Cyber Essentials without the headache

Cyber Essentials is a short list of sensible controls, not a research project. Most small organisations already do half of it and simply cannot prove it.

The three failures we see most often are unsupported operating systems on one forgotten laptop, admin accounts used for day to day work, and firewall rules nobody has reviewed since the office moved.

Start with an honest device list. If you cannot name every laptop, phone and server that touches your data, the certificate will not survive its first renewal.

Budget a week of preparation, not a month. Fix the device list, turn on automatic updates, split admin accounts from daily accounts, and write down who approves new software.