Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus Certification

Show you’re serious about cyber security with Cyber Essentials certification from Chess. As an IASME approved assessor, we help you achieve Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus, giving you a clear, proven way to protect your organisation from the most common cyber attacks.

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The Cost of Unreliable Cyber Security

Cyber threats are now part of everyday business risk. Without the right cyber security essentials in place, a single incident can lead to downtime, lost revenue, regulatory fines and longterm damage to your reputation. Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus give you a simple, recognised framework to reduce this risk.

  • Costly downtime while your team struggles to recover from preventable cyber attacks 
  • Lost contracts where buyers expect recognised cyber security accreditation 
  • Increased risk of data breaches and regulatory action for poor security controls 
  • Low confidence from customers, partners and boards in your cyber security posture 
  • Confused people and inconsistent processes that make it easy for attackers 
  • Complex cyber essentials plus requirements that delay certification and projects 

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Organisations with Cyber Essentials are 92% less likely to make a claim on their cyber insurance.

Cyber Essentials management information, Gov.UK

Cyber Essentials Certification Services

Whether you are starting your cyber security journey or ready to move up to Cyber Essentials Plus, Chess can support you from first checklist to final cyber security accreditation. Our specialists guide you through each step, making Cyber Essentials certification simpler and less stressful.

Cyber Essentials

Achieve Cyber Essentials certification and show you have key controls in place to protect against common cyber threats.

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Cyber Essentials Plus

Levelup to Cyber Essentials Plus certification with handson technical testing and deeper assurance for your organisation.

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Cyber Essentials Certification

Show you’re serious about cyber security and prevent security incidents by achieving Cyber Essentials.  Cyber Essentials is a government-backed initiative to help businesses just like yours to protect against the most common cyber threats.  Originally launched in 2014, over 120,000 certificates have since been awarded to businesses of all sizes across the country. 

Best for:

  • Organisations starting their cyber security accreditation journey 
  • Businesses that need a clear, simple cyber essentials checklist of controls 
  • Companies working with public sector or regulated customers 
  • Teams who want to formalise cyber security without heavy internal resource 

Benefits:

  • Recognised Cyber Essentials certification that builds trust with customers and partners 
  • A clear view of your current security posture and priority actions 
  • A simple framework that reduces risk from the most common cyber attacks 
  • A strong foundation for future Cyber Essentials Plus certification or other standards 

Ready to start your Cyber Essentials certification? Speak to our cyber security team today. 

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Cyber Essentials Plus Certification

Level-up your certification to show you’re serious about cyber security. Cyber Essentials Plus is the next step in your cyber security journey – an advanced government-backed initiative for businesses looking to take extra measures to protect against common cyber threats. 

Around a quarter of those businesses who take the Cyber Essentials certification go on to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus. As an IASME approved assessor for the Cyber Essentials accreditations, we offer a range of options to support you in your journey to certification, depending on your requirements and internal technical ability. 

Best for:

  • Organisations that already hold Cyber Essentials certification 
  • Businesses needing stronger assurance for boards, customers or regulators 
  • Companies bidding for contracts where Cyber Essentials Plus requirements apply 
  • Enterprises with complex networks or higher risk profiles 

Benefits:

  • Cyber Essentials Plus certification with independent, handson technical testing 
  • Greater assurance that your controls work in practice, not just on paper 
  • Expert guidance from Chess to prepare, remediate gaps and pass first time 
  • A competitive edge when tendering for contracts that expect cyber security essentials plus 

Thinking about Cyber Essentials Plus? Book a consultation to assess your readiness. 

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Why Get Cyber Essentials Certified

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Formalise your Security

You will gain a clear picture of your current cyber security posture, with every important process and policy formally documented to ensure business continuity.

Win More Business

A Cyber Essentials qualification opens doors to the public sector. Since 2014, Cyber Essentials has been a requirement for contracts that deal with personal data, with the MOD following suit in 2016. 

