Shift Key Cyber Logo
Cyber Essentials Certification Services2025-09-23T09:16:06+01:00

Cyber Essentials Certification Services

Ensure the right controls are in place with our tailored Readiness and Certification service. Our Cyber Essentials advisor will check and prepare your organisation for certification — or we'll certify you if you are compliant-ready.  

Cyber Essentials &

Cyber Essentials Plus Readiness and Certification

Cyber Essentials is a UK Government-backed scheme to protect organisations of any size or sector against the most common cyber-attacks. With cyber threats increasing in both volume and sophistication, our Cyber Essentials service will be tailored to your specific needs. A Cyber Essentials advisor will work with you to ensure you have the correct controls in place in readiness for certification – or we’ll certify your business if you are ready. More information about Cyber Essentials cost is provided in our FAQs below.

What are the benefits of Cyber Essentials certification?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

By having Cyber Essentials certification, you will be more protected against the most common security threats. It helps build trust with customers by demonstrating that cyber security is important in your organisation. All certified organisations are listed on the NCSC’s certification database. It also strengthens your supply chain. Finally, having Cyber Essentials will also allow you the opportunity to bid for UK Government and MOD tenders. You can read more about Cyber Essentials on our Cyber Essentials Certification Services page.

What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment certification that demonstrates an organisation has the required cyber security controls in place. Cyber Essentials Plus is based on the same technical requirements as Cyber Essentials, but it also includes a technical audit of your IT systems, to verify the controls are in place. This gives a higher level of assurance that an organisation has correctly implemented the controls. You can read more about the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus on our Cyber Essentials Certification Services page.

What if we need some guidance with Cyber Essentials?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

Shift Key Cyber are an Assured Service Provider for NCSC. The Cyber Advisors (Cyber Essentials) scheme is specifically aimed to help UK small and medium organisations by offering reliable and cost-effective cyber security advice, and where required, practical hands-on support to help guide businesses through the Cyber Essentials process and certification. You can find out more about our Cyber Advisor Service on our dedicated page.

How much does Cyber Essentials cost?2025-08-19T14:00:21+01:00

Cyber Essentials follows a tiered pricing structure depending on the size of your business. It is a verified self-assessment process which follows the pricing structure shown in the table below.

 

Business Size Cost

Micro organisations (0-9 Employees)

£320 + VAT

Small organisations (10-49 Employees)

£440 + VAT

Medium Organisations (50-249 Employees)

£500 + VAT
Large Organisations (250+ Employees) £600 + VAT
How much does Cyber Essentials Plus cost?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

This depends on the size and complexity of your network. Please contact us for advice and further information and a quote.

What is the difference between ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials?2025-08-28T13:18:29+01:00

Both certifications establish controls needed to protect your business from cyber threats and are beneficial in their own rights, but also can co-exist together. Cyber Essentials provides you with five fundamental controls to protect against common threats, making it a reliable and cost-effective certification to demonstrate basic cyber compliance. ISO 27001 takes this a step further, offering a risk based and more comprehensive, in-depth set of optional controls that can be tailored to your organisation. You can find out more about the differences between ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials in our dedicated blog.

IASME Cyber Assurance

The IASME Cyber Assurance standard addresses the security needs of organisations of all sizes, from sole practitioners to large enterprises.

The size of your organisation will determine what controls are applicable, including controls around people, processes, and what businesses should consider regarding General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements. IASME Cyber Assurance is aligned to a similar set of controls as ISO 27001 but is more affordable and achievable for small and medium-sized organisations to implement.

Level 1 requires an online verified self-assessment. Level 2 requires you to pass an audit conducted by one of our assessors and must be completed within 6 months of achieving level 1. The assessor will look at documentation, interview key staff and observe activities with evidence supporting information provided in level 1. The assessor will then create an audit report which is subject to further independent moderation.

As an authorised IASME certification body, we can take you through the whole process so you can attain certification with assurance and peace of mind.

What are the benefits of IASME Cyber Assurance certification?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

Cyber Assurance certification is a way to demonstrate that you hold and manage data in a secure way. It gives customers and stakeholders assurance that you are taking GDPR, Information Security, and Management seriously.

What is the difference between IASME Cyber Assurance Level 1 and Level 2?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

IASME Cyber Assurance level 1 is an online verified self-assessment. Level 2 is an audit that must be completed within 6 months of achieving level 1. The assessor will provide a full audit report that covers all aspects of your business.

What is the difference between IASME Cyber Assurance and ISO 27001?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

IAMSE Cyber Assurance consists of 13 Themes and has been mapped to ISO 27001 to make it an alternative and affordable option for smaller businesses. Your organisation needs to meet the requirements of all the themes to achieve certification against the standard.

How much does Cyber Assurance Level 1 cost?2025-08-19T14:01:31+01:00

IASME Cyber Assurance cost

Business Size Cost

Micro organisations (0-9 Employees)

£320 + VAT

Small organisations (10-49 Employees)

£440 + VAT

Medium Organisations (50-249 Employees)

£500 + VAT
Large Organisations (250+ Employees) £600 + VAT
How much does Cyber Assurance Level 2 cost?2025-05-14T00:56:20+01:00

The cost of Cyber Assurance level 2 depends on the size of your organisation. Please contact us for further information and a quote.

Book a free consultation to find out more about our Cyber Essentials Certification Services and discuss which certification path is best for your organisation.

If you are looking for support in achieving Cyber Essentials Certification, please visit our Cyber Advisor page.

Go to Top