Cyber Essentials Plus pricing: a practical guide for UK businesses

If you run a business with 10–200 staff, someone in procurement or the insurance form has probably asked for Cyber Essentials Plus. It sounds official, and it is — but it’s less about technical wizardry and more about proving you aren’t a soft target. The real question for most owners is blunt: how much will it cost, and will it save me time, money and headaches?

What Cyber Essentials Plus actually is (without the jargon)

Cyber Essentials Plus is a UK government-backed scheme that tests basic cyber defences and includes an external technical assessment carried out by an accredited body. Think of it as a health check plus a quick MOT for your network — not an enterprise security overhaul. It’s designed so buyers, insurers and regulators can see you’ve covered the basics.

What affects Cyber Essentials Plus pricing

There’s no single sticker price. Costs vary because certification is not just a one-off fee from the certifier — it’s the total effort to get and pass the assessment. Key factors are:

  • Scope — How many sites, servers and networks are in scope? A single office with cloud-hosted mail is easier than multiple sites with on-premise servers.
  • Device count and complexity — A handful of laptops is straightforward; a patchwork of legacy kit, printers, IoT devices and specialised kit is harder.
  • Existing controls — If you already patch regularly, run endpoint protection and have a sensible password policy, you’ll pay less than a business with no controls.
  • Remediation work — The assessment will flag fixes. If there’s lots to do, expect more consultancy time (and cost) to implement them.
  • Internal resource — Will your IT manager handle changes, or will you need external help? Outsourced implementation raises costs but can be faster.
  • Accredited assessor fees — Certification bodies charge for the technical tests. That’s part of the bill but not the whole story.

How pricing typically breaks down

Rather than pretend there’s a single price, it helps to think in components:

  • Pre-assessment or consultancy — A short review to see what’s missing and how much work is needed. Handy for avoiding surprise bills.
  • Remediation — Labour to implement changes: patching, configuring firewalls, applying policies and documenting processes.
  • Certification — The assessor’s fee and any retests if things fail first time.
  • Ongoing cost — Maintaining controls, training staff, and periodic reviews (you’ll want to avoid lapsing).

That structure matters because you can control some of it. For example, investing a little in staff training and housekeeping now often reduces the consultancy and retest element later.

Practical tips to keep costs sensible

Here are steps that typically save money without cutting corners:

  • Define a tight scope — Certify the systems that matter for contracts and compliance rather than every gadget on the network. You can expand scope later.
  • Run a pre-check — A short internal audit or an independent pre-assessment finds obvious failures early and avoids retest fees.
  • Patch and document — Up-to-date patching and simple documentation of policies are low-cost wins.
  • Use existing services — If you already use a managed provider for backups or endpoint protection, leverage those solutions rather than buying new products.
  • Plan resourcing — Decide whether your in-house team will do the work or if external engineers are needed. External help costs more but reduces time to certification.

In regional conversations with IT managers from Manchester to the South Coast, the companies that prepared this way usually spent less and finished faster.

Is Cyber Essentials Plus worth it for a 10–200 person business?

Short answer: usually yes. It’s not a silver bullet, but it helps in three practical ways:

  • Procurement and credibility — Many buyers, especially public sector bodies, expect it. Having the Plus badge often streamlines the tender process.
  • Risk reduction — It forces fixes to obvious weaknesses that cause most small breaches: poor patching, weak passwords and lax admin controls.
  • Insurance and contracts — Some insurers and clients give preferential terms if you have demonstrable controls in place.

It’s also worth noting that the process is recognisable across the UK and works well with GDPR obligations enforced by the ICO — it doesn’t replace legal obligations, but it shows you take them seriously.

How to budget and plan

Start with a simple checklist: inventory, patch status, user accounts and basic policies. That gives you a sense of the work involved and whether you’ll need external help. If you want an organised walkthrough of the scheme and what to expect, this what Cyber Essentials covers is a helpful primer that aligns with UK requirements.

When getting quotes, ask suppliers to itemise pre-assessment, remediation days and certification fees. Compare not just the price but the likely time to certification — downtime for your IT team has a cost too.

Common pitfalls to avoid

  • Underestimating documentation — Certifiers look for evidence. Policies and simple logs matter.
  • Over-scoping from the start — You can add sites later; start with the core estate used for contracts and payments.
  • Ignoring staff training — Human error is still a leading cause of incidents. Basic training is cheap and effective.

FAQ

How long does Cyber Essentials Plus certification take?

It depends on your starting point. If you’re already tidy on patching and policies, it can be a few weeks from pre-check to certificate. If there’s remediation to do, allow several weeks to a few months — especially if external contractors need to schedule work.

Will the assessment fix issues for me?

No. The certifier tests and reports; they won’t do the remediation as part of the assessment (though some providers offer separate fixes). Budget for the implementation work separately.

Does certification cover cloud services and remote working?

Yes, but you must include those systems in your scope and provide evidence of controls. Many modern businesses rely on cloud mail and remote devices, so documenting how those are secured is a key part of the process.

Can I self-assess instead to save money?

There’s a Cyber Essentials self-assessment route, but it’s not the same as Plus. The self-assessment is cheaper but lacks the independent technical tests that reassure buyers and insurers.