Cyber Essentials: Does It Work and Is It Worth the Effort for Small Businesses?
Cybersecurity can feel overwhelming for small businesses. Between keeping up with customer demands, managing staff, and staying ahead of competitors, who has time to think about hacking, ransomware, and phishing? But the uncomfortable truth is this: small businesses are prime targets for cybercrime.
That’s where Cyber Essentials comes in. It’s a UK government-backed scheme designed to help organisations of all sizes get basic cybersecurity right. But the big question is — does Cyber Essentials actually work, and is it worth the effort for small businesses?
What Is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a simple certification that focuses on the absolute basics of good cybersecurity hygiene. It helps businesses guard against the most common cyber threats by addressing five key controls:
Firewalls - Ensuring only safe and necessary traffic is allowed in and out of your network.
Secure Configuration - Making sure devices and software are set up securely from the start.
User Access Control - Ensuring staff only have access to the data they need.
Malware Protection - Ensuring devices are protected from malicious software.
Patch Management - Keeping all devices, software, and operating systems up to date.
It’s deliberately designed to be affordable, achievable, and realistic for small businesses, including those without dedicated IT teams.
The Big Question: Does Cyber Essentials Actually Work?
1. It Blocks Most Common Attacks
Cyber Essentials doesn’t claim to make you unhackable. What it does is significantly reduce your exposure to the most common types of attacks — the ones that make up the bulk of cybercrime targeting smaller businesses.
Many attacks aren’t sophisticated. They rely on known vulnerabilities, weak passwords, or unpatched systems. Cyber Essentials focuses on closing these obvious doors, which means a large chunk of opportunistic attacks simply bounce off.
2. It Shows You Care
If your business handles sensitive data — whether customer information, financial data, or intellectual property — Cyber Essentials helps prove you take security seriously. This can be a real advantage when bidding for contracts, especially with larger organisations or the public sector.
3. It Forces Good Habits
The certification process itself makes you review and improve your processes. Even businesses that thought they had good security often discover issues, like unused accounts with administrative access or systems that haven’t been updated in months.
What Does the Data Say?
The UK government’s 2024 Cyber Essentials Impact Evaluation delivers clear evidence that Cyber Essentials works in practice, not just on paper:
80% fewer cyber insurance claims from Cyber Essentials-certified organisations compared to non-certified ones. That’s a direct indicator that the certification reduces incidents.
69% of certified organisations say Cyber Essentials boosts their market competitiveness, helping them win new business by demonstrating they take cybersecurity seriously.
85% of organisations report an improved understanding of cyber threats and better cybersecurity practices after completing certification.
These are not minor benefits. For small businesses, where reputation, customer trust, and regulatory compliance are make-or-break issues, Cyber Essentials offers clear, quantifiable value.
What Does It Cost?
The certification itself isn’t expensive. For businesses with fewer than 10 employees, the self-assessment option costs around £300 + VAT.
Of course, if your systems are in poor shape, you may need to spend money upgrading outdated software, applying patches, or replacing unsupported devices — but these are investments you should make anyway.
What About Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials Plus is the hands-on, independently verified version of the certification. It includes everything in the standard Cyber Essentials process, but instead of self-assessment, an external expert actually tests your systems to confirm everything works as it should.
This costs more (starting around £1,000 for very small businesses) but offers more reassurance and credibility. For some organisations — especially those handling highly sensitive data — Cyber Essentials Plus is becoming a must-have.
Is It Worth the Effort?
The Case for Cyber Essentials
It’s achievable. You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to pass.
It’s affordable. Compared to the cost of a data breach, it’s peanuts.
It’s good for business. Certification shows customers and partners that you take security seriously.
It reduces risk. Most cyberattacks succeed because of basic security failings that Cyber Essentials addresses.
It builds awareness. According to the government’s own data, 85% of businesses completing Cyber Essentials said they better understand cyber threats and improved their practices as a result.
The Case Against
It’s only the basics — if you want serious security, you’ll need to go beyond Cyber Essentials.
It requires some work upfront, particularly if your IT estate has been neglected.
It’s not a silver bullet — determined attackers can still find ways in.
It is a Self certified point in time audit - A think of it as a Cyber Security MOT that you do yourself
The Bottom Line
For most small businesses, Cyber Essentials is a no-brainer. It covers essential cyber hygiene, reduces your exposure to common attacks, and shows the world that you take security seriously — all for a very manageable price.
It’s not the whole answer to cybersecurity. But if you haven’t got Cyber Essentials, you’re leaving your front door wide open.
Final Verdict
If you run a small business and haven’t already got Cyber Essentials, you should seriously ask yourself why not. For the cost of a decent office chair, you get basic protection, peace of mind, and a marketing advantage. In cybersecurity, the first step is often the most important. Cyber Essentials is that step.
