What is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials can help to make your charity more resilient against a cyber-attacks. Achieving Cyber Essentials allows you to guard your organisation against the most common cyber threats and helps you to demonstrate your commitment to cyber resilience for your customers and staff.

Cyber Essentials is a simple and effective Government-backed scheme, supported by industry experts and the Cyber Resilience Centre Network, that will help you put measures in place to protect your organisation, regardless of size or sector, against a range of the most common cyber-attacks. This includes protecting against threats such as malware, ransomware and phishing. Cyber Essentials can be achieved through two levels of certification, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. Find out more about these here.

What are the benefits of Cyber Essentials?

• Demonstrates a professional approach to business and the importance cyber security.
• Peace of mind knowing that your data is protected and your security systems are robust, should a cyber-attack occur.
• Further business opportunities, Cyber Essentials will enable you to tender for specific contracts.
• Eligible for free cyber insurance cover which could save you up to £25,000.
• Cyber Essentials certificates issued in the previous 12 months will be displayed on the NCSC website.
• Being certified will help new customers to trust you and allow you to stand out from competitors as a more credible company.
• Gain a clear picture of your charities cyber security level using the self-assessment questionnaire.

Download our Cyber Essentials Benefits Factsheet here.

Why are charities a target for cyber-attacks?

Charities are sitting on a data treasure trove. Valuable information on beneficiaries, supporters and volunteers as well as invoice and payment details can be sold by cyber criminals and used to identify other targets.

In the present digital, post-COVID age, trust and cyber security are interwoven. By achieving Cyber Essentials, a charity can demonstrate commitment to cyber security and protection of customer data.

What is the Cyber Essentials discount available during Charity Cyber Security Awareness Week?

IASME is working closely with the NCSC to educate charities about the cyber threat they face and inform them about the benefits of Cyber Essentials. In partnership with selected Certification Bodies around the UK and Crown Dependencies, IASME will be offering support and guidance as well as a discount to the price of certification to help you achieve Cyber Essentials. If you are a registered charity and you sign up and pay for Cyber Essentials during that week you will pay the discounted price of £225 +VAT.

How does it work?

• You will need to give your registered charity number to your chosen Certification Body, and they will check it against the Charity Commission Register.
• You must apply for your Cyber Essentials certification during our Cyber Essentials for Charities week, which starts on the 8th of November. Cut off will be 5pm on 12th November.
• You must start the process within one month of application and must have completed and submitted the assessment by 12th May 2022.
• If these conditions are not met, IASME and/ or participating Certification Bodies reserve the right to invoice the previous discount or require the charity to re-apply at full cost.

Terms and Conditions

You must apply for your Cyber Essentials certification during our Cyber Essentials for Charities week, which starts on the 8th of November. Cut off will be 5pm on 12th November.

• You must start the process within one month of application and must have completed and submitted the assessment by 12th May 2022.
• You can choose from any of the Certification Bodies listed below but you may wish to select one that is nearby.

The WMCRC works with a network of Trusted Partners who are official providers of Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Certification to our local businesses and charities.

The following WMCRC Trusted Partners who will be taking part in offering the discount are listed below. Please visit their websites to register your interest in gaining your Cyber Essentials certification.

• Baseel
• iStorm Solutions
• D2NA
• Assure Technical
• Hexad