Cyber Essentials for SMEs — practical prep guide
What UK SMEs actually need to fix before a Cyber Essentials assessment — focused on controls that reduce real risk, not paperwork theatre.
Why SMEs pursue Cyber Essentials
Tender requirements, insurer questionnaires and customer due diligence increasingly expect a baseline. The NCSC Cyber Essentials scheme is the common UK language for that baseline.
Five control themes (plain English)
- Firewalls — boundary protection that is configured and reviewed, not a dusty default
- Secure configuration — remove default accounts, lock down unused services
- Access control — least privilege, MFA, leavers who actually leave
- Malware protection — endpoint protection that is present and updating
- Patch management — a cadence for OS and critical apps, not annual panic
Common gaps we see
- Shared admin passwords and no MFA on email
- Unsupported Windows/macOS still on the LAN
- “Guest” Wi‑Fi that isn’t separated
- Backup jobs never restore-tested (see network & backup)
- Leavers still in Google Workspace / M365 groups months later
How Teknikal helps
We run a gap review against the five themes, remediate the boring holes, and prepare you for assessment — usually under a short project or as part of managed IT. We are not a certification body; we prepare the estate so assessment is less painful.