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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs outlines key motivations that dictate human behaviour. There are five categories of needs, in order of importance.
- Physiological
- Safety
- Belongingness and love
- Esteem
- Self-actualisation
Physiological and safety needs are the most basic for humans to function – warmth, food, water, safety, etc. This can be applied to business, too. The most basic needs for a business to function include:
- Having a product or service offering
- Building an infrastructure to support sales/customers/employees, e.g. IT
- Having a place to work or sell, e.g. website, office, shop
- Protecting your business from threats like theft from physical stores or cyber attacks on systems and data
Certifications like Cyber Essentials satisfy the basic need to protect your business against threats.
Need more help finding the right cybersecurity accreditation for your business? Check out our guide.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a cybersecurity certification designed by the government to give organisations a standardised level of protection.
There are five security controls with criteria to address cybersecurity effectively and mitigate the risk from cyber threats:
- Firewalls
- Secure configuration
- User access control
- Malware protection
- Security update management
Businesses must meet the Cyber Essentials IT infrastructure requirements in all five areas to become accredited.
The 5 benefits of Cyber Essentials
1. Improve your security processes
Once accredited, you’ll be less at risk of GDPR non-compliance and associated fines, and protected against 98.5% of the most common security threats.
Cyber Essentials provides a framework to improve your internal processes. The five categories of criteria act as a step-by-step guide to up your cybersecurity game. It’s easy to follow and gives you processes to follow that’ll set you up for future success. Save time, money, and stress by getting organised.
2. Build trust with customers
With so many high-profile and damaging cyber attacks worldwide, customers are rightly nervous about who to share data with and want to know their personal information will be safe.
Having a government-backed accreditation lets customers know that you operate your business to a good standard of cybersecurity. This provides the reassurance they need to buy from you with confidence.
Over time, you’ll build broader brand recognition and improve your reputation, too.
3. Bid for government contracts
If you want to work with organisations in the public sector and bid for contracts, you’ll need a Cyber Essentials accreditation.
This is a huge opportunity to work on large-scale projects and form long-lasting positive relationships with public sector organisations.
4. Be on a trusted register of suppliers
For the 12 months your certificate is valid, your company’s name will be on the NCSC website. This makes it easy for potential customers to check your cybersecurity credentials and validate your business.
5. Strengthen your supply chain
It’s not just important for your customers to trust you. Your partners, suppliers, and investors need to have confidence in your ability to operate safely, too. Having a recognised certification validates your processes and means they know you operate with their best interests at heart.
Start meeting your business needs today
Remember Maslow. Addressing all the basic needs of your business will give you a foundation for success. Getting your cybersecurity in order is a must, and working towards a Cyber Essentials certification will set you on the path to better data management.
And when you have Cyber Essentials in place, you can think about striving for more complex certifications to fulfil needs further up the hierarchy so your business can reach its full potential.
Still unsure which certification is best for your business? Check out our in-depth guide to cybersecurity certifications in the UK.
