Cyber Essentials for Kent Accountants
Secure your business and secure more clients with Cyber Essentials. Protect financial data, reduce compliance risks, and strengthen trust.
Cyberattacks are 300x more likely at Financial Services Companies
Financial Institutions are a prime target for cybercriminals, due to the potential reward available to them following a breach. Often there is a high level of back and forth with emails, invoices and other financial information, combined with tight schedules and busy people, making it easy to fall victim to a scam. Unfortunately, a simple mistake can make or break a company and permanently damage a business’s reputation.
At BCS, we offer a cyber security audit and consultancy service to businesses to help analyse and highlight any potential risk areas in your IT infrastructure – even if you’re not an existing client of ours!
Why does Cyber Essentials matter to financial businesses?
Accountancy firms handle some of the most sensitive data in any industry, and is one of the most regulated in the UK. With growing reliance on cloud platforms like Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly.
Cyber Essentials provides a government-backed, cost-effective way to protect your systems and demonstrate to clients that their financial information is secure.
A Secure Partnership
Based in Sandwich, Batchelor Coop are well established in East Kent for their work with small and medium businesses, offering accounts, taxation and business advisory and support services, and dealing with huge amounts of highly sensitive client data.
Mike joined Batchelor Coop in 1994 and is a director and ‘head of admin’ alongside his client portfolio work because he relishes that side of IT.
“Cyber Security is a huge worry. We may not be like a bank, with clients’ money directly at risk but it would be hugely embarrassing for an accountancy firm to have its security compromised.”
“Fortunately, we never need doubt that BCS is ahead of the game, preventing virus attacks, keeping on top of GDPR rules, scamming of the ‘I’m trapped in Morocco – can you send £1,000 urgently?’ variety, or anyone hacking into our system.”
“They have completely taken that risk and worry away from us, but just in case any staff are unsure of protocols or any aspect of IT they need to know BCS will always lay on the necessary training. Accountancy also uses a lot of specialist software now, but BCS takes the time to learn what we use and stay on top of updates and so on.”
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed framework that focuses on five simple but powerful controls. Think of it as the foundations of good cyber security, protecting you from the most common online threats.
Those five areas are:
- Firewalls – your digital security gatekeeper.
- Secure configuration – making sure systems are set up safely from the start.
- User access control – giving people only the access they need.
- Malware protection – stopping viruses and malicious software in their tracks.
- Patch management – keeping everything updated, because outdated software is a hacker’s best friend.
There are two types of Cyber Essentials – Basic and Plus.
Cyber Essentials Basic is the entry point — a self-assessment that will give you an insight into your security posture. It’s a great first step and shows that you’ve got the basics covered.
This can be a good way to quickly show some level of certification, but our research indicates that due to the nature of self-assessments, this badge is losing it’s influence when applying for tenders and insurance.
If done properly, this is still a great framework, but businesses that are cutting corners to get the badge are bringing a bad name to it.
Then there’s Cyber Essentials Plus. This is the gold standard, as it involves external verification through auditing and testing your systems, policies and processes to ensure you’re doing what you say you are.
The assessment is identical, but most importantly, you’re held accountable for your security and given a chance to prove that you are a secure, reliable and forward-thinking Construction company.
How does Cyber Essentials help to win business?
As the frequency and complexity of cyber attacks grows, so too must the measures taken by businesses to ensure they’re doing their part to mitigate risks and protect their people.
Fewer than 5% of UK businesses are Cyber Essentials certified, presenting a huge opportunity for you to demonstrate to the government, large-scale businesses and your existing clients that you take security seriously, and can act as a trustworthy extension of their business operations.
Ready to take the first step?
Obtaining Cyber Essentials is a technical process, and we want to provide businesses with everything they need to improve their cybersecurity and potential.
By filling out this form, you’ll gain access to our complete guide to the Cyber Essentials process. This includes an in-depth checklist for you to measure your business against before you spend money on external verification or audits.
Do You Know How Secure Your Network Systems Are?
Can you say with confidence that your business is not at risk? We find that many businesses assume they’re protected, until the worst happens. Undertaking an IT Security Audit is a fantastic way to understand how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together to keep your business working consistently. It helps by identifying areas of weakness in your IT that could leave you vulnerable and put your business at risk. BCS can provide you with an independent in-depth look at your IT estate and its ability to withstand the worst.