In November 2023, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) released the seventh edition of its annual review, reflecting on its highlights and accomplishments of the year.

In the review, it notes how the Cyber Essentials scheme, which is about to celebrate its 10 year anniversary, has continued to grow with a total of 141,712 Cyber Essentials certificates being awarded since the scheme began back in 2014. Pervade have been providing the software platform used for Cyber Essentials since the creation of the scheme working in partnership with IASME, NCSC’s dedicated Cyber Essentials partner. This year saw a 21% increase in the number of Cyber Essentials certificates awarded, totalling 28,399 and a 55% increase in the number of Cyber Essentials Plus certificates awarded, totalling 9,037.  

Designed to be inclusive, the Cyber Essentials scheme caters to organisations of all sizes, ensuring that fundamental cyber security practices are firmly in place. This not only safeguards against cyber threats but demonstrates to customers and suppliers that an organisation is committed to protecting their customers data as well as their own. Notably, an up-to-date certificate is often a prerequisite for securing government contracts.

The significance of this certification becomes apparent when considering that over 80% of cyber-attacks on UK businesses could have been prevented with the implementation of basic security controls. The Cyber Essentials Certification stands as a proactive measure to mitigate such risks.

Amidst a landscape witnessing a surge in supply-chain attacks, particularly linked to third-party suppliers falling short of essential data protection standards, solutions like OpAudit emerge as invaluable. OpAudit provides full visibility into compliance in one configurable platform, fortifying organisations against potential vulnerabilities in their supply chains. Lifting the minimum standard of cyber security for supply chain is one of our main missions at Pervade, and through our work with the Cyber Essentials scheme and Police CyberAlarm scheme, we are able to help thousands of organisations every year.

It's crucial to emphasise that investing in cyber security is not only a proactive precaution, but an essential strategy. Organisations must recognise that the cost of prevention is nothing in comparison to the potential aftermath of a cyber incident and neglecting it could prove far more detrimental in the long run.

Read the NCSC 2023 Annual Review: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/annual-review-2023