UK Government-Backed Certification
Independent Technical Verification
Expert Preparation and Support

Data Defence guides organisations through Cyber Essentials Plus certification — the UK Government-backed scheme that provides independent, technically verified assurance that essential cyber security controls are in place and effective.

Cyber Essentials Plus

Cyber Essentials Plus is the higher of the two Cyber Essentials certification levels. Unlike the standard Cyber Essentials assessment — which is self-declared — Cyber Essentials Plus involves independent technical testing by a qualified assessor, providing a higher level of assurance to clients, partners, and regulators.

Certification demonstrates that your organisation has effective controls in place across five key areas: boundary firewalls and internet gateways, secure configuration, access control, malware protection, and patch management. It is required by many public sector contracts and procurement frameworks, and is increasingly expected by enterprise clients across all sectors.

Data Defence provides end-to-end support for the certification journey — from an initial gap assessment against the Cyber Essentials technical requirements, through remediation of identified weaknesses, to readiness confirmation and support through the independent assessment itself.

For organisations pursuing ISO 27001 or NCSC CAF alignment, Cyber Essentials Plus provides a practical, evidenced foundation — demonstrating that baseline technical controls are in place before broader governance and assurance work begins.

Secure Your Business Today

Strengthen your cybersecurity and demonstrate compliance with our fully managed Cyber Essentials Plus service. Our experts assess, implement, and verify key security controls—so you can focus on running your business with confidence.

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Safeguard your business with DataDefence’s cybersecurity solutions from prevention to response — and stay ahead of evolving threats.

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Why Choose Data Defence

Cyber Essentials Plus is not a simple checkbox exercise. The technical requirements are specific, the assessment is independent, and organisations that attempt certification without proper preparation frequently fail on configuration weaknesses that could have been identified and addressed in advance. Data Defence provides the expertise and hands-on support to ensure you arrive at assessment in the best possible position.

Certification that means something.

Cyber Essentials Plus certification is increasingly expected by clients, insurers, and public sector procurement frameworks. Data Defence provides expert-led preparation — so that when your assessor arrives, you have the evidence, the configurations, and the confidence to demonstrate genuine compliance rather than hoping for the best.

Delivering Managed SOC & Vulnerability Services

Introduction

A national UK charity was managing a complex IT environment — cloud-based services, a distributed workforce, and a growing dependence…

Highlights

Deployed a fully managed SOC
Introduced continuous vulnerability detection
Enhanced enterprise-wide cyber resilience

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Building Cyber Incident Readiness — From Policy to Proven Playbooks

Introduction

An established IP and legal firm had no formal incident response capability. Data Defence delivered a structured programme — from…

Highlights

Developed a full Cyber Incident Response Policy, Plan, and Procedure
Created technology-specific playbooks tested through live tabletop exercises
Delivered executive and technical workshops building organisation-wide readiness
Built a template framework enabling the client to author future playbooks independently

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Cyber Essentials is a self-assessed questionnaire, while Cyber Essentials Plus includes independent technical verification by a qualified assessor. Cyber Essentials Plus requires you to demonstrate — not just declare — that the required controls are in place and working effectively.

The timeline depends on your current security posture. For well-prepared organisations, the process from initial assessment to certification can take four to eight weeks. Where significant remediation is required, we work with you to address gaps efficiently — typically within a three-month programme.

Our 24/7 SOC capability means that active incidents are detected and triaged in real time. For clients with a managed service agreement, initial response and escalation is immediate. For advisory clients, we provide an incident response retainer that ensures a senior responder is available within agreed timeframes.

Yes. Governance, risk, and compliance support is a core part of what we do. We provide practical, hands-on support for ISO/IEC 27001 implementation and certification, Cyber Essentials Plus, the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit, and alignment with NCSC Cyber Assessment Frameworks — not just documentation, but genuine operational readiness.

Our engagement model is built around a three-year maturity roadmap. As your environment evolves, so does the service. We introduce new capabilities progressively — from foundational hardening through to advanced threat detection, Zero Trust, and 24/7 SOC operations — ensuring your investment scales with your needs.

Cyber Essentials Plus Certification