Cyber Essentials for Manufacturers

Why manufacturers and engineering firms get certified

Manufacturers sit in supply chains that increasingly police security top-down. Primes, automotive and aerospace customers, and defence programmes now require Cyber Essentials, and often more, before you can supply them.

Supply-chain mandates. Primes and OEMs push Cyber Essentials down their supply chains; no certificate can mean no purchase order.
Defence programmes. Defence supply chains build on Cyber Essentials and the Defence Cyber Certification; it is table stakes for MOD-linked work.
Operational technology risk. Connected production lines and legacy OT are a real target; Cyber Essentials covers the IT controls attackers use to reach them.
Protecting your IP. Designs and process know-how are worth stealing; certification is the visible baseline.

The security benefit is real and worth having. But the honest reason most manufacturers and engineering firms certify is commercial: work, funding or clients increasingly depend on it.

Prepared properly, passed first time

We scope it with you, tell you plainly what needs to change, and prepare a clean submission so you pass first time rather than paying to resubmit. You are guided by a certified IASME assessor for both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Assurance, someone who knows exactly what the assessment checks, not an account manager and not a junior with a checklist.

Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment against five technical controls, certified annually. Cyber Essentials Plus covers the same five controls but adds an independent, hands-on technical audit of your systems: the level a growing number of buyers now specify. We will tell you which one your buyers actually require, rather than pushing the higher tier by default.

What it covers

Five controls that block the great majority of commodity attacks: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control, and malware protection. Straightforward for most organisations, provided someone tells you honestly what needs changing before you submit.

How it works

Certification is largely remote, so it adds no travel to your invoice. We agree the scope with you, we help you get the controls in order and support you through the assessment on the IASME portal. Where Cyber Essentials Plus applies, the technical audit is scheduled around you. Turnaround is days rather than weeks when your controls are already in order.

Where it fits

For most manufacturers and engineering firms Cyber Essentials is the right first step. Where clients or funders want evidence of more than the baseline, Cyber Assurance is the next rung and stands in for ISO 27001 at SME cost. If you hold anything genuinely sensitive, test it with a proper penetration test.

Common questions

A customer won't issue a PO until we hold Cyber Essentials - how fast can we get it?

Often within days if your controls are in order; if not, we tell you exactly what to fix. See our urgent certification page: supply-chain deadlines are the most common reason manufacturers come to us in a hurry.

Do we need Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus?

Whatever your buyer specifies. Many requirements accept Cyber Essentials; larger clients, primes and some public bodies require the audited Plus. We check the actual wording rather than pushing the higher tier by default.

How quickly can we be certified?

If your controls are already in order, Cyber Essentials can often be turned around within days. If they are not, we tell you exactly what to fix first. See our urgent certification page if you are against a deadline.

How do you actually help us get certified?

We scope it with you, tell you plainly what needs to change, help you close the gaps, and — with a certified IASME assessor for both schemes guiding you on exactly what the assessment checks — get you through it first time rather than resubmitting.