Cyber Essentials Certification Support

Organisations are required to pay for Cyber Essentials certification, whether they self-certify or seek third-party support.

If you certify via GRC Solutions, the certification costs begin at £420 + VAT, and increase depending on the size and complexity of your organisation and the level of support you are seeking.

Before beginning the certification process, you can view the Cyber Essentials self-assessment questions online for free. This can help you understand how the scheme works and prepare for certification.

Cyber Essentials is recommended for UK organisations of all sizes and across all sectors, including sole traders, public institutes and charities.

This is because the scheme provides the baseline level of security recommended by the UK government, and its controls can prevent the majority of common cyber attacks.

Cyber Essentials certification is valid for 12 months. To maintain compliance, organisations must complete a new assessment and recertify annually. This ensures that certified organisations’ regularly check that their technical controls continue to work as intended account for any new risks that emerge.

Cyber Essentials is mandatory for organisations that intend to bid on certain government contracts – particularly those involving sensitive personal data.

Some private sector organisations also make Cyber Essentials certification a contractual requirement for its suppliers.

Cyber Essentials is not a legal requirement, but it is a government-backed scheme that outlines the minimum expected level of cyber security.

Organisations are only eligible to win certain government contracts if they are certified to the scheme, while some private-sector organisations require suppliers to certify to Cyber Essentials.