Cyber Essentials Plus is the higher-assurance level of the Cyber Essentials scheme. Where the standard certification involves a self-assessment reviewed by a certification body, Cyber Essentials Plus builds on this with a hands-on technical audit of your systems. An independent assessor validates your scope and tests your actual security controls.
RB Consultancy Ltd is an accredited Cyber Essentials Plus Certification Body. We carry out the technical audit ourselves and issue the certification on pass. You deal with one organisation from start to finish.
The key difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus is the independent assessment. With Cyber Essentials, you complete a questionnaire (with or without the help from a Cyber Advisor) and a certification body checks that your answers are consistent, credible and compliant. With Cyber Essentials Plus, an assessor tests your systems directly.
This means the security controls for Cyber Essentials are tested and confirmed. That distinction matters to a lot of organisations, especially those more regulated, dealing with personal or sensitive data and looking for a higher level of assurance.
Certification is valid for 12 months and can be renewed annually. The process involves a self-assessment questionnaire that is reviewed and verified by an accredited assessor and certification body.
Three groups for whom CE Plus is increasingly the expected level of assurance.
Many MOD and UK government contracts require Cyber Essentials Plus rather than the standard certification. If you’re bidding for contracts in key sectors, this can be the minimum expected certification level.
If your business handles personal, financial or health data, CE Plus provides stronger assurance to clients, regulators and insurers. St James’ Place mandated CE Plus in their supply chain and reported an 80% reduction in security incidents.
Large enterprise clients and public sector organisations increasingly require their suppliers to hold CE Plus. It demonstrates you take security seriously enough to have it independently verified.
If you have a tender deadline that requires CE Plus, the earlier we have the conversation the better. Typical engagements take a few weeks; complex environments take longer.
Two routes to certification. Pick the level of support that fits your team and timeline.
For organisations that already hold a valid Cyber Essentials certificate within the last 90 days.
For organisations starting from scratch. Both certifications delivered in a single, streamlined process: the most efficient route.
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Remo guided us clearly at every step, making what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Their friendly and approachable manner made the whole experience stress-free. Highly recommend.
It felt less like working with a consultant and more like having a trusted partner invested in our success. We passed both assessments smoothly and with confidence.
A subject matter expert who efficiently identified issues and provided the right level of support to achieve certification well within timescales.
The process was very smooth sailing and the advice was invaluable. Highly recommend, and I would happily work with RB Consultancy Ltd again.
They made what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Highly recommend their services to anyone looking for expert and reliable Cyber Essentials support.
Excellent service. Very professional, very thorough — exactly what we needed to get over the line on our Cyber Essentials Plus assessment.
Remo guided us clearly at every step, making what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Their friendly and approachable manner made the whole experience stress-free. Highly recommend.
It felt less like working with a consultant and more like having a trusted partner invested in our success. We passed both assessments smoothly and with confidence.
A subject matter expert who efficiently identified issues and provided the right level of support to achieve certification well within timescales.
The process was very smooth sailing and the advice was invaluable. Highly recommend, and I would happily work with RB Consultancy Ltd again.
They made what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Highly recommend their services to anyone looking for expert and reliable Cyber Essentials support.
Excellent service. Very professional, very thorough — exactly what we needed to get over the line on our Cyber Essentials Plus assessment.
The process was very smooth sailing and the advice was invaluable. Highly recommend, and I would happily work with RB Consultancy Ltd again.
They made what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Highly recommend their services to anyone looking for expert and reliable Cyber Essentials support.
Excellent service. Very professional, very thorough — exactly what we needed to get over the line on our Cyber Essentials Plus assessment.
Remo guided us clearly at every step, making what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Their friendly and approachable manner made the whole experience stress-free. Highly recommend.
It felt less like working with a consultant and more like having a trusted partner invested in our success. We passed both assessments smoothly and with confidence.
A subject matter expert who efficiently identified issues and provided the right level of support to achieve certification well within timescales.
The process was very smooth sailing and the advice was invaluable. Highly recommend, and I would happily work with RB Consultancy Ltd again.
They made what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Highly recommend their services to anyone looking for expert and reliable Cyber Essentials support.
Excellent service. Very professional, very thorough — exactly what we needed to get over the line on our Cyber Essentials Plus assessment.
Remo guided us clearly at every step, making what initially seemed complex very easy to understand. Their friendly and approachable manner made the whole experience stress-free. Highly recommend.
It felt less like working with a consultant and more like having a trusted partner invested in our success. We passed both assessments smoothly and with confidence.
A subject matter expert who efficiently identified issues and provided the right level of support to achieve certification well within timescales.
Quick answers to the questions we get most often. Anything else, ask us.
Yes. A valid Cyber Essentials certificate dated within 90 days is required for Cyber Essentials Plus certification. If you need both, we take you through the process in sequence and as a combined package.
The audit itself is typically carried out over a short number of days, depending on the quantity of devices and systems in scope. We support planning, preparation and initial scope validation too. Some organisations achieve Cyber Essentials Plus certification very quickly, others take a few weeks (depending upon their business priorities).
For most organisations we work with, the audit is carried out remotely. Where an on-site element is required, we agree this during the scoping discussion.
Our packages include provision of remediation advice. We aim to flag likely issues during the preparation phase so that avoidable failures can be highlighted and ideally addressed before the formal audit.
Book a free 30-minute call and we will talk through the process, advise on what you need to prepare and what it will cost.
Registered Address: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU
Trading Address:Pioneer House, Pioneer Business Park, North Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire,
CH65 1AD
Registration Number: 14677066
VAT Number: 479590726
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