Cyber Security | Reading & Berkshire
Cyber Essentials Preparation in Reading
We prepare Reading businesses for Cyber Essentials and Plus. We check your IT against the five controls, fix the gaps and guide the self-assessment, and an IASME-licensed body does the assessment.
Get certifiedWhat is Cyber Essentials?
A Government-Backed Standard for Stronger Business Security
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification showing your business has five technical controls in place. Certificates last 12 months, and Cyber Essentials Plus adds a hands-on technical audit where an assessor tests a sample of your devices and accounts. Councils, NHS trusts and large companies often ask for it.
At Reading IT Support, we prepare you for both levels but don't assess or certify, so the verdict stays independent. We find what would fail, fix it and help you write answers that match your setup.
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Key areas covered
The Five Core Controls of Cyber Essentials
The scheme centres on five technical controls. Our gap review checks each one on everything in scope.
Firewalls and internet gateways
Firewalls set to block unwanted inbound traffic on every device.
Secure configuration
Default passwords and unused software removed before you apply.
User access control
MFA switched on and admin rights removed from everyday accounts.
Malware protection
Malware protection in place on every device in scope.
Security update management
Critical and high-risk updates applied within 14 days.
Why it matters in Reading
Keep Your Reading Business Bidding
In Berkshire, the request comes from buyers: councils, NHS trusts and the large companies on Green Park and Thames Valley Park. Council and NHS tenders list it as a requirement, and park tenants send questionnaires asking for a current certificate.
Cyber Essentials helps you:
- Bid for council, NHS and public tenders
- Answer supplier questionnaires from larger clients
- Prove your laptops meet the same controls
- Satisfy a funder or first enterprise client
- Keep the evidence procurement teams expect
Steps
Get Ready in Four Simple Steps
A clear route to Cyber Essentials, with the gap review done before you apply rather than after you fail.
Scoping call
We agree which offices, devices and cloud services are in scope, and the level you need.
Gap review and fixes
We test your setup against the five controls, give you a fix list and work through it with you or your IT team.
Self-assessment submitted
We help you complete the question set for an IASME-licensed certification body.
Stay compliant
We keep patching, MFA and admin rights in line through the year and start renewal before expiry.
Certification level
Choose Your Cyber Essentials Certification Level
Pick the level of assurance that matches your business, your customers and the contracts you want to win.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is the UK government-backed certification confirming that your organisation has the core controls needed to fend off common cyber threats.
It is completed through a structured online self-assessment, which is then checked independently by an accredited certification body.
The five controls covered
- Firewalls and secure internet gateways
- Secure configuration
- User access control
- Malware protection
- Security update management
What is Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials Plus includes everything in the standard certification and adds a hands-on technical audit to confirm your controls actually work in practice.
It suits organisations that need extra assurance for larger contracts, supply chains or regulated sectors.
The Plus audit checks areas such as:
- Patch levels and known vulnerabilities
- How well malware protection performs
- Device configuration and hardening
- User account and access controls
- Security of internet-facing systems
Frequently asked questions
Common Questions About Cyber Essentials
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification showing that your business has five technical controls in place: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and updates.
How long does a certificate last?
A certificate lasts 12 months, at the basic level and at Plus. To stay certified you renew yearly.
Are you a Cyber Essentials certification body?
No. Reading IT Support prepares your business for Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus, but an IASME-licensed certification body carries out the assessment and issues the certificate. Keeping preparation and assessment separate keeps the result independent. We help you choose a certification body and support you through it.
Do personal devices count for Cyber Essentials?
Yes. A personal phone, tablet or laptop that opens work email or company data is in scope and must meet the controls.
What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and Plus?
Cyber Essentials is a self-assessment that a certification body marks. Cyber Essentials Plus covers the same five controls and adds a hands-on technical audit, where an assessor tests a sample of your devices and accounts.
Why do Reading businesses get asked for Cyber Essentials so often?
Public sector buyers and many larger companies ask suppliers for Cyber Essentials before they sign a contract. Plenty of Reading firms supply councils, the NHS or the corporate tenants on Green Park and Thames Valley Park, so the certificate can decide whether you can bid.
What are common reasons for failing Cyber Essentials?
Common causes are unsupported operating systems or apps, critical updates left longer than 14 days, cloud accounts without multi-factor authentication, and staff working with admin rights day to day. Personal phones that open work email can also bring extra devices into scope. Our gap review finds these issues before you submit, gives you a written fix list and works through it with you, so nothing fails on the day.
Can you work with our IT provider?
Yes. We can share the fix list with them or make changes.
What if our systems are not ready yet?
We list unsupported devices and apps, price replacements and scope out anything the rules allow.
What happens when we need to renew?
We track your 12-month expiry and start the renewal review early, so a lapsed certificate never holds up a bid.
Who does the assessment?
An independent, IASME-licensed certification body. Reading IT Support handles your preparation, the gap review and help with the self-assessment, then supports you through it.
Get in touch
Ready to Prepare for Cyber Essentials in Reading?
Tell us how close you are to the five controls and which contracts you are chasing, and we will tell you what needs fixing first. Call 0118 359 2276, email hello@readingitsupport.uk or send us a message and one of our engineers will get back to you.
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