In an expanding world of cyber-attacks, it has never been more important to protect your business from unexpected threats. You can’t stop a cyber-criminal from trying to attack your business, but you can mitigate the damage the attacker may cause…or at least make their effort less worthwhile.
Vigilance against cyber-attacks can be a very time-consuming protective measure for your business, but it is a necessity.
In 2022, the UK experienced a rise in successful cyber-attacks. The annual CDR report [1] shows that more than 80% of UK businesses experienced an attack. Thankfully, the figures for 2022 were down from 2021 by around 5% [2]. This gives a clear indication of the importance and significance of upholding vigilance to protect yourself, your information, and your business.
However, don’t let this drop in attacks dissuade you from substantial cyber-security; more than 80% of UK businesses are still experiencing cyber-attacks annually.
That is why here at D&D Network Services, we endeavour to help you ensure that you and your business is secure and protected against cyber-attacks by helping you to achieve certification under the Cyber Essentials scheme.
What is the Cyber Essentials scheme?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed – and industry-supported – scheme that helps businesses protect themselves against cyber-attacks.
The scheme was launched in June 2014 following acknowledgement of the enormous risk posed by cyber-attacks to organisations working in the UK government. It was recognised that many of these risks could be avoided by following a set of basic security measures. Therefore, the Cyber Essentials scheme was launched.
The scheme assesses five technical controls:
- Boundary firewalls and internet gateways
- Secure configuration
- User access controls
- Malware protection
- Patch management
Once you have these basic controls in place, we can begin the Cyber Essentials certification process.
Why do you need to become Cyber Essentials certified?
Cyber Essentials is an important certification for your business that demonstrates how committed your business is to cyber-security and protection.
It is important to note that there are two-levels of Cyber Essentials certification:
- Cyber Essentials
- Cyber Essentials Plus
Both levels of certification provide the same self-assurance. The basic Cyber Essentials certification is a self-assessment where you need to be able to produce evidence that you have implemented the five technical controls. Whereas, Cyber Essentials Plus is the audited version of the self-assessment, meaning that an external assessor will test – and therefore prove – that the technical controls are in place.
How we can help you
The investment you put in to prevent a cyber-breach outweighs the cost of the damage caused by a cyber-attack.
If you want to show how serious you are about protecting your business from cyber-attacks, then get in touch with D&D Network Services. We can get your business Cyber Essentials certified.
Your business will thank you.
Sources:
[1] CyberEdge-2021-CDR-Report-v10–ISC2-Edition.ashx
[2] CyberEdge-2021-CDR-Report-v1.1-1.pdf (cyber-edge.com)
