Thinking from the front line.
Perspectives on penetration testing, cloud security, accreditation, Cyber Essentials and secure engineering.
Cyber Essentials funding 2026: the 75% First Step Fund and the free supplier grant
Government funding now cuts Cyber Essentials to £80–£125 + VAT for first-time SMEs, and makes it free for nominated suppliers. Who qualifies and how to claim.
Does Cyber Essentials Plus require a penetration test?
No. The Cyber Essentials Plus audit is a technical check of five controls, not a penetration test. What the audit tests, what a penetration test adds, and when you need both.
What CREST accreditation means when you buy a penetration test
What CREST checks before it accredits a testing company, how disciplines work, how CREST compares with CHECK and The Cyber Scheme, and how to verify a provider in two minutes.
How to choose a Cyber Essentials certification body
What every Cyber Essentials certification body does the same, the things that differ, and what to ask before you buy.
What EASM actually finds, and when you need it
The events that put internet-facing assets outside your asset list, from acquisitions to cloud spend outside IT, and how to find yours first.
DCC Level 0: what the MOD's December 2026 deadline actually requires
The three controls and six questions behind DCC Level 0, why most failures are scoping failures, and what the MOD's December 2026 deadline means.
What continuous vulnerability management actually means
Why 0.37% of 2025's CVEs are the ones that matter, the patch deadlines that really apply to you, and what separates continuous management from a scan.
What GovAssure Actually Asks For
A walkthrough of the Cyber Assessment Framework as GovAssure applies it: what each objective asks for, and where organisations lose marks.
How to Choose a Cloud Security Assessment Provider in the UK
What separates a real cloud security assessment from a scanner report, the seven questions to ask before you buy, and how Azure and AWS assessments differ in practice.
Penetration Testing vs Vulnerability Scanning: What's the Difference?
Penetration testing or a vulnerability scan? What each finds, what compliance requires, and why you usually need both, from a CREST-accredited testing team.
Becoming a Layer 7 Partner: A Guide for MSPs
How MSPs add penetration testing, Cyber Essentials and managed security without building in-house. The build-vs-partner decision, and how to partner with Layer 7.
How to Pass a Cyber Essentials Plus Audit: 2026 Checklist
How to prepare for a Cyber Essentials Plus audit in 2026: a control-by-control checklist, the top reasons firms fail, and how to pass first time.
How Much Does Cyber Essentials Plus Cost? (2026 UK Price Guide)
How much does Cyber Essentials Plus cost in 2026? Fixed UK pricing by organisation size, not device count, from £1,120 + VAT. Free retest included.
Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus: Which Do You Need?
Cyber Essentials or Plus? Compare what each level proves and which one your sector and contracts actually require, from an IASME Certification Body.
What micro-businesses actually need from cybersecurity support
A new open-access study finds the problem isn't too little cybersecurity advice, it's too little usable advice. Layer 7's Joe Cockcroft is among the authors.
Cyber Essentials changes 2026: Danzell, mandatory MFA and cloud scope
What changed in the 2026 Cyber Essentials update (v3.3 / Danzell): mandatory MFA, a new cloud-service definition and whole-scope patching, and how to stay certified.
Why Cyber Essentials Plus Matters More Than Ever in 2026
With 43% of UK businesses hit by a breach last year and the scheme updating in April 2026, hands-on certification is becoming a baseline expectation. Here is what it is, what is changing, and what to do about it.