Staying ready between renewals
Cyber Essentials is renewed every year where contracts require it. Here are the habits that keep your business ready for renewal all year round.
Read moreCyber Essentials readiness
Be ready for Cyber Essentials, and stay ready.
Vigil CE guides you through the question set, shows what would fail and keeps your evidence in one place.
Certification is awarded by an IASME licensed certification body; Vigil CE helps you prepare.Readiness (example)
Ready to submit once 3 fixes are done
- FirewallsReady
- Secure configuration2 to fix
- Security update managementReady
- User access control1 to fix
- Malware protectionReady
Next fixes
- Turn on multi-factor sign-in for adminsOwner: Sam
- Remove two unused accountsOwner: Priya
- Set screen lock on 3 laptopsOwner: Sam
About Vigil CE
Calm, clear preparation for the scheme.
Vigil CE is an online service that helps organisations prepare for Cyber Essentials certification and keep their controls in place afterwards.
Who it is for
- UK small and medium organisations that want to be certified without a steep learning curve.
- The IT providers who look after them and want a consistent way to prepare each client.
How we can help
From first question to ready
Answer the question set
Work through the official question set with the guidance next to every question, so you know what is being asked and why.
Find and fix the gaps
See which answers would fail and get a clear list of what to change, with an owner and a due date for each fix.
Collect your evidence
Keep screenshots, settings exports and policies against the answer they support, ready when you need them.
Stay ready all year
Get renewal reminders and alerts when something drifts, so the next renewal is no scramble.
Features
Everything you need to prepare
The official question set
The question set with its guidance alongside every question.
Answers prefilled
Prefilled from your devices and from your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace sign-in settings.
Readiness score per control
See each control scored, with the questions that would fail.
Remediation list
Every fix has an owner and a due date.
Policy templates
Start from clear templates instead of a blank page.
Evidence against each answer
Keep proof next to the answer it supports.
Export in the official layout
Export in the question set’s own layout to copy into your certification body’s online assessment.
Renewal reminders and drift alerts
Be told when something changes after you are ready, and when renewal is due.
Why choose us
Built around how the scheme works
Three facts about the scheme, from the people who run it.
- 01.
Cyber Essentials is built around five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection.
Source: NCSC: Cyber Essentials overview
- 02.
The NCSC’s Cyber Essentials Delivery Partner, IASME, manages a network of more than 400 cyber security organisations across the UK that can advise you and help you get certified.
Source: NCSC: Cyber Essentials overview
- 03.
Cyber Essentials Plus assesses the same five technical controls as Cyber Essentials, and adds independent technical testing of your systems.
Source: NCSC: Cyber Essentials overview
How it works
Four steps to ready
1
Set your scope
Decide which people, devices, accounts and networks are in scope, and record it once.
2
Answer with help
Answer each question with guidance beside it and prefilled answers where we can read your settings.
3
Fix what would fail
Work down the remediation list until every control shows ready.
4
Submit through your certification body
Export your answers in the official layout and submit them through your IASME licensed certification body, who awards the certification.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Prepare for the technical audit
Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same five controls with independent technical testing of your systems. Vigil CE helps you get your devices and settings into the state the audit will look for.
- See which devices and accounts would be tested and what each one needs.
- Fix the weak settings before the auditor sees them.
- Keep the evidence together, so the audit day is calmer.
Before the audit
Scope agreed and written down
Every device checked against the five controls
Fixes done and evidence attached
Certification body booked
Blog
Latest from the blog
Before you start your self-assessment: a preparation checklist
A practical checklist to work through before you open the Cyber Essentials self-assessment, built from the NCSC requirements and its free resources.
Read moreCyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus: which do you need?
Both levels cover the same five controls. Plus adds an independent technical audit. Here is how they differ and how to decide which one your business needs.
Read moreGet ready for Cyber Essentials with Vigil CE
Start preparing today and keep your controls in place all year.
Get started