Cyber Essentials Smethwick

Cyber Essentials for Smethwick businesses

Smethwick’s manufacturers and service businesses supply larger organisations that increasingly require Cyber Essentials as a condition of the contract. Cyber Essentials is the Government-backed certification that covers the five technical controls behind most common attacks — and it’s increasingly the minimum a client, insurer or public buyer asks for before they’ll work with you. Under the current procurement rules (PPN 014) it’s required for higher-risk public contracts, and it flows down supply chains to businesses of every size.

What certification involves

The five controls are firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection. The 2026 rules are stricter — multi-factor authentication is mandatory on cloud services, and critical patches must be applied within 14 days — so the work is usually getting those in order before you submit. You’re guided by a certified IASME assessor who tells you plainly what to change, then gets you through the assessment. Most Smethwick organisations with reasonable controls certify in days rather than weeks. When you’re ready for the audited level, we support Cyber Essentials Plus too.

Local, and fast

We’re based nearby in Albrighton, so Smethwick businesses get a local team. We work onsite across the West Midlands and Shropshire at no travel charge, and handle everything else remotely. You deal directly with the assessor, not a call centre. If you’re against a client or tender deadline, tell us and we’ll be straight about what’s achievable.

Common questions