Cyber Essentials Certification FAQs

Our comprehensive preparation service includes:

• Complete application preparation based on your business information
• Expert review and refinement of your responses
• Direct liaison with the certification body on your behalf
• Unlimited revisions until submission
• 48-hour preparation guarantee (Express service)
• Money-back assurance if we miss our deadline

We handle the complex paperwork while you focus on your business operations.

Once you complete our onboarding form and provide all required information, we immediately begin preparing your application. You receive your submission-ready documents within 48 business hours – or we refund 100% of your preparation fee.

This guarantee applies specifically to our Express Service and covers the timeliness of our preparation work, ensuring you meet critical tender deadlines.

You'll need to provide basic business details and information about your IT setup, including:

• Company information and structure
• Details about your IT infrastructure
• Information about your internet connections
• Details about devices used in your organization
• Information about cloud services and software used

We guide you through everything – no technical expertise needed. Our streamlined questionnaire takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

After we prepare and submit your application to the certification body:

• We manage all communication with the assessors on your behalf
• If any clarification is needed, we handle the response process
• We keep you informed of progress throughout the assessment
• Once approved, the certification body issues your official certificate
• We provide guidance on maintaining your certification

Our service includes complete liaison with the certification body at no extra cost.

We guarantee the quality and timeliness of our preparation service. The final certification decision rests with the independent, IASME-accredited certification body based on your organization's compliance with Cyber Essentials requirements.

Our preparation is designed to maximize your chances of success by ensuring your application is complete, accurate, and fully aligned with certification requirements.

We are a Cyber Essentials preparation consultancy, not a certification body. Official Cyber Essentials certificates are issued by IASME-accredited certification bodies.

We help prepare your application to meet certification requirements efficiently, but the certification itself comes from an independent, accredited body following successful assessment.

The timeline varies depending on the service you choose:

• Express Service: Preparation within 48 hours + certification body assessment (typically 3-5 business days)
• Standard Service: Preparation within 5 days + certification body assessment (typically 3-5 business days)

The certification body's assessment time can vary based on their current workload and whether they require any additional information.

Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment questionnaire that verifies your organization has basic cybersecurity controls in place. Cyber Essentials Plus includes the same questionnaire but adds an independent technical verification of your systems.

Most UK government contracts require the basic Cyber Essentials certification. We currently specialize in preparing organizations for the Cyber Essentials certification.

Our fixed price includes:

• Complete application preparation
• Expert review and refinement
• Direct certification body liaison
• Unlimited revisions until submission
• Preparation guarantee (Express service)
• Money-back assurance

The certification body's fee is separate and typically ranges from £300-£500 + VAT, depending on your organization's size and the certification body you choose.

We require full payment upfront to begin the preparation process. This ensures we can dedicate our resources to delivering your submission-ready application within our guaranteed timeframe.

If budget is a concern, our Standard Service provides excellent value at £697 while still delivering high-quality preparation within 5 business days.

We offer a full refund in these specific circumstances:

• If we fail to deliver your submission-ready application within our guaranteed timeframe (48 hours for Express Service, 5 days for Standard Service)
• If you cancel before we begin work on your application

Once we've started preparing your application, refunds are not available as we've already dedicated resources to your project.

Cyber Essentials focuses on five key technical control areas:

• Firewalls: Properly configured firewalls to protect your internet connection
• Secure Configuration: Computers and network devices configured securely
• User Access Control: Controlled access to your data and services
• Malware Protection: Protection against viruses and other malware
• Security Update Management: Keeping your devices and software up to date

We help you document how your organization meets these requirements in the application.

Businesses using cloud services can still achieve Cyber Essentials certification. You'll need to provide information about:

• Which cloud services you use (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS, Azure)
• How you access these services
• What security controls are in place for cloud access

We have experience preparing applications for organizations with various cloud setups and can guide you through the specific requirements.

Remote work is common and can be accommodated in your Cyber Essentials certification. You'll need to document:

• How company devices are secured when used remotely
• What security measures are in place for remote access to company systems
• How updates and security patches are managed on remote devices

We help you articulate these security measures clearly in your application.

Yes – we provide optional annual maintenance and re-certification packages to keep you compliant. Cyber Essentials certification is valid for one year, so you'll need to renew annually.

Our renewal service is streamlined since we already understand your business and can typically prepare your renewal application more efficiently.