Essential Eight check for small business. Know where you stand.
See how the computers in your business measure up to the Australian Government's Essential Eight, what to fix next, and how ready you are for a data breach.
What the Essential Eight means for a small business
When an insurer, a tender or your board asks how you protect your computers, the Essential Eight gives you a shared starting point for the answer.
The Essential Eight is the Australian Government's baseline set of cyber security strategies. It is published by the Australian Cyber Security Centre at cyber.gov.au as a set of protections to put in place first.
It is meant for Australian organisations of all sizes, so it is a fair yardstick for a business with a handful of computers. The hard part is knowing how your own computers compare.
Without an IT person on staff, that question is hard to answer with confidence. Our check reads your computers and gives you a plain answer you can act on.
Where you stand
See how your computers measure up to the Essential Eight, set out in plain words in the portal, so you are not guessing when someone asks.
What to fix next
A list of what to fix next, so you work through the gaps in a sensible order instead of trying to fix everything at once.
Data breach readiness
A separate check of how ready the business is for the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, before anything goes wrong.
Reports to share
Ready-made security reports in the portal, plus reports you build yourself, so you can show an insurer, a tender panel or your board where things stand.
How our Essential Eight assessment runs, step by step
Four steps, from the moment our agent goes on a computer to the day you next need to answer an insurer or your board.
Discover: our agent reads each computer
Once a computer is on a plan, our agent goes on it and reads how it is set up. You do not chase staff for details, and the portal fills in by itself.
Design: results mapped to the Essential Eight
What the agent finds on each computer is mapped against the Essential Eight. You see where the business stands in the portal, written in plain words.
Deliver: a list of what to fix
The gaps become a list of what to fix next. You decide who works through it and when, and you can talk it over with us.
Support: recheck as changes are made
As fixes are made, the check runs again, so the picture stays current. When the next questionnaire or board meeting comes round, the results are already there.
Questions buyers ask before they rely on the check
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the Essential Eight check certify my business?
- No. The check shows how your computers measure up to the Essential Eight and what to fix next. It does not certify compliance, and it is not endorsed by the Australian Government.
- Is this a formal Essential Eight assessment?
- No. Our agent reads each computer and the results are mapped against the Essential Eight. If an insurer, tender or board asks for a formal assessment, use our results to prepare, then ask them what evidence they need.
- Can I show the results to an insurer or my board?
- Yes. The portal has ready-made security reports you can share. Be clear that the results show how you measure up today. They are not a certificate of compliance.
- What does the data breach readiness check look at?
- It checks how ready your business is for the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. The OAIC sets out the scheme's rules at oaic.gov.au, including which businesses are covered.
- Will the check stop a cyber attack?
- No check can promise that. The Essential Eight check shows the gaps so you can close them. Threat alerts and the other security checks are covered on our cyber security page.
- Does the check keep up as we fix things?
- Yes. The check runs again as changes are made, so the list of what to fix next reflects your computers as they are now, not as they were.
- How do I get the checks?
- They come with our managed IT, sold per computer and billed monthly or annually. The pricing page shows what each plan includes, so you can see which plans carry the compliance checks.
Find out where your computers stand.
Tell us how many computers you have and who is asking about your security. We will explain how the checks would work for your business.