Cyber Liability Insurance

If your turnover is below £20m, your certification comes with Cyber Liability Insurance, complete with 24hr helpline, and incident response worth up to £25,000.

Set Yourself Apart

Whoever your customers are, a Cyber Essentials qualification will let them know that cyber security is a priority for your business. 

Employee Engagement

Improve security awareness within your business, educating your people on the importance of cyber security and on how to minimise threats.

Peace of Mind

Rest easy in the knowledge that you have secured your systems and applications against 80% of cyber attacks and focus on what matters the most.

Compare Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus

Whether you are starting your cyber security journey or ready to move up to Cyber Essentials Plus, Chess can support you from first checklist to final cyber security accreditation. Our specialists guide you through each step, making Cyber Essentials certification simpler and less stressful.

Features/ Requirement Cyber Essentials Cyber Essentials Plus
Type of Assessment Self assessment completed online Independent, hands-on technical audit by an approved assessor
Core Controls Included Yes - all five Cyber Essentials controls are assessed Yes - same five controls, plus testing to confirm they work in practice
Assessment Process Complete and submit a questionnaire reviews by IASME Full review of controls, device sampling, vulnerability scans, malware checks, and configuration testing.
Technical Testing No technical testing required Required - assessor tests your systems, devices, cloud services, and public IP addresses
Difficulty Level Straight-foward if controls are in place and documented. More rigorous - no tolerance for noncompliance. You must pass every test.
Assurance Level Good baseline of cyber security. Higher level of confidence for boards, customers, and partners.
Typical Time & Resource Required Lower effort - easier for teams with limited internal IT resource. High effort - requires preparation, remediation, and technical involvement.
Best for Organisations new to cyber security accreditation or needing a basic, recognised standard. Oranisations handling sensitive data, operating in higher-risk sectors, or bidding for contracts that expect deeper assurance.
Renewal Valid for 12 months. Annual renewal required. Valid for 12 months. Annual reassessment required.
Outcome Certificate showing you've met the baseline standard. Certificate showing your controls work in practice and your environment has been independently tested.

Still unsure? Talk to our cyber security experts and we’ll recommend whether Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus is the right next step.

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Frequently asked questions

Cyber Essentials is a UK government backed cyber security accreditation that helps you protect against the most common cyber attacks. It focuses on a small set of technical controls that form your basic cyber security essentials. Achieving Cyber Essentials certification shows customers and partners that you take security seriously. 

Cyber Essentials is a selfassessment accreditation, while Cyber Essentials Plus includes independent technical testing of your systems. Both schemes share the same core controls, but Cyber Essentials Plus offers higher assurance and is often required where stronger cyber security accreditation is needed. 

Cyber Essentials Plus requirements include all the controls from Cyber Essentials, plus handson technical checks carried out by an approved assessor. These tests confirm that your controls are working in practice, which is why many organisations choose Cyber Essentials Plus certification for higherrisk environments. 

Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications are valid for 12 months. To stay compliant and maintain your cyber security accreditation, you need to renew your certification each year and keep your cyber essentials checklist of controls up to date. 

Many UK public sector and MOD contracts now expect Cyber Essentials certification as a minimum. Having Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus in place helps you meet these expectations and makes it easier to demonstrate good cyber security practice during tenders. 

As an IASME approved assessor, Chess can guide you through the full Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification process. We help you understand the controls, prepare evidence, address any gaps and move smoothly from cyber essential to cyber essentials plus if you need a higher level of assurance. 

Making IT Work For You

Chess is one of the UK’s leading independent and trusted technology service providers, employing more than 240 skilled people across the UK, supporting over 18,000 organisations.

We believe IT should work for you, reduce costs, deliver efficiency, keep you secure, enhance your work-life balance, improving performance. At Chess, we’re passionate about our unique culture and our continuous investment in our people to be industry experts.

We’re extremely proud that our people voted us No.1 in ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work for’ list 2018, and we continue to celebrate more than 17 years in the top 100.

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