The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), has announced a ‘new beginning’ for the Cyber Essentials Scheme, originally launched in 2014. The relaunch includes a new partnership with the IASME Consortium.
While over 40,000 certificates have been issued since the Cyber Essentials Scheme inception, the NCSC has concluded that certification could be made clearer and it wants to ensure the standard was being implemented consistently, across the board.
The updated scheme is said to have been the result of “comprehensive research” carried out by the NCSC. According to the results of customer surveys, the use of five different organisations to deliver the scheme could be confusing, particularly when each one operated in a slightly different way. As a result, and after a tender process, NCSC has now opted to appoint just one Cyber Essentials Partner – The IASME Consortium.
Anne W from the NCSC said: “The move to a single Cyber Essentials Partner allows us to work closely with IASME to develop the scheme and build further on the success to date. Cyber Essentials is an important scheme within the NCSC’s extensive portfolio of tools and guidance, all of which make a significant contribution to making the UK one of the safest places in the world to live and do business online.”
IASME’s Chief Executive, Dr Emma Philpott, MBE, added: “IASME contributed to the original writing of the scheme and has been involved in its delivery ever since. We welcome the prospect of continuing to work in partnership with NCSC to further develop and grow the Cyber Essentials scheme. We are particularly looking forward to working with the wider network which includes all Cyber Essentials Certification Bodies which will allow us to offer expert support and certification to organisations across the whole of the UK and Crown Dependencies.”
IASME says it is delighted to welcome all the new Certification Bodies that have come on board with during the transition period and would also like to thank all of the certification bodies who have been a part of the journey to date. It believes that the scheme will provide a comprehensive, UK wide network of licensed Certification Bodies to ensure regional support is available to all those who need it.
For many organisations, cyber security can be complex and confusing – something highlighted in the recent Cyber Security Breaches Survey released by the Government. Yet, in the current environment where cyber threats are prevalent and indiscriminate, it is crucial that all organisations are actively encouraged to implement the most important basic technical controls.
NCSC and IASME believe that this new Partnership launch for this Government backed scheme will help make fundamental cyber protection more understandable, accessible and practical.
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