Cyber Essentials work is driven by a tender rather than a regulator: a UK public-sector bid or a prime contractor asks for the certificate, and the deadline is the bid date. Two decisions shape the programme. First, the boundary: which devices, networks, cloud services and remote workers sit inside scope, because the assessor judges the five technical controls against that boundary. Second, whether the contract needs basic Cyber Essentials or the audited Plus level, which adds hands-on testing and a re-test fee if you fail. Self-assess against a clear scope first, fix what fails, then choose tooling on whether it carries you through the questionnaire and the Plus audit.
2 pages on Cyber Essentials, in the order the work happens. Jump to the stage you are at, or read straight through.
Score yourself against the five controls before you pay the assessment fee, and judge software on whether it carries you through the questionnaire and the step up to Plus.
The free compliance check runs the Cyber Essentials gap assessment in about five minutes and gives you a scored report you can take to a board meeting.
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