The Scottish Government has issued funding to Scottish Enterprise for a Cyber Essentials voucher scheme. The scheme allows your business to claim up to £1000 to achieve Cyber Essentials accreditation. Cyber Essentials is a UK government information assurance scheme operated by the National Cyber Security Centre that encourages organisations to adopt good practice in information security. A primary objective of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy is to make the UK a safer place to conduct business online and from 1 October 2014 all suppliers must be compliant with the new Cyber Essentials controls if bidding for government contracts which involve handling of sensitive and personal information and provision of certain technical products and services. You must be able to fund the Cyber Essentials costs up front. You will need a copy of your invoice from your chosen Certifying Body to receive the grant. Once you’ve received confirmation of the voucher, Scottish Enterprise reimburses the costs up to the value of £1000. More information: https://www.considerit.co.uk/it-news/cyber-essentials-1000-voucher-scheme/ Has your business achieved Cyber Essentials yet? Is it something you plan to do? Let's discuss it here!
Sounds like one of those accreditations that would be great to tout in front of people who aren't security professionals, like Adwords or Analytics certifications (where it means you can use their UI, but don't need to know anything about using it for profitability).
And yet, it's surprising how many "security professionals" would fail the Cyber Essentials accreditation.
I'd probably fail a driving test if I had to take it tomorrow. Doesn't stop me being a better driver than anyone who has just passed their test though.