Cyber Essentials for sole traders and freelancers

Yes, a one-person business can get certified. For most sole traders it is a quick job, because there is so little to cover.

Who asks sole traders for it

• Bigger clients checking their supply chain, especially in finance, legal, healthcare and the public sector.
• Government buyers. Some central government and NHS contracts require it, whatever your size.
• Agencies and prime contractors that pass the requirement down to the freelancers they use.

If nobody asks you for it, you don't handle sensitive client data, and you're not bidding for public work, it may not be a priority yet. But the controls are worth having anyway.

What's in scope for a one-person business

IASME's own guidance says that for a sole trader, the business may simply be you, your phone and the tools of your trade. In practice that usually means:

• your laptop or desktop;
• your phone and any tablet, if you use them for work email or files (even if you bought them personally);
• your home router, if you work from home;
• cloud services you use for work, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox or your accounting software.

The quick checklist

1. Updates on automatically for your computer, phone, browser and apps. Anything no longer supported has to go or be kept off work.
2. Multi-factor login on every cloud service that offers it.
3. Use a normal account day to day, not an administrator account.
4. Malware protection switched on (the built-in Windows and Mac protection usually counts).
5. Change default passwords, including on your router, and use a password manager.
6. Screen lock on every device.

What it costs

Certification fees are tiered by size, so a micro business pays the lowest fee. The questionnaire is the same whatever your size. See what Cyber Essentials costs, and check whether you qualify for 75% off.