Do I need Cyber Essentials?
If you run a business with 10–200 staff in the UK, this is the question you’re likely asking after a supplier mentions it in a contract, or your insurer raises a raised eyebrow. Short answer: maybe. Longer answer: it depends on risk appetite, customers and the kind of trouble you want to avoid.
What Cyber Essentials actually is — without the tech waffle
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme that sets a basic standard of cyber hygiene. It’s not a silver bullet; it’s more like the seatbelt of cyber security. It forces you to cover the fundamentals so you’re not falling over obvious tripwires. For many buyers and insurers in the UK, having it is an expected box to tick before you can trade or claim.
Who in your organisation should care?
This isn’t just an IT thing. Leaders in finance, operations, HR and anyone who signs contracts should know whether the business has it. If you supply other businesses, public sector bodies, or handle customer data, it becomes a commercial requirement fairly quickly. I’ve seen local manufacturers and professional services firms get stalled in procurement for lack of certification; it’s an easy conversation to avoid by being prepared.
Business reasons to get Cyber Essentials
- Procurement: Some contracts—especially with government and larger firms—explicitly require Cyber Essentials as a precondition.
- Insurance and claims: Insurers often look more kindly on businesses that can show basic controls are in place when assessing post-breach claims.
- Reputation and sales: Clients want reassurance. Small to mid-sized buyers increasingly ask suppliers about cyber credentials during tendering.
- Cost avoidance: Preventing a breach is almost always cheaper than handling one. Cyber Essentials focuses on the highest-return basics.
When Cyber Essentials might not be necessary (yet)
If your trading is entirely B2C with no handling of sensitive data, or you don’t bid for contracts that list it as mandatory, you could prioritise other investments. That said, cyber risk doesn’t respect sector boundaries—supply chain compromise or ransomware can reach almost any business. For many firms, the decision isn’t binary: getting certified is low-cost insurance for continuity and credibility.
The practical cost and effort — what to expect
Think of Cyber Essentials as practical, not academic. The basic certification asks you to demonstrate a handful of controls are in place and to complete a short questionnaire. You’ll need to be honest about your patching cadence, password management and anti-malware. For most firms in the 10–200 staff bracket, the work is about policy, a few configuration changes and documenting what you already do.
Some companies will manage the process in-house. Others prefer short external help to avoid mistakes. Either way, it’s often a matter of days rather than months if you’re organised: identifying responsible people, gathering evidence, and fixing the handful of gaps the questionnaire highlights.
Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus
There are two common flavours. Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment with an external verification of the questionnaire. Cyber Essentials Plus involves additional technical validation carried out by accredited bodies. For many SMEs the basic level is sufficient for procurement and insurance purposes; larger buyers or those with higher risk appetites may ask for Plus.
How to decide for your business — a practical checklist
Run through these questions with your leadership team:
- Do buyers or prospective partners ask for Cyber Essentials in procurement documents?
- Would losing access to systems for a few days cause real financial or reputational damage?
- Are you a supplier to the public sector or large corporates?
- Would your insurer offer better terms if you were certified?
If you answered yes to any of those, it’s worth doing. If you’re still unsure, a short gap analysis will clarify the work and costs involved.
Common misconceptions
- It’s not just an IT badge: It demonstrates organisational intent and basic controls that protect payroll, customer data and invoices—things that matter to finance and operations as much as IT.
- It won’t stop every attack: It reduces exposure to common threats, not sophisticated, targeted attacks. That said, most breaches exploit obvious weaknesses.
- It doesn’t have to be expensive: The price of getting certified is a fraction of the cost of recovering from a ransomware event or reputational damage.
If you want a straightforward route to certification and what it will mean practically for your systems and policies, our local teams have outlined clear steps to follow in this guide: natural anchor. The guide explains how to prepare evidence, who in the business should be involved, and typical timelines.
What good looks like after certification
Certified businesses tend to have a few characteristics in common: a named person responsible for cyber risk, a basic patching routine, clear password and device policies, and documented evidence of the controls that protect day-to-day operations. That’s not glamourous, but it’s what stops the small incidents from becoming headline-grabbing crises.
How to keep it useful — not just a piece of paper
Certification is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Make it useful by embedding the controls into regular business processes: include cyber checks in supplier onboarding, integrate patching into IT maintenance, and review access rights whenever there’s staff movement. Regularly refresh evidence so the next audit is painless.
Final thoughts
For most UK businesses with 10–200 staff the question is less ‘do I need Cyber Essentials?’ and more ‘can I afford not to have it?’ It’s a practical baseline that smooths procurement, reassures insurers and reduces the chance of obvious, avoidable breaches. With straightforward effort, you’ll gain credibility and reduce disruption—valuable things if you’re running a business and not an experiment.
FAQ
How long does certification take?
It depends on how organised your records are. If you’ve got clear device inventories and policies, the questionnaire and verification can be completed in days. If you need to patch, update policies or document procedures, allow longer—typically a few weeks to a couple of months at most.
Does Cyber Essentials protect against ransomware?
It lowers the risk by enforcing basic protections like patching and anti-malware, which block many common ransomware delivery methods. It won’t stop every attack, especially highly targeted ones, but it reduces exposure to the most frequent threats.
Will certification win me business?
Sometimes yes. It removes an obstacle in procurement and provides reassurance to risk-averse buyers. It’s not a marketing silver bullet, but it’s a credibility boost that costs far less than the alternative if something goes wrong.
How often do I need to renew?
Certification is typically reviewed annually. Treat it as an opportunity to make sure practices remain current and to demonstrate continuous care to partners and insurers.
If you prefer to save time and avoid uncertainty, getting Cyber Essentials often pays for itself: less chasing after incidents, fewer procurement delays, and improved credibility with customers and insurers. That means time saved, money preserved, and a bit more calm for running the business.
