Lots of UK customers need Cyber Essentials to win contracts or get insured. This guide explains what it is in plain English, walks through the 5 pillars, and shows which Sophos products help with each one, so you can have a confident conversation without being a security expert.
A UK government-backed certificate that proves a business has the basic security habits in place. It's run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and certified through IASME. Think of it as an MOT for a company's IT: it doesn't make them bulletproof, but it shows the essentials are covered.
Cyber Essentials is a questionnaire the customer fills in, which a qualified assessor then checks.
Cyber Essentials Plus covers the same things, but an assessor also tests the customer's devices hands-on. It's harder to pass and carries more weight.
It's often required to bid for UK government and public sector work, larger customers ask their suppliers for it, and insurers look for it. It has to be renewed every year, so it comes round regularly.
Every Cyber Essentials check is built on these five areas. Select one to see the detail and the Sophos products that help.
You don't need to be a security expert to have this conversation. Follow these steps, use the pillar detail below as your crib sheet, and send the customer guide afterwards.
Each cell shows how strongly a product helps with that pillar, and how many of its requirements it touches (for example 3/6). Select a product name for detail.
This page is checked every week against IASME, the NCSC and Sophos announcements. Updates to the scheme or to Sophos products are added here and reflected in the guide.