What is Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials is a UK Government-backed certification scheme developed by the National Cyber Security Centre. It is designed to help organisations protect themselves against the most common internet-based cyber threats.
The scheme focuses on five key technical controls:
- Firewalls
- Secure configuration
- Security update management
- User access control
- Malware protection
Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus assess the same five areas. The important difference is how compliance is verified.
Cyber Essentials combines a verified organisational self-assessment with an independent review. Cyber Essentials Plus goes further through an independent technical audit and testing of the organisation’s systems. This provides additional assurance that the required controls are not only documented but are operating effectively in practice.
What does this mean for our existing customers?
Our customers already rely on RetrofitOS to support the management and delivery of complex retrofit projects, bringing together property information, project documentation, evidence and workflows in one central environment.
Achieving Cyber Essentials Plus provides our existing customers with additional assurance that we take the protection of our systems and the information entrusted to us seriously.
There is no action required from customers as a result of this change. It represents a further strengthening of the assurance supporting our existing services and our ongoing approach to cyber security.
For customers undergoing internal governance, compliance or supplier reviews, our Cyber Essentials Plus certification also provides independently verified evidence that key technical security controls have been assessed and tested.
What does it mean for housing associations and local authorities?
Housing associations and local authorities need confidence that the organisations within their supply chain can handle information responsibly and meet increasingly robust procurement and information-security requirements.
This is particularly important in retrofit, where projects can involve multiple delivery partners and significant volumes of property, resident, assessment and compliance information.
Our Cyber Essentials Plus certification helps prospective public-sector customers by:
- Providing independent assurance over key cyber-security controls
- Supporting supplier due-diligence and procurement processes
- Reducing uncertainty during IT and information-security assessments
- Demonstrating our continued investment in secure and resilient services
- Providing greater confidence when bringing project information and delivery partners together through RetrofitOS
The certification gives procurement, IT and programme teams clear evidence that our cyber-security arrangements have undergone independent technical testing.
What does it mean for Tier 1 contractors and delivery partners?
Major contractors operate across extensive supply chains and are increasingly expected to demonstrate that their technology providers and subcontractors meet appropriate cyber-security standards.
RetrofitOS is designed to support collaboration between contractors, retrofit professionals, installers, assessors and clients. Our progression to Cyber Essentials Plus provides Tier 1 contractors and other delivery partners with greater assurance when considering RetrofitOS as part of their technology and project-delivery infrastructure.
It can also help support supply chain approval, client assurance and tender submissions where Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification is required or viewed favourably.
Supporting secure, connected retrofit delivery
Achieving Cyber Essentials Plus is an important milestone, but cyber security is not a one-off exercise. It forms part of our wider commitment to continually reviewing and strengthening the systems, processes and controls behind RetrofitOS.
As retrofit programmes increase in scale and bring together more organisations, maintaining secure, structured and accessible project information becomes increasingly important.
Our Cyber Essentials Plus certification demonstrates that we are continuing to invest in the security and resilience needed to support housing providers, local authorities, contractors and retrofit professionals with confidence.
To learn more about RetrofitOS and how our platform can support the secure management and delivery of your retrofit programmes, contact our team or request a demonstration.