Does my small business need Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is often more valuable for a small business than a large one. Here is whether yours needs it, in plain terms.

Small businesses are targeted too

Most cyber attacks are automated and untargeted. They sweep up whoever is exposed, so being small is no protection. A single missing control is often all it takes, and a breach can be far harder for a small business to absorb.

When your small business needs it

You need it if a contract, tender, client or insurer asks for it, or if you handle customer and personal data and want to prove the basics are covered. For many small firms, one of these applies sooner or later.

Worth it even if no one is asking

Cyber Essentials is affordable, covers the five controls that stop most attacks, and gives you something concrete to show clients. It is one of the best value security steps a small business can take.

Quicker and cheaper than you might think

Fees are banded by organisation size, so small businesses pay the least, and certification is often completed in days once your controls are in place.

Common questions