Please note spaces will be filled on a ‘first come first serve basis’
All businesses face a threat from cyber attack but some organisations have a particularly increased risk. This might be because they hold sensitive information about the people that they work with, or they are perceived as an easy target by cyber criminals. For those sectors most at risk, the NCSC is launching a Funded Cyber Essentials Programme. This scheme aims to provide vulnerable organisations with help to implement baseline security controls to prevent the most common types of cyber attack.
How does it work?
The Funded Cyber Essentials Programme will seek to help UK organisations meet the five technical controls of Cyber Essentials – firewalls, secure settings, access controls, malware and software updates – by identifying and implementing improvements that are right for the size and needs of the organisation.
Organisations that meet the criteria and that are eligible for the programme will receive hands-on support from an Advisor at no cost, although please note that the NCSC and IASME won't provide any additional software or hardware that the Advisor identifies as required to achieve Cyber Essentials.
Qualifying organisations will receive around 20 hours of remote support with an Advisor. This time will be used to support an organisation in implementing the five Cyber Essentials technical controls, followed by a hands-on technical verification that the controls have been put in place. Working with IASME, organisations will receive a set amount of hands-on support from a cyber security expert to review technical controls and make configuration changes to the organisation’s systems if required.
Even if it's not possible for the organisation to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus, the Advisor will help it to implement as many of the technical controls as possible and give a clear list of the additional actions the organisation needs to take to be compliant. Those taking part in this scheme don't need Cyber Essentials certification, as the programme is designed to lead an organisation through the technical controls required to achieve certification. However a Cyber Essentials assessment will need to be completed before assessing for Plus.
Under the new scheme, those organisations who are eligible and sign up will receive support through one of IASME’s network of NCSC-assured Advisors. The Advisors will be used to deliver the Funded Cyber Essentials Programme on behalf of the NCSC, and all Advisors must go through training and pass the relevant assessments and exams before working on the programme.
Who is eligible for support in Northern Ireland?
Criteria:
To qualify for this scheme, companies must be a micro or small business (1 to 49 employees), registered in the UK and located within Northern Ireland.
Conveyancers
To qualify for this scheme, companies must be a micro or small business (1 to 49) employees) that offer conveyancing services.
AND meet the following criteria;
- Has not previously participated in the NI/NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme
- Does not currently hold Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification, has not been awarded CE+ certification since January 2023 and is not currently in the process of applying for CE+ certification.
Pharmacy
To qualify for this scheme, companies must be a business entity contracted by the Department of Health NI to provide pharmaceutical services from a registered pharmacy premises in Northern Ireland ('a community pharmacy contractor'); with 1 to 49 employees; and which holds personal data. For those contractors operating more than one pharmacy contract, applications and funding are limited to one contracted pharmacy within the business.
AND meet the following criteria;
- Has not previously participated in the NI/NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme
- Does not currently hold Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification, has not been awarded CE+ certification since January 2023 and is not currently in the process of applying for CE+ certification.
Emerging Technology:
To qualify for this scheme, companies must be a micro or small business (1 to 49 employees) registered in the UK and working on:
- The development of fundamental Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
- The design and development of semiconductors / semiconductor IP blocks.
- The development of fundamental Quantum technologies.
- The development of fundamental Engineering and Synthetic Biology.
AND meet the following criteria;
- Has not previously participated in the NI/NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme
- Does not currently hold Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification, has not been awarded CE+ certification since January 2023 and is not currently in the process of applying for CE+ certification.
Defence:
To qualify for this scheme, companies must be a micro or small business (1 to 49 employees) registered in the UK and located within Northern Ireland in the 'Defence' sector.
AND meet the following criteria;
- Has not previously participated in the NI/NCSC Funded Cyber Essentials Programme:
- Does not currently hold Cyber Essentials Plus (CE+) certification, has not been awarded CE+ certification since January 2023 and is not currently in the process of applying for CE+ certification.
Apply for the NI Funded Cyber Essentials Programme(external link opens in a new window / tab).