Cyber Essentials Plus

Cyber Essentials Plus logo.

The University of Derby is Cyber Essentials Plus certified

In March 2020, the University of Derby was awarded Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation for the second year.  

Cyber Essentials is an assessment scheme, sponsored by the UK Government, which requires the assessed institution to prove they adhere to the government criteria for cyber security.

The criteria that must be met includes: 

  1. Secure Configuration
  2. Secure Firewall and Internet Gateways
  3. Control Access to Data
  4. Malware Protection
  5. Patch Management

More detailed information on the requirements listed above, please visit the Cyber Essentials website. 

There are two levels to Cyber Essentials. There is the standard Cyber Essentials accreditation and then there is Cyber Essentials Plus. Cyber Essentials Plus brings the evaluation process one step further as it requires an audit from a qualified third-party assessor in addition to the self-assessment survey required for the standard Cyber Essentials certification. 

You can search for every organisation that holds Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certification here. 

Having this accreditation assures current and potential business partners that we hold our cyber security to the highest standard and have proven that we meet the requirements outlined in this Government supported scheme. By having this certification the University is equipped to deal with government data opening doors into potential new research opportunities for staff and students. 

For more detailed information about Cyber Essentials, please visit: https://www.cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk

The University of Derby is serious about cyber security...

Anthony Cotton, from IT Services, responsible for much of the work that involves achieving Cyber Essentials Plus explains (February 2019),

“The University of Derby was the first University to achieve Cyber Essentials when the scheme came out in 2014. It’s a constant game of cat and mouse with the hackers, so the assessment gets tougher every year. For the first time, we had a third party assessor,  Bridewell Consulting Ltd. come on-site to audit our environment and I’m really pleased that we passed, becoming the 18th University to obtain the highest ‘plus’ level, with over 40 universities achieving the standard Cyber Essentials certification. It’s a team effort across the department, with work going on all the time to ensure the University is secure.”