The Government has also endorsed a Cyber Essentials scheme. It allows businesses of all sizes to be independently certified for having met a good practice standard in 5 areas of computer security:
- Boundary firewalls and internet gateways
- Secure configurations
- User access controls
- Malware protection
- Patch management
If you gain certification it will allow your organisation to advertise that it meets a Government-endorsed standard.
Since October 2014 Cyber Essentials has been mandatory for suppliers of Government contracts which involve handling personal information and providing some ICT products and services. Holding a Cyber Essentials badge enables you to bid for these contracts.