We are pleased to announce that last year we successfully gained our Cyber Essentials certification. This is part of our commitment to cyber security and quality across our company and our LIMS and CRM products.
Cyber Essentials is a scheme that the UK-government supports to help organisations protect themselves, whatever their size, from the most common cyber-attacks. Its aim is to ensure organisations are considering their cyber-risks effectively. As well as making sure they are mitigating the most commonly seen risks from Internet-based threats. The Cyber Essentials scheme defines a basic cyber security standard that organisations can be independently certified against.
What the certification process includes
To gain Cyber Essentials certification, we had to complete a self-assessment questionnaire with an approved assessor. As part of this we submitted a substantial amount of evidence relating to our existing security procedures for review and assessment.
Following this, the certifying body carried out an external vulnerability assessment on our systems. This was to test that the necessary controls were correctly in place on the Internet-facing network. In addition to making sure that there weren’t any obvious vulnerabilities present.
By completing the assessment and obtaining the Cyber Essentials badge we have proven we have the mechanisms in place to protect us against 80% of potential cyber-attacks. And we’re able to demonstrate to our customers that we take security seriously and that we have good security measures in place.
In addition, the certification is strong proof and reassurance that, as an organisation, we consider security risks and implement controls. So, all this helps make sure we are working in a secure environment. Above all, it’s independently audited evidence that we have strong processes and prevention measures in place to protect against cyber-attacks.
‘We’ve always placed strong emphasis on the cyber security levels within our Achiever LIMS and CRM software. And we’ve had documented processes and procedures in place to protect our internal and hosted systems from external attacks,’ explains Paul Ward, Technical Director. ‘Now we’ve also got the certificate to back that up.’
Security doesn’t stop here
And we don’t plan to stop here. We are also looking to gain our Cyber Essentials Plus certification in the near future.
For 10 years we have retained our ISO 9001:2015 that independently audits our internal procedures including our project implementation services. In addition, we will be reviewing further ISO accreditations to make sure we continue to improve the way we work across our team and with our customers, suppliers and partners.
References
- Cyber Essentials scheme – https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/
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