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Cyber Essentials: Safeguard your data

Protect your organisation, its data and applications from hacking and attacks with Cyber Security Essentials, a government-backed scheme offering protection from a range of the most common cyber-attacks.

Cyber Security Essentials

Here to help protect your organisation

Cyber Security Essentials is a UK Government’s scheme to help businesses protect themselves against cyber-attacks and hackers. The scheme gives your organisation a framework of five standard yet essential security controls: Firewalls, Secure Configuration, User Access Control, Malware Protection and Patch Management.

Whether your business has the appropriate internal expertise or not, you can use the cyber security essentials scheme to help mitigate ever-present security risks.

CYBER SECURITY ESSENTIALS

What is the scope for software and devices?

Cyber Security Essentials requirements now apply to all devices and software which fall within the boundary of scope that meet any of these conditions:

  • Can accept incoming network connections from untrusted internet-connected hosts
  • Can establish incoming network connections from untrusted internet-connected hosts
  • Control the flow of data between any of the above devices and the internet

Cyber Security Essentials Coverage

What does Cyber Security Essentials cover?

The Cyber Security Essentials scheme reviews your systems and zones in on five key control areas:

  • Network and firewall security

    Ensuring you have basic levels of network security and are safely connected to the outside world.

  • Malware Protects

    Malware attacks are one of the most significant risks facing businesses today. As such, Cyber Essentials reviews all your devices to ensure they are sufficiently protecting your data and privacy.

  • Security configuration

    Ensuring that you’re implementing the correct security measures across all devices, both infrastructure, and end-user, covering home-working and in-office devices.

  • Controlling and limited user account access

    Protecting both your end-users and data from internal/external threats.

  • Patch Management

    Ensuring all connected devices receive the latest software and security patches.

Our Cyber Security Essentials Solutions

Cyber Essential Certification

There are two levels of Cyber Security Essential certifications available for businesses:

  • Cyber Essentials

    Cyber Essentials is the entry-level framework that provides organisations (regardless of size or sector) with a risk assessment and improvement recommendations. The resulting report will help increase awareness and prompt a behaviour change.

  • Cyber Essentials Plus

    Cyber Essentials Plus builds on the basic framework to give you a deeper understanding of vulnerabilities. It does this by scanning all in-scope environments, such as user devices, internal gateways, and servers. However, you must complete the Cyber Essentials assessment first.

Our Cyber Security Essentials Process

To ensure our customers successfully pass their Cyber Security Essentials assessment, BCN will now perform a readiness assessment of their IT infrastructure.

The assessment will ensure any vulnerabilities or issues are resolved prior to the formal Cyber Security Essentials audit.

The assessment itself will cover your complete inventory of end-users (servers, firewalls, workstations, laptops, company-issued mobile phones, tablets, etc.), including the quantity, Operating System, and build versions, before proceeding to ensure all Operating Systems are supported and are receiving firmware updates.

  • 01. Readiness Assessment

    1-day on-site or remote assessment
    • Discuss current policies with key stakeholders.
    • Collation of crucial information to proceed with accreditation.
    • Technical audit of IT systems in place.
    • Production of Cyber Essentials Evendine Readiness document highlighting any shortcomings before proceeding with Cyber Essentials accreditation. *

    * Any remediation work identified, will be quoted as a separate cost and will need to be completed before Cyber Security Essentials audit can begin

  • 02. Cyber Security Essentials

    1-day remote consultancy and support
    • Assess and gather information on your environment.
    • Minor technical amends can be made (up to 2 hours). *
    • Ensure required IT policies are in place.
    • Application completion by BCN Group and submission to IASME.

    * Subject to access and any major changes may require additional chargeable time, if the changes are undertaken by BCN we will complete the audit and submission at no extra cost. Where changes are made either by the customer or another party, we will require an additional ½ day to verify the changes and submit the audit

  • 03. Cyber Essentials Plus upgrade

    2-day remote consultancy and support
    • For customers who want to upgrade to CE+ you must have already been accredited to CE; this must be done within 90 days (about 3 months) to achieve CE+.
    • Internal assessment of up to 10 end-user build samples.
    • External vulnerability scan for up to 16 IP addresses. *
    • Application completion by BCN Group and submission to IASME.

    * Depending on customer size, further IP addresses may be needed for scanning therefore additional chargeable time may be required.

BENEFITS

What are the benefits of Cyber Essentials Certification?

Cyber Security Essentials accreditation allows you to focus on your core business objectives, offering protection from most cyber-attacks. In turn, you can drive business efficiency, save money, and improve productivity by streamlining processes.

  • Demonstrate security

    Demonstrate to clients, insurers, investors, and other stakeholders that you have taken the precautions necessary to reduce cyber risks.

  • Improve processes

    Accreddited organisations are at less of a risk of GDPR non-compliance and associated fines, as well as protected against 99% of the most common threats.

  • Increase opportunities

    Bid for UK Government contracts that involve handling sensitive information, increasing your chances of securing business within the private sector.

  • Save money

    Insurance agencies look favourably upon organisations that hold a Cyber Essentials accreditation, resulting in lower insurance premiums.

Why BCN

Why choose BCN Group?

Protecting your business involves much more than simply equipping all devices with the latest cyber security measures. Indeed, it’s about proactively safeguarding your infrastructure and having the processes to react quickly.

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  • Approved assessor

    BCN have been designated a Cyber Essentials certification body by IASME. The designation means that we can support businesses through the entire process. From initial assessments and recommendations, right through to certification, the certification demonstrates our commitment to helping businesses protect themselves in-line with NCSC best practices.

  • BCN Guarantee of certification

    Any of our customers which undertake a BCN readiness assesment as well as let us handle the submission of the CE certification, are garunteed to pass the formal assessment and become CE certified.

  • Additional security

    What’s more, we can also help defend your business against the final 20% of attack types with our cyber security solutions, to ensure your business is 100% secured by best industry practices.

  • Cyber Essentials Plus certified

    We take our security just as seriously as we will take yours. BCN are a certified Cyber Essentials Plus company, meaning that we have met the requirements and have been through the technical verification process ourselves.

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