it as a necessary yearly expenditure, rather than a nice to have, you could protect yourself from harm before anything happens.
You might even find that enhanced security accreditations could lower your insurance premiums.
And, as we already said, having a valid Cyber Essentials certification could help you get new clients because it shows that you are taking steps to protect their data.
We think that putting money into Cyber Essentials will always give you a good return and is definitely worth the investment.
Lucid Systems can manage your certification on your behalf.
We know you’re busy if you run a small business. We know that you might not know enough about firewalls or security settings to be able to fill out the self-assessment form and answer questions about them.
But we can help with that.
We help small businesses and independent contractors in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex with their Cyber Essentials certification.
Our plan is to look at your systems and put in place processes that are in line with best practises around the world. When we’re sure that your online security measures can handle online threats, we’ll fill out the application for you. So, when the external assessment happens, you’ll know you’ll pass with flying colours.
Are you ready to get started with your Cyber Essentials application? Please phone us on 01473 355199 to find out how we help businesses like you across Ipswich, Colchester and Stowmarket.
