The recent “Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019”, released by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, helps UK businesses “understand the nature and significance of the cyber security threats they face.”
The latest survey dedicated a section to government cyber security initiatives and accreditations, asking participants to rate their awareness of government guidance in this area.
Figures from micro and small businesses were shockingly low in comparison to larger firms. Learn more about the latest findings below.
How aware are micro and small businesses of Cyber Essentials?
The survey, which is released annually, has revealed that only 8% of micro businesses have heard of the Government’s Cyber Essentials scheme. Rankings from the report can be seen below:
- Micro firms 8%
- Small firms 19%
- Medium firms 27%
- Large firms 46%
Cyber Essentials certification protects businesses from around 80% of basic cyber threats and enables organisations to achieve what the government deems as “a good-practice standard in cyber security”.
This is incredibly important when bidding for work with the public sector as some government contracts require Cyber Essentials certification.
Worryingly, the report stated that micro businesses are the least likely to seek cyber security information or guidance with only 56% doing so in the past twelve months, compared to 74% of medium-sized firms.
How to gain certification
The Government claims that “cyber attacks are a persistent threat to businesses and charities”, which suggests it may be time to implement the key controls outlined by Cyber Essentials.
To get started with Cyber Essentials, your business must complete a self-assessment questionnaire, which you can download on the Cyber Essentials Online website.
This questionnaire assesses whether the business has taken the necessary measures needed for it to defend itself against the most common forms of cyber attack and from there you can make any changes necessary needed before achieving certification.
Would you like to learn more? Visit our Cyber Essentials page…