Plan the right level of assurance for your environment: Cyber Baseline, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, or Cyber Assurance.
Choose the assurance level that matches buyer expectations, operational risk, and the maturity of your internal control evidence.
When clients require the strongest governance-led information security position, ISO 27001 is the top-tier strategic route.
| Area | Cyber Baseline | Cyber Essentials | Cyber Essentials Plus | Cyber Assurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control Breadth | Starter scope | Core technical controls | Core controls + independent verification | Extended governance + risk depth |
| Evidence Expectation | Basic policy and process evidence | Structured self-assessment evidence | Assessment evidence + verified test readiness | Expanded governance, risk, and operational evidence |
| Procurement Suitability | Low-risk supplier onboarding | Common baseline for contract entry | Higher trust and assurance requirements | Enterprise and maturity-focused requirements |
| Internal Effort | Low to moderate | Moderate | Moderate to high | High (cross-functional involvement) |
Use this to explain why a route may start at Cyber Essentials before moving into higher-assurance options.
For UK-based businesses, Cyber Essentials is typically the minimum baseline before progressing to Cyber Assurance.
For businesses outside the UK, Cyber Baseline can be used as a prerequisite step before Cyber Assurance.
Expand each level for decision criteria, who it suits, and why you might choose it over Cyber Essentials alone.
IASME Cyber Assurance is designed for all business sizes, and assessment depth is tailored by business size to reduce unnecessary compliance burden.
Answer these questions for a recommendation based on assurance depth, procurement pressure, control maturity, and delivery window.
Question 1 of 4
Selected Certification: None
You can put your trust in us, as we’ve worked hard to build a solid reputation helping clients like you achieve their business goals. Working across a wide range of business sectors, we collaborate with you to ensure a great outcome for everyone.
*subject to our terms and conditions
ISO 9001 sets the standard for Quality Management Systems
ISO 14001 sets the standard for Environmental Management Systems
ISO 45001 sets the standard for Health and Safety Management Systems
ISO 27001 sets the standard for Information Security Management Systems
ISO 22301 sets the standard for Business Continuity Management Systems
ISO 20000 sets the standard for Service Management Systems
ISO 15189 sets the standard for Medical Laboratories Management Systems
Sign up to receive updates, promotions, and sneak peaks of upcoming products. Plus 20% off your next order.
Sign up to receive updates, promotions, and sneak peaks of upcoming products. Plus 20% off your next order.
Sign up to receive updates, promotions, and sneak peaks of upcoming products. Plus 20% off your next order.