We have achieved Cyber Essentials certification!

At datamills we care about the security of digital data.  We’re passionate about keeping information safe, in the right hands, and there when you need it.  We talk a lot about it, we supply services to provide it, we deliver seminars about it…  And now we have an extra piece of paper to prove that we mean business!

Our Cyber Essentials certificate arrived this week, and we’re proud about it!

What is Cyber Essentials?

The Cyber Essentials scheme has been developed by Government and industry to fulfil two functions.  It provides a clear statement of the basic controls all organisations should implement to mitigate the risk from common internet threats, within the context of the Government’s 10 Steps to Cyber Security.  And through the Assurance Framework it offers a mechanism for organisation to demonstrate to customers, investors, insurers and others that they have taken these essentials precautions.

Why is Cyber Essentials needed?

45% of small businesses and 66% of medium/large businesses reported a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months. Overall, nearly half of all businesses (46%) experienced a cyber attack or breach in the past year, causing thousands of pounds worth of costs and disruption to everyday operations. Most cyber attacks are relatively basic and it’s easy to use Cyber Essentials to get good basic protections in place to prevent them. Cyber Essentials is designed by Government to protect your organisation from the most common Internet threats.

If you supply to certain sectors (e.g. government or M.O.D. departments) then you may be required to achieve Cyber Essentials to be able to bid for contracts.

How does Cyber Essentials work?

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.  The scheme addresses five key controls that, when implemented correctly, can prevent around 80% of cyber attacks.

How do I get Cyber Essentials?

We’d love to help you get Cyber Essentials certification too!

Give us a ring in the datamills office on 0114 287 0510.  We can send you a preliminary questionnaire to fill in (it’s very short and easy to do) and return to us.  From there we can advise you on what needs to be done to move towards achieving Cyber Essentials certification for your business.

We’re also running another Digital Cafe session on December 14th 2017, on Cyber Essentials in relation to the new Data Protection legislation (GDPR) coming into force next year.  We’d love to see you there!