Cyber Essentials for Kent Manufacturers
Secure your business and secure more contracts with Cyber Essentials. Protect against supply chain disruptions and operational technology vulnerabilities with expert IT security consultancy.
Did you know that Downtime costs UK manufacturers £180bn a year?
As a Manufacturing company, we understand how important productivity and uptime are to you, and your clients. Just a few minutes of downtime caused by a cyber attack can result in a considerable loss in revenue and affect the whole supply chain.
Even the most common threats, such as phishing, network attacks, and malware, pose a significant risk to your finances and reputation as a Kent business.
By adhering to the UK government’s Cyber Essentials framework, you protect yourself and your business from these threats, and place yourself above 99% of UK businesses, giving you a cutting edge when applying for contracts and tenders.
Why does Cyber Essentials matter to Manufacturing businesses?
In this video, our Cyber Security and Compliance Consultant, Lee Hutton (CISSP) discusses the importance of Cyber Essentials for manufacturers, and how you can protect not only your IT, but OT and legacy machinery.
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- Patch management – keeping everything updated, because outdated software is a hacker’s best friend.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.