Frequently asked questions
Centralised answers across certification basics, process, pricing and services.
Basics questions
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed, NCSC-recommended certification scheme that verifies your organisation has five core technical controls in place (firewalls, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management) to protect against the most common internet-based attacks.
Cyber Essentials is a self-assessed questionnaire verified by an assessor. Cyber Essentials Plus adds an independent, hands-on technical audit and vulnerability scan of your systems, required for higher-assurance contracts.
It's mandatory for many central government, MOD, and wider public sector contracts, and increasingly expected by enterprise clients and insurers. See our Who Needs It pages for guidance specific to your sector.
We're a new company, so we don't have a published pass rate yet. What we do have is a structured readiness review before you formally submit, designed to catch issues before they cost you a resubmission.
Process questions
Standard Cyber Essentials can often be completed in as little as 3–5 working days once your self-assessment is submitted. Cyber Essentials Plus typically takes 1–3 weeks depending on the size of your scoped environment.
No, you can define a scope that covers the relevant part of your organisation, such as the systems and devices used to deliver a specific contract, as long as it's a sensible and defensible boundary.
You'll receive clear guidance on what to remediate, and can resubmit once addressed. Our readiness review is designed to catch issues before formal submission, to help you get to a first-time pass wherever possible.
Cyber Essentials certification lasts 12 months. We send renewal reminders well ahead of expiry so your certificate never lapses.
Pricing questions
Pricing is based on your organisation size and scope, starting from £300 for micro businesses. See our pricing page for indicative bands, or get a tailored quote in under a minute.
Services questions
Yes, alongside certification we offer penetration testing, vulnerability testing, and firewall setup & configuration as add-on services, from the same dedicated team.
Get certified in as little as 5 days
Tell us a little about your organisation and we'll send an itemised quote, no obligation, no sales call required to get pricing.