How to Achieve Cyber Essentials Compliance with Thrive

For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), achieving a robust cybersecurity posture is no longer optional in today’s fast-paced digital world. For organisations in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Essentials control framework provides a solid foundation for protecting against common cyberattacks. Thrive, as a recognised certification body for Cyber Essentials (CE) and Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) through IASME, is here to guide businesses through the journey to CE compliance and a stronger cybersecurity posture.

Why Cyber Essentials Matters

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme designed to help organisations safeguard sensitive information by implementing baseline security measures. Achieving a CE certification demonstrates to customers, stakeholders, and partners that your organisation is committed to cybersecurity best practices. It also provides an additional benefit—organisations with this certification may qualify for certain types of cyber insurance coverage.

Thrive: A Trusted Partner for CE and CE+ Compliance

Thrive is uniquely positioned to help SMBs navigate IASME’s compliance process, offering tailored services for both CE and CE+ certifications. Thrive’s role as a certification body ensures your path to compliance is smooth, efficient, and aligned with your business objectives.

Elevating Compliance with Cyber Essentials

For organisations looking to enhance their cybersecurity credentials with a Cyber Essentials (CE) certification, Thrive provides Readiness Assessments to help prepare for both CE and CE+ certifications, which include:

• Gap Analysis Report: Identifying areas of non-compliance with CE and CE+ requirements.
• Roadmap to Compliance: Detailed steps to address identified gaps and align with the certification standards.

Getting Started with Cyber Essentials

The first step toward compliance is obtaining the Cyber Essentials certification. This process involves completing a self-certified questionnaire, which is submitted online to the IASME portal. Thrive’s experts are available to support organisations in understanding and accurately completing this essential step.

Upon successful submission of the questionnaire, Thrive will assess whether the answers meet the requirements and issue the CE certification, confirming your organisation meets the baseline requirements for cybersecurity.

Once the Cyber Essentials certification is complete, Thrive will guide organisations through the CE+ certification process.

The CE+ Audit

Achieving CE+ certification involves a hands-on technical assessment of your systems. A Thrive-certified CE+ assessor will conduct a comprehensive audit of all in-scope systems, including:

• Representative User Devices: Ensuring secure configuration and malware protection meet requirements.
• Firewalls: Ensuring that only secure and necessary network services can be accessed from the internet.
• Security Update Management: Ensuring that devices and software are not vulnerable to known security issues

This rigorous evaluation ensures that your organisation’s cybersecurity measures are not only compliant but also resilient against commodity-based threats.

Choose Thrive for Your Cyber Essentials Journey

Thrive’s expertise as a certification body goes beyond issuing certificates. Our end-to-end support enables SMBs in the UK to confidently achieve compliance while strengthening their overall security posture. Key benefits include:

• Expert Guidance: Thrive’s team of cybersecurity professionals simplifies the certification process.
• Customisable Support: From self-assessments to readiness assessments and audits, Thrive tailors services to your unique needs.

Take the Next Step Toward Compliance

Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications are crucial milestones for any UK-based SMB aiming to improve cybersecurity. Thrive’s comprehensive approach ensures your organisation is not only compliant but also equipped to face future challenges.

Contact Thrive today to achieve CE and CE+ compliance, enhance your cybersecurity posture, and protect your business against the ever-evolving threat landscape.