It’s easy to think that Cyber Essentials is solely about cyber security. Indeed, that’s how it’s often promoted. The message is that if you employ Cyber Essentials methods you’ll reduce the risk of cyberattacks, protect your business from hackers and demonstrate your commitment to keeping customer data secure.
Cyber Essentials takes a little work but is, without a doubt, effective. That’s why we encourage every client to embrace the standard and support their progress as they work towards it. However, beyond the headline benefits is another we believe is often overlooked. We’d go as far as to say that this benefit is a hidden superpower of the certification.
Read on. We’ll explain and give you an example that we discovered when we started working with a new client.
Real-World Pitfalls Without Certification
This company had been very keen to adopt digital technologies. Hoping to boost productivity and speed up the pace of data analytics, they provided laptops to their dispersed team.
You can’t fault their enthusiasm or their desire to make progress, but the laptops weren’t connected to the central IT system. With these devices entirely detached from the ‘mothership’, enforcing standards or company protocols was impossible. There were significant risks and costly issues everywhere.
During our involvement, our team identified the non-compliance and promptly informed the client. The guidance given by the prior service provider was evidently misguided, yet it was followed. The result was having to reopen a project and essentially begin again.
The Overlooked Value: A Blueprint for the Future
Cyber Essentials provides a blueprint for making sound decisions about technology. Had it been in place, this business would have seen the flaws in its dispersed laptop plan. They would have known it would expose cyber security risks and compromise their GDPR protocols. They wouldn’t have faced both the resourcing and expense of rectifying the situation,
We believe in Cyber Essentials
As a Managed IT Services provider, we’re often called upon to deliver immediate fixes – which, of course, we do – but our goal is to support the long-term, sustainable growth of our clients. That’s why we believe in proactive measures and champion Cyber Essentials. It’s not just for its obvious advantages. It’s for its potential to guide and inform every subsequent tech-related decision an enterprise makes. And to do that without bias.
If you’re still wondering about Cyber Essentials, get off the fence and stop thinking of it as just a certification. It’s much more than that. It’s your guide through the ever-evolving maze of technology decisions.
It will help you make the right choices now and in the future. That is its hidden superpower.