The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has recently announced that it will be implementing the Cyber Essentials Scheme. It will also require all suppliers to do the same. If you are one of these suppliers, the chances are that you are already thinking about how to achieve Cyber Essentials. If not, you might be wondering whether this has anything to do with you, or even what on earth “Cyber Essentials” is!
What is Cyber Essentials?
The Cyber Essentials Scheme is a government scheme designed to protect your business against cyber threats. It has been set up as part of the government’s commitment to invest heavily in cyber security for the next 5 years. All this has come about because of the scale of the problem of cyber crime for businesses – nearly half of businesses reported a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months.
What is the problem?
The MOD announcement states that “Bristish Industry now need to be aware that every British company is a target, every British network will be attacked, and that Cyber crime is not something that happens to other people”.
Cyber attacks cost organisations thousands of pounds and cause lengthy periods of disruption. Do you have a plan for what you would do if your customer database was stolen, your website was forced offline, or you couldn’t access your email or business-critical data?
Cyber criminals don’t just attack banks and large companies – they target any organisation which isn’t properly protected, even small businesses – like yours.
How does Cyber Essentials help?
The majority of cyber attacks exploit basic weaknesses in your IT systems and software. Cyber Essentials shows you how to address those basics and prevent the most common attacks.
It’s easy to get good, basic protection in place with Cyber Essentials.
If I don’t supply the MOD, can I forget about Cyber Essentials?
No – since October 2014 Cyber Essentials has been mandatory for suppliers of some Government contracts. And the list will be growing as more and more companies and government departments follow suit. You may find yourself being asked to prove that you have Cyber Essentials in order to get contracts.
But more importantly than that, you need to protect your business, whether or not it is demanded by someone else.
How can I find out more about Cyber Essentials?
For more information, have a look at our Cyber Essentials page, or see the official government Cyber Essentials website. And for help with the practicalities, give us a ring in the datamills office (0114 287 0510).
We’re also having a look at Cyber Essentials at Digital Cafe on Thursday 14th December (10am – 11.30am), so why not put the date in your diary and come along to talk about it face-to-face with someone!