From the 1st of April 2020, the National Cyber Security Centre is changing the Cyber Essentials certification process. In a move to standardise the application process, the NCSC is making the IASME Consortium the sole partner, and the four other existing accreditation bodies will no longer be part of the scheme.
How will this affect your renewal before 1st of April?
- All existing certification bodies will continue to operate as normal until 31 March 2020.
- Applicants should apply for new certification/renewal under the current scheme’s requirements through any existing certification body.
- Certificates issued from applications that were submitted before 1 April 2020 will be valid for at least 12 months.
- If you apply for new or renew your Cyber Essentials certification with your existing certification body by 31 March 2020, you will have until 30 June 2020 to complete the application process (provided the application was started by 31 March and is being actively progressed).
- All existing structures that were put in place under the current scheme to obtain certification will remain valid until 31 March 2020.
- Vulnerability scans that were required under CREST-accredited certification bodies will still be required for applications purchased before 31 March 2020.
How will this affect your renewal after 1st of April?
- All certification processes will be standardised through IASME.
- Vulnerability scans that were required by certain certification bodies will no longer form part of the requirements for Cyber Essentials basic certification.
- All Cyber Essentials applications and renewals will need to be completed using the IASME self-assessment questionnaire.
- The questionnaire requires applicants to answer open-ended questions in free text format.
- All applications need to be manually reviewed by an assessor.
- All renewals administered through IASME will be treated similarly to new applications.
- Any existing application or certification will not be transferable to IASME.
If you need more information about your renewal, or you are considering Cyber Essentials certification for the first time, call us on 01293 446677 or get in touch using the contact form below.
