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Cyber Essentials is an independently verified self-assessment. Practices assess themselves against five basic security controls and then a qualified assessor verifies the information provided. XL Farmcare have partnered with an IT Consultancy to do this, and have selected IASME as the preferred accreditation body.
Certification confirms that some basic technical controls are in place to prevent the most common attacks; it’s a simple two-step process:
Verify your IT is suitably secure
Cyber Essentials has a detailed set of requirements for your Information Technology. You need to make sure your systems and software meet these before you move on to the next stage of certification. You are then required to supply various forms of evidence before the Certification Body can award certification.
Complete the self-assessment questionnaire
Having understood the requirements which Cyber Essentials puts on the installation, configuration and maintenance of your IT, you are now ready to complete the self-assessment Certification questionnaire for subsequent submission to the Certification Body. Our questionnaire includes some aspect of governance to help assure compliance with GDPR regulations.
Whilst Certification involves a simple process, and can be completed by any suitably experienced and interested member of your practice team, XL Farmcare have partnered with Hyperlogic, an IT consultancy with a working knowledge of vet practice operations.
An additional package of support and documentation has also been developed by Hyperlogic to help practices meet their obligations quickly, efficiently and with the least hassle. Your initial assessment involving our services is free and includes:
- initial audit, including IT cyber and data security review
- guidance on the certification process and legal requirements
- downloadable sample assessment question and policy templates tailored for veterinary practices
- this includes a GDPR compliant governance structure
- undertaken via a call with the relevant team member
- output is a vulnerability, risk and recommendation report
- including an action plan and next steps to achieve compliance
Combined with the Cyber Essentials assessment, Hyperlogic use an enhanced questionnaire which helps cover GDPR readiness. If you pass this assessment you will receive a Cyber Essentials compliance certificate and become registered online that your Practice is “GDPR ready“. Although you can take your Practice through this process independently, we have partnered with Hyperlogic to provide a high level of guidance and support when needed.
Progress through to Cyber Essentials Certification and GDPR Readiness through the Certification Body has a cost of £400 plus VAT, which includes an automatic Cyber Insurance Cover to a limit of £25,000. Details of the Insurance can be found here